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30 March 2009

Jülich Research Centre Invest in LaserCUSING® Technology

Jülich Research Centre pursues cutting-edge research aimed at solving the great challenges which we face today in the fields of health, energy, the environment and information technology. In combination with its two key areas of expertise, physics and supercomputing, the work done at Jülich focuses on making long-term fundamental and multidisciplinary contributions to science, technology and specific technological applications. With a staff of around 4,400, Jülich is one of the largest research centres in Germany.

The Central Technology Division (CTD) develops and produces equipment, machines and methods for both the facilities at Jülich Research Centre and third parties, which they may need to carry out their research and development projects. The recent procurement of a LaserCUSING® machine from Concept Laser reinforces the investment which CTD is making in the ongoing research of beam fusion methods. Using their new M2 LaserCUSING® machine, Jülich Research Centre will in future be able to produce parts with complex internal structures and manufacture low volume production parts.

Amongst the various rapid prototyping methods, direct laser fusing is of particular interest to the CTD as a variant of deposit welding for the manufacture of functional parts. The laser beam is used to locally fuse a single powder material layer by layer, gradually building up a complete component part. The rapid movement of the laser introduces a minimal amount of heat into the work-piece, which means that the melt cools down very quickly thus reducing the possibilities of component distortion.

The finished component generally has a particularly fine-grained metallic structure and is almost 100% porosity free. The component characteristics and specifications correspond to those of the original material, with properties virtually identical to those of parts produced by conventional means, allowing parts produced by LaserCUSING® to be subsequently machined, welded or hardened etc. In the construction of functional parts, the use of LaserCUSING® technology allows the fabrication of complex structures, starting at the prototype stage and going on through to small batch production. Parts can be made from steel, titanium, aluminium and a range of other metals, and the LaserCUSING® process therefore constitutes a new method which is complimentary to conventional manufacturing processes.

LaserCUSING® technology is available within the United Kingdom and Ireland from ES Technology Limited, the sole distributor for Concept Laser within these regions. ES Technology Limited, also offer a wide range of laser and optics related components and services, including:-

  • Sub-contract laser marking services
  • Laser and optical components
  • After sales service
  • Design and manufacture of laser marking systems


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