Leveraging nLIGHT's innovative programmable laser technology, the AFX-1000 can switch between a single-mode beam and other beam profiles without the use of free space optics. Developed for additive manufacturing, the AFX ring mode geometry stabilizes large melt pools, reducing the amount of soot and spatter to improve material quality and production yields. Discrete AFX beam profiles can be selected on-the-fly as quickly as 30 times per second, offering new degrees of freedom to control melting and solidification rates, physical microstructure and thermal strain that can lead to stress fractures, a frequent cause of part failure.