German researchers extending laser microcladding work with new funding

Aug. 9, 2012
Work on laser cladding for microstructures at the Laserinstitut of the University of Mittweida will continue thanks to new €1M government funding.

Mittweida, Germany -- Researchers at the Laserinstitut of the University of Applied Sciences in Mittweida have secured more funding for a project exploring the application of laser cladding for microstructures.

The three-year, €1.1M funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will continue a project entitled "Rapid microtooling with laser-based methods." An earlier phase of their project (2006-2010) worked on laser micro sintering, microcladding, and 3D cutting and material removal with femtosecond and fiber lasers. (Here's a PDF describing that work, circa 2008.) The group is led by the Institute's R. Ebert and H. Exner, with participation from local laser systems builder Laservorm, enameling shop K¨hn Email, and ProCon.

Applications for the technology are seen in various fields, for improving turbine blades and wings in aerospace to surface optimization in printing and food industries.

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