NEWS LASERS IN ACTION
EUROPEAN APPOLO PROJECT CONCLUDES AFTER FOUR YEARS
The European Appolo project, which was started with the aim of fostering connections between laser producers, system integrators and end users, as well as speeding up the validation of new laser equipment, has concluded after four years. The project was undertaken by 36 photonics partners from 10 different countries. A total of 37 innovations were made as a result
of the multiple work packages and experiments that took place within the project, 12 of which have now resulted in patents being submitted. The consortium partners expect to be able to make sales of €76 million over the next five years with these innovations, and will be able to generate at least 66 additional jobs in the process. A sustainability strategy will ensure the Appolo
Hub is kept in place both as a cooperation and a marketing and sales tool following the conclusion of the project. A cooperation agreement has also been signed among the project’s regular partners. As part of the project, Bern University of
Applied Sciences (BUAS) developed a set of high throughput scribing processes with scribing velocities of 1m/s. These were validated on R&D
samples and functional modules on a float glass substrate produced by Swiss firm EMPA. The fibre-delivered ultrashort pulses of the
scribing laser can be used to process thin-film solar cells. It was also shown that these optimised scribing processes are ready to be implemented in industrial scribing machines. A laser scribing process for
machining perovskite films for solar cells was also developed. It was shown that perovskite films can be ablated at very low fluences by almost any ultrashort pulse laser system. The modules fabricated were fully characterised by electrical measurements, proving a module efficiency of 10.7 per cent. In the Fast experiment, an improved Scanlab
delivered ultrashort pulses of the scribing laser can be used to process thin- film solar cells
The fibre-
scanning system was assessed by micromachining company Lightmotif. In addition, new processes were developed to fabricate functional surface textures, which technology firm SKF expressed an interest in for reducing friction in its products. Scanlab also implemented a fast pixel mode to
Laser ‘blacksmith’ to improve aerospace metal treatment The laser ‘blacksmith’ will be used to
Researchers at the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Central Laser Facility (CLF) have developed a laser tool for treating metals using a concept similar to that of a traditional blacksmith’s hammer. The tool will be part of a newly
commissioned laser processing laboratory at the facility, which will test metal surface treatment methods for high-value manufacturing, for example in high stress machinery such as aerospace components. The new tool will be powered by the
facility’s in-house laser platform DiPOLE (Diode Pumped Optical Laser system for Experiments), and will be capable of treating metals at a much greater precision and speed than traditional methods.
deliver powerful nanosecond pulses to a metal target, sending shockwaves into the material that compress the structure’s atoms and leave it locked in a compressed state. This makes the metal much more resilient and resistant to cracks. The mechanics are similar to that of a
blacksmith’s hammer being used to shape metal. The pulsed laser is able to target precise areas of a metal structure, and the compressive shockwave can be tailored by adjusting the laser’s parameters. John Collier, director of CLF,
commented: ‘Our next step will be to automate the technology using robotics to enable the treatment of large engineering
control laser operations at a synchronised repetition rate of 3.2MHz. Additionally, the firm increased the speed of laser patterning to up to 2m/s with a high material removal rate, and applied it to surface texture moulds. The process was demonstrated on an insert and removed 11.5mm³ in around 30 minutes using an average laser power of 5W. The Fast Galvo experiment
combined developments made by Scanlab and BUAS to ramp up the speed of laser processing using galvo scanners. As a result, the precise processing of small features is now feasible at speeds of 15m/s using Scanlab’s new Excelliscan scanner and RTC6 control board, as well as BUAS’s advanced control.
The technology was validated by Bosch in the fabrication of small structures, and by GE for reopening holes for cooling. Spanish firm Lasing developed a laser
processing system to induce changes in chromium-coated parts, while a modified sub-nanosecond high pulse energy laser was validated for deep engraving metals for jewellery.
components. This will save time and reduce costs, making the technique more broadly attractive to industry.’ The laser shock peening technique is
of specific importance to high-value sectors including nuclear power generation and aerospace, where aircraft engine fan blades can be laser peened to improve their resistance to bird strikes. ‘At CLF our lasers are among the most
powerful in the world and have been used for a wide range of research such as probing the internal structure of matter under extreme conditions,’ said Dr James Nygaard, development laser scientist at CLF. ‘We can harness the power of these laser technologies to solve real-world engineering problems, and through the
A robotic arm is used to manoeuvre the metal samples into the path of the laser ‘blacksmith’ beam
development of the laser shock peening technique there is potential to revolutionise the way metals for high-stress machinery are manufactured.’
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LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE ISSUE 37 • WINTER 2017
@lasersystemsmag |
www.lasersystemseurope.com
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