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Laser research highlights shared at Melbourne seminar

Dr. Ingomar Kelbassa of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT), Germany, will today deliver a seminar on laser research to partners of the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC).

The seminar, entitled “Laser and applications research at RWTH University and Fraunhofer Laser Institute”, will be held at Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn in Melbourne.

The activities of ILT cover a wide range of areas such as the development of new laser beam sources and components, the use of modern laser measurement and testing technology and laser-supported manufacturing. This includes for example laser cutting, caving, drilling, welding and soldering as well as surface treatment, micro-processing and rapid-prototyping.

The presentation will introduce and discuss laser research activities at ILT as well as its affiliated institutes at RWTH University, Lehrstuhl for LaserTechnik (LLT), Technology of Optical Systems (TOS) and Non-Linear Dynamics of laser materials processing (NLD) – all part of the mechanical engineering department of RWTH Aachen University, Germany. 

The seminar will place a specific focus on the activities of the ILT’s department of surface technologies such as the Laser Additive Manufacturing techniques, Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM), as well as laser polishing and laser cleaning technologies.

Dr Kelbassa will also discuss LLT’s recent advances in femtosecond lasers and the steps to increase the average power from the current 400W and 700 fs to 1kW and 70fs by the end of this year. 

The presentation will end by highlighting current projects such as the Cluster of Excellence (XCluster) at RWTH Aachen University, the RWTH Aachen University Campus project, the Fraunhofer-Cluster of Innovation (TurPro) and the Centre for Nano Photonic (CNP).

About Dr. Ingomar Kelbassa

Dr. Ingomar Kelbassa studied mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen University and has worked in the field of Laser Materials Processing at ILT and LLT since 2000. His research is focused on laser metal deposition and additive manufacture in the aerospace and power generation industries.  He has been the Deputy and Academic director of LLT since mid 2006.

About the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology

With more than 250 employees and 10,000m² of usable floor space the ILT is one of the most important development and contract research institutes of its specific field in the world.