Interreg

Laser technology has conquered more and more production areas and although investment costs are going down and laser systems are becoming more powerful, profitability is not automatically guaranteed as it requires the highest possible utilization of a laser beam’s potential during the processing phase. Correspondingly optimized production processes and facilities do exist, however, only for standard processing and industrial key accounts. Within the framework of the project ‘Laser Fertigungstechnik’ (laser production technology) it has been proven that a lot of potential is being left untapped in these kinds of production processes especially with regard to systems SME are able to use and which have not been specifically adapted. Studies on the transfer of high-speed processes with laser technology in production areas of regional SME have indicated an optimization potential by a factor of (up to) 30 in comparison to the current speed.

In the current and ongoing follow-up project, this potential is being exploited for production processes in regional SMEs. Such companies usually do not benefit from current developments as the corresponding technology has not been tailored to their requirements. Pilot projects such as the stripping of copper contacts and the laser bonding of the corresponding coils, as well as the roughening of plastic surfaces or new cutting processes for composite materials have already successfully demonstrated that SMEs and high-tech companies are not mutually exclusive when using modified laser processes and that economical use of lasers is also possible in such production environments.

To ensure that this can be achieved, the project team consists not only of the Laser Center of the FH Münster and the Dutch laser manufacturing company ILT Fineworks, but also of the specialist machine builder Rittmeyer Feinwerktechnik. The group of technology users started with Tecnotion, a company specialized in linear drives, but is constantly growing on both sides of the German-Dutch border. Further adjustments are being made and interested SME’s are welcome to contribute their production needs. The knowledge gained in the project can be transferred and used in different areas. In this way, the aim is to initiate impulses for the further spread of laser use in the program region and to set up high-tech application structures.