Fraunhofer ILT


NEWS


URBAN MINING LASER PROJECT TO RECOVER RESOURCES FROM ELECTRONICS


NKT strengthens materials processing business with Onefive acquisition


NKT Photonics has purchased Onefive, an ultrafast laser manufacturer headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. According to NKT, the acquisition will strengthen its material processing business by adding complementary know-how and products to the portfolio. Founded in 2005, Onefive


specialises in ultrafast lasers, in particular femto- and picosecond systems. Onefive’s customers are mainly in the medical and life science segments, but they also supply lasers to the industrial material processing and scientific markets. The company employs 41 people that are mainly based in Zurich where the main production facilities are located, and in a smaller site in Berlin under the name Advanced Laser Diode Systems. NKT Photonics’ increased activity


Lasers can be used to unsolder circuit board components in the ADIR recycling process


A consortium of laser developers, automation firms and metal recycling experts are combining laser technology, modern image processing, and robotics to recover valuable raw materials from used electronic devices. The work is being done as part of


ADIR, a €6.6 million Horizon 2020-funded project coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT. Conventional material recycling


frequently relies on bulk material flow solutions, which use shredding and pyrometallurgical processes. They focus primarily on recovering precious metals such as copper, gold and silver, but are unable to recover other rare materials. The


ADIR project, scheduled to run until 2019, explores the feasibility of new technologies to be able to procure these rarer substances for the next generation of urban mining. ‘Elements such as tantalum and


tungsten, or rare earths such as neodymium, will continue to play an important role in the industrial manufacture of high-tech electronics,’ explained project coordinator Professor Reinhard Noll from Fraunhofer ILT. ‘Our new reverse production approach will ensure that we fully exploit the potential that so far has gone untapped.’ The ADIR consortium is


designing a machine that incorporates laser technology,


robotics, modern image processing and information technology at different stages of the recovery process. Lasers can be used for a range


of tasks in urban mining – from performing 3D measurements and real-time identification of constituent elements, to contact- free uncovering and desoldering of electronic components. A demonstrator will be built in a


recycling plant in 2018. In February 2016, Fraunhofer ILT also launched the sister project i-Recycle, scheduled to run until 2019. Its goal is to collect old, no longer used mobile phones from the Fraunhofer- Gesellschaft for the ADIR project, and make them available for R&D.


Resonetics acquires Aduro Laser for tube cutting equipment


Laser micro manufacturing firm Resonetics has acquired Aduro Laser, a laser processing firm that produces tubular components for the medical device industry. The takeover will enable Resonetics to provide additional resources and equipment to expand the capacity of Aduro’s business model. Aduro’s technology has enabled it to


shorten the processing times of tubular components, enabling its customers to iterate rapidly and reduce time to market. With its focus on efficiency and eliminating waste, the company also makes the broader adoption of interrupted spiral cut tubing economically viable. With the acquisition, Resonetics will


market ‘Prime Laser Cut Tubing’, a solution for quick-turn and high-volume laser cut tubing that can be used extensively in catheter delivery systems, Nitinol implants and single-use instruments. The firm will also expand Aduro’s capacity with a new facility, additional equipment and more engineering resources.


in the material processing segment will be an add-on to Onefive’s already strong presence in the medical market. NKT Photonics bought UK-based Fianium in 2016, which specialises in supercontinuum and ultrafast lasers.


In brief


Dr Oliver Suttmann, head of the production and systems department at Laser Zentrum Hannover, has received the Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft Lasertechnik prize, awarded for accomplishments in applied laser research. Suttmann was honoured during the Lasers in Manufacturing Conference at Laser World of Photonics in Munich for his contribution in the fields of fibre composite, glass and micro processing.


Lasermet has celebrated its 30th anniversary. Lasermet has been instrumental in the development of the internationally recognised laser safety standards IEC / EN 60825 over many years.


Bofa International, a fume and dust extraction technology firm, is expanding its reach in Europe by opening new offices in Hamburg, Germany.


www.lasersystemseurope.com | @lasersystemsmag


ISSUE 36 • AUTUMN 2017 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE


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