The Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) was founded in 1978 and has since established itsself as institution in the fields of teaching and training of engineering students, and research and development for scientific and industrial applications. The Institute of Laser and System Technologies (iLAS) was founded in 2001 at the TUHH and has already succesfully finished several industrial R&D projects in the field of laser material processing. With by now 10 employees, the core competences are based in laser processes while focusing on transferring R&D results into industrial applications.

The institute iLAS is supported by various industry enterprises (such as Rofin-Sinar, Fanuc, Audi, amongst others) and was thus able to acquire state of the art laser technology equipment. This includes a macro processing cell with a high-power 4 kW diode-pumped rod laser, a 1,5 kW disc laser, a 6-axis industry robot, a 5-axis  laser material processing system and a hexapod robot.

For micro processing several, laser sources between 60 and 200 W output are available and are used in laser marking and laser sintering systems. These laser sources include a solid-state rod laser, a CO2-laser as well as  a fibre laser. Moreover, the institute iLAS has acces to several other laser sources, up to 5 kW CO2-laser and 20 kW fibre laser, through a network of industry enterprises affiliated in Hansephotonik e. V..