Lithuanian laser startup LITILIT has begun developing a large-scale femtosecond laser production facility in Vilnius, with a project value of approximately €6m.
The 4,000 sq m factory is designed to reach an annual output of up to 3,000 lasers within a few years of opening, with production expected to begin before the end of 2026. During its first year of operations, the facility is projected to produce up to 1,000 femtosecond lasers.
Femtosecond lasers use extremely short light pulses to enable high-precision material processing with minimal thermal impact. They are used across a range of applications, from semiconductor and advanced electronics manufacturing to medical procedures including eye surgery.
According to Nikolajus Gavrilinas, co-founder and chief executive of LITILIT, the absence of scalable manufacturing has been a significant obstacle to wider adoption of the technology.
“Traditionally, femtosecond laser architectures evolved from scientific systems,” Gavrilinas said. “They can deliver strong performance, but are often complex to assemble, difficult to automate and dependent on highly qualified specialists. Our lasers are based on a purpose-built architecture with lower component complexity, modular design and a high level of automation. This allows us to organise assembly, testing and quality control faster and more efficiently.”
The facility will comprise two main production areas: a CNC metal machining shop and robotic femtosecond laser assembly and testing workshops. Main construction and fit-out works are planned for completion in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The technological basis for LITILIT’s approach stems from a 2014 discovery by co-founder Kęstutis Regelskis at the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology in Vilnius – a patented method of generating ultrashort pulses. The company was founded in 2015 and in 2022 raised €3.7m from Taiwania Capital and Iron Wolf Capital, becoming the first company to receive investment from Taiwan’s $200m Central and Eastern Europe fund.
The patented laser architecture that emerged from Regelskis’s research enables more compact and industrially scalable femtosecond laser systems. Gavrilinas said the design achieves around 20% electrical-to-optical femtosecond efficiency.
“In practical terms, this means lower energy consumption, reduced cooling requirements and reliable operation in industrial environments. The same architecture also allows us to build compact and robust lasers that require no maintenance and are robust to external disturbances,” he said.
LITILIT describes the Vilnius facility as the first stage of a broader international expansion, with plans to replicate the production model in other regions alongside international partners.
“Femtosecond lasers are becoming an essential tool for next-generation manufacturing, but wider adoption will depend on making the technology more accessible. With this factory, we are taking the first step toward a repeatable global production model – and we are proud to begin that journey in Lithuania, a country with a strong tradition in laser science and engineering,” Gavrilinas added.
Main image: Nikolajus Gavrillinas, co-founder and chief executive of LITILIT. Credit: LITILIT
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