Press Releases

In a historic breakthrough in December 2022, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), California, USA, successfully achieved a self-sustaining burning plasma, providing compelling evidence for the viability of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) as a crucial addition to carbon-free, safe, and clean energy sources. This remarkable accomplishment has led to the allocation of $16 million in funding by the US Department of Energy to establish the IFE Science & Technology Accelerated Research for Fusion Innovation & Reactor Engineering (STARFIRE) Hub. Fraunhofer ILT proudly contributes as part of the multi-institutional team led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

From April 17 to 19, 2024, laser manufacturers and users from various industries will meet for the 14th time at the “AKL - International Laser Technology Congress” in the Eurogress in Aachen. 82 speakers will inform the visitors on the latest trends in laser technology in production. AKL'24 will present and participants will discuss the latest findings from applied research and pioneering achievements in the industry – from smart solutions for functional surfaces, AI-supported laser systems to networked digital manufacturing systems for the production of tomorrow. Registration for AKL'24 is now open at www.lasercongress.org.

Around 70 experts from industry and science met in September 2023 at the LKH₂ – Laser Colloquium Hydrogen on the Digital Photonic Production (DPP) research campus of RWTH Aachen University. The fall congress of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT focused on possible ways to apply lasers in hydrogen production. Participants learned about the importance of thinking in terms of process chains during many presentations and the laboratory demonstrations at Fraunhofer ILT and the neighboring Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT.

A delegation from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (German Electron Synchrotron, DESY), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon (Helmholtz Center Hereon) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Hamburg today. With this declaration of intent, the four research institutions have confirmed their plans to work together, pooling their respective expertise and infrastructure to create added value for research and industry.

One of the crucial questions of transforming mobility is "how can e-vehicles be manufactured sustainably and economically at the same time?" The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen, Germany, which has developed electrifying solutions for laser technology together with industrial partners, has several answers. nLight Plasmo, Precitec and 4D Photonics, among others, will be presenting the monitoring of laser-welded joints at the LSE - Laser Symposium Electromobility 2024 on 23 and 24 January, 2024. The companies will be demonstrating live on site how their process monitoring ensures flawless welding processes.

Fraunhofer institutes are links between research and industrial application. The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT will be demonstrating how impressively these links work at formnext from November 7 to 10, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main. Each exhibit tells a success story from completely different industries and applications, with completely different materials and processes.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT will be presenting the latest research results in additive manufacturing technology at the Fraunhofer joint stand at formnext in Frankfurt am Main from November 7 to 10, 2023. Among other things, the Aachen engineers will be showing additively manufactured sensors that are printed directly onto components and that can provide real-time data for predictive maintenance. A new process makes it possible to seamlessly insert sensors into a component during the additive manufacturing process Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF).

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT are working with ADMOS Gleitlager GmbH to develop a promising alternative to solid rolling bearings for wind turbines. They aim to use extreme high-speed laser material deposition EHLA to produce low-cost and low-maintenance sliding bearings. This resource-saving and economical process can reduce weight and costs by up to 20 to 30 percent. The research project is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and offers a promising solution to help expand wind power quickly.

In the European research project ReSoURCE, experts from nine different companies and institutes are working together to develop sustainable solutions for the recycling of refractory materials. The German project partners are primarily providing laser know-how.

Automation and zero-defect production are important trends in machine construction. Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a major role in advancing both of them. Today, it can already detect deviations in process monitoring data and implement quality control in real time. In the future, AI will regulate many more processes and simplify process planning through assistance functions. At the third "AI for Laser Technology Conference" on November 23 and 24, 2023, these and other trends in the application of AI in materials processing will be discussed.