The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT and Automatic-Systeme Dreher GmbH are presenting a groundbreaking innovation in the field of sheet metal processing at Euroblech 2024 from October 22 to 25 in Hanover, Germany: a demonstrator system for laser blanking that significantly increases process reliability and efficiency in production through the use of artificial intelligence.

In modern production, especially in the automotive industry, blanks from coils have to be cut both precisely and efficiently, and the requirements are becoming more and more demanding. Traditional methods, such as punching, are reaching their limits, especially when it comes to flexibility and resource conservation in production. In addition, industry needs to reliably and safely monitor continuous production processes to avoid expensive system downtimes and production losses. Malfunctions caused by cutting interruptions, for example, can be detected and avoided at an early stage with additional sensors and control mechanisms.

DIPOOL project manager Dr. Frank Schneider (right): “MILM detects and corrects errors in real time before they lead to quality defects or production downtime. This increases production quality and speed.” ©Fraunhofer ILT, Aachen, Germany

As part of the joint project DIPOOL (Digital Process Online Optimizer for Intelligent Laser Machines), the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT and its project partners are developing solutions to improve the efficiency and safety of laser cutting and welding processes. DIPOOL is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and combines the expertise of leading industry and research partners to develop pioneering solutions for Industry 4.0.

“The project aims to use artificial intelligence and minimally invasive laser modulation to optimize process monitoring and control in sheet metal processing, with a particular focus on thin sheet metal and laser blanking,” says Dr. Frank Schneider, DIPOOL project manager and cutting group leader at Fraunhofer ILT. “These technologies make it possible to detect process deviations in real time and make immediate adjustments to sustainably increase production reliability and speed. With the DIPOOL project, we really are setting new standards in sheet metal processing.”

The functional principle of the monitoring system is based on a “minimally invasive” laser modulation pattern (MILM). Minimal disturbances are imposed on the machining process, to which the process continuously responds with particularly characteristic, condition-dependent signals. Artificial intelligence (AI) can analyze these patterns particularly well.

Cooperation between Fraunhofer ILT and Dreher Automation

Automatic-Systeme Dreher, Fraunhofer ILT and the pilot customer have cooperated on building an industrial-scale laser blanking demonstrator system and integrating system monitoring with AI and MILM. For this pilot customer, the Aachen-based institute has been developing the process over many years.

Dreher Automation is an experienced specialist for automation systems in the field of forming processes and contributes its expertise in the development of high-precision machine solutions. “By combining a new type of system design, the high-speed cutting process developed by Fraunhofer ILT and innovative process monitoring, we are now able to machine blanks dynamically with extremely short cycle times,” explains Schneider.

Fraunhofer ILT and Dreher Automation will be presenting the demonstrator system at booth 27-H82 at EuroBLECH 2024. The system, which will be used to process cold-rolled strip products, among other things, is specially designed to maximize process reliability when processing coils. The AI-based systems analyze the process signals in real time and detect even the smallest deviations before they lead to problems. MILM ensures that the cutting process remains continuously stable, an advantage that minimizes scrap rates and significantly increases the overall productivity of the system.

“The new concept of overlapping work areas of two processing heads with continuous belt transport in the system enables maximum flexibility and resource-efficient production,” explains Hasan Sarac, managing director of Automatic-Systeme Dreher. “This means that each laser can process exactly what is required. This way, we can optimize nesting and process large components. This is a decisive advantage that makes manufacturing in automotive production more cost-effective.”

Outlook and next steps

The demonstrator system implements the findings and results of the DIPOOL project. The design of the system is primarily aimed at automotive production, in particular the cutting of structural components and other sheet metal parts from coils. This saves immense costs: Because laser blanking does not require expensive tools, it saves costs there as well as makes both storage and maintenance unnecessary. And downtimes due to tool changes are also a thing of the past.

The test runs demonstrate the advantages of the new system design and continuous production from the coil, which optimizes nesting and saves on material, one of the key levers for the system’s resource efficiency. Higher productivity, reduced scrap rates and flexible adjustment of the cutting contour in tryout production – all decisive advantages.

“Our collaboration with Fraunhofer ILT as part of the DIPOOL project impressively demonstrates how mechanical engineering and innovative technology can go hand in hand to create a new benchmark for the industry,” summarizes Hasan Sarac.

After the presentation at the Euroblech trade fair, the results of the DIPOOL project will flow into the first industrial implementation. In cooperation with the pilot user, optimizations and extensions will then follow that are necessary for use in series production.

Visit us from October 22 to 25 in Hanover at the booth of Automatic-Systeme Dreher GmbH, booth number 27-H82, to learn more about the demonstrator system and DIPOOL. The Fraunhofer ILT will also be demonstrating the laser processing of bipolar plates for hydrogen technology.

Wissenschaftliche Ansprechpartner:

Dr. Frank Schneider
Group Manager Laser Cutting
Phone +49 241 8906-426
frank.schneider@ilt.fraunhofer.de

Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT
Steinbachstrasse 15
52074 Aachen

Weitere Informationen:

https://www.ilt.fraunhofer.de
https://www.dreher.de/en-de

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The Photonics Days will be held on October 5 and 6, 2022 in Berlin Adlershof and bring together experts from photonics, optics, microsystems technology, and quantum technology. Scientists from the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut are actively involved as chairs of the sessions “Berlin Laser Tech Symposium” and “Berlin Quantum Optics Symposium”. In a talk, they also present the progress achieved in high-power diode lasers with very high repetition rates. FBH will showcase its developments at the booth, which include:

Reliable 1064 nm laser diodes for space and quantum technologies

FBH has many years of experience in the development, fabrication, and qualification of lasers and optical amplifiers for challenging applications in space, on satellites, and for use in quantum technologies. Currently, the institute manufactures more than 50 laser modules, including devices with 1064 nm emission wavelength, to be used for fundamental research on ultracold atoms on board the International Space Station (ISS). These modules are equipped with semiconductor chips that amplify the light of a 1064 nm laser with low output power to high power densities up to 60 MW/cm2. The facets of the optical amplifier are extremely stressed by the elevated emission power and must therefore be particularly well protected to ensure that the module functions smoothly. Thanks to improved facet passivation in an ultra-high vacuum, the scientists have now been able to significantly increase the reliability and lifetime of the amplifiers. This is demonstrated by accelerated aging tests over 5,000 hours at excessive load. The probability that the amplifier chips will fail when operated under normal conditions during the mission is thus extremely low. The optical amplifier, together with the 1064 nm laser and further components, will be integrated into the module on FBH’s well-established technology platform, which has already been successfully used several times for these kinds of applications.

Record values for diode lasers – optimized for high output powers

FBH will also present its advances in high repetition rate pump lasers – for pulsed and up to CW operation – to be used in future high-energy class solid-state laser systems. The institute was able to increase the peak output power of its diode laser bars in quasi-continuous operation by up to four times while maintaining excellent efficiency. This reduces the cost in euros per watt – a key parameter for industry. FBH builds the optimized diode lasers into stack modules, with improvements in packaging and optics. For example, a fiber-coupled pulsed pump laser source with 1 kW output power at 780 nm wavelength was demonstrated in a 1 mm core fiber (previously 1.9 mm). The passively cooled module was able to increase the duty cycle from 20 % to up to 50 % (10 ms 10…50 Hz).
In addition, CW operation of 780 nm stack modules was successfully demonstrated for the first time. During the transition from pulsed operation (duty cycle: 10 %) to CW operation, the optical pulse power increased by a factor of 8 and reached 750 W at 50 A, without affecting the laser’s brilliance. Thermal resistance increased only 3-fold thanks to microchannel-free cooling.

UVC LEDs used to combat multi-resistant pathogens and coronaviruses

At the booth, FBH will be exhibiting one if its UV LED-based irradiation system that can be used to inactivate multi-resistant pathogens including MRSA and coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 directly on humans without harming the skin. The systems are each equipped with 120 LEDs emitting at a wavelength of 233 nm, which were developed jointly with Technische Universität Berlin. FBH has recently significantly optimized the efficiency of its far-UVC LEDs and integrated the compact devices into a swiveling irradiation system. Like the previous systems, it was designed and realized by FBH’s in-house Prototype Engineering Lab. It is now being tested directly on humans for the first time at the Charité.

Thanks to optimized semiconductor epitaxy and chip process technology, these latest-generation light-emitting diodes can be operated at currents twice as high as before – delivering more than 3 mW output power at 200 mA. Efficient heat dissipation is achieved by optimized LED packages with aluminum reflectors and plano-convex lenses, providing a beam angle of only 60 degrees. This, in turn, increases the transmission due to the integrated spectral filter. The UVC light emitted is free of skin-damaging wavelengths above 240 nm and has an intensity of 0.4 mW/cm2 – thus, almost ten times what previous systems achieved.

Weitere Informationen:

https://photonics-days-berlin-brandenburg-2022.b2match.io/ Program of the Photonics Days 2022

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5G already holds enormous advantages for the manufacturing industry, as process sequences can be monitored or mobile robots controlled in real time. But the process industry could also benefit from the new mobile technology: smart sensors can be used to monitor processing operations and predict the probability of component failure.

Improving workflows, increasing efficiency and reducing operational costs – this is the target of companies in the process industry, where raw materials are extracted, transported and processed into higher-value end products through physical, mechanical or chemical processes. Here too, wireless communication technologies are becoming increasingly useful, for example to facilitate maintenance work. 5G is aimed primarily at industrial applications with smart sensors and autonomous vehicles as well as automated production processes. Data security can be well ensured in a dedicated industrial network.

Fraunhofer IPT and Ericsson provide support for 5G rollout

Numerous companies with an interest in 5G still lack the know-how and resources to take the first steps towards introducing this technology. The Fraunhofer IPT is therefore now providing industrial companies with a mobile 5G system from mobile communications equipment supplier Ericsson. This enables them to test their own 5G applications without having to invest in their own 5G infrastructure straight away. The Fraunhofer IPT is presenting and hosting the mobile 5G network for the first time at Achema.

“We want to show companies that it is possible to configure, operate and manage a 5G network in the simplest way possible,” says Niels König, coordinator of the 5G-Industry Campus Europe in Aachen.

5G multisensor prototype for pump systems in the process industry

Since 2017, the Fraunhofer IPT has been investigating the use of 5G in an industrial context – initially for production, but now also with a focus on other industries: The newly developed prototype for the Achema trade fair shows a smart 5G multisensor integrated into a pump system. The sensor measures the vibration of the pump and the temperature of the motor in real time. In this way, if the motor overheats or the pump system is defective, it can react immediately and stop the process in time for repairs or maintenance. This is even possible in places where data connectivity cannot be provided or can only be provided at great expense.

“The process industry is characterized by widely distributed, large-scale areas, and tens of thousands of instrumentation and control devices. Bringing connectivity to every place and every device in a factory is a huge challenge. Our 5G multisensor can be deployed in a modular way, capture a wide variety of physical parameters, and transmit data wirelessly over 5G,” says Janina Knußmann, research fellow at Fraunhofer IPT.

The prototype will be presented to the trade fair public at Achema from August 22 to 26, 2022, at the 5G-ACIA booth in Hall 11, Booth E3.

Wissenschaftliche Ansprechpartner:

Janina Knußmann M.Sc.
Group Digital Infrastructure

Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
Steinbachstr. 17
52074 Aachen, Germany
Phone +49 241 8904-483
janina.knussmann@ipt.fraunhofer.de
www.ipt.fraunhofer.de

Weitere Informationen:

https://www.ipt.fraunhofer.de/en/Press/Pressreleases/fraunhofer-ipt-shows-advant…

The post Unlocking 5G: Smart Value Chains in the Process Industry appeared first on Innovations Report.

OCT is a non-contact measurement technique originally developed in ophthalmology. It can provide high-resolution two- and three-dimensional images of transparent and semitransparent materials. With its high measuring frequency of over one hundred kilohertz, however, OCT also makes it possible to reliably measure thin and transparent paint layers of one micrometer or more on the basis of cross-sectional images in production.

In print shop practice, for example, this has a clear advantage: because till now, there is no measuring device on the market that can reliably and directly check whether the coating layer has a uniform thickness on the print sheet. The coating layer thickness of the individual print sheet is only estimated by documenting the average coating consumption. However, this approach is very inaccurate and does not provide any real information about the quality of the coating on each individual print sheet. The same is true in other industrial applications, for example in the application of automotive paint and varnish layers for coating a wide variety of components.

With OCT to a better order

With “ifSidLa – Development of a method for the interferometric layer thickness measurement of thin, printed lacquer films”, the Fraunhofer IPT has created a measuring system based on interferometry that can be used to reliably measure thin transparent lacquer layers. Due to its flexible design, the system can also be integrated into production or into an application machine. The system consists of a light source with a spectral bandwidth of about 300 nanometers. The light is fed in equal parts into a sample arm and a reference arm. In the reference arm, the light is reflected back by a mirror. In the sample arm, the reflection is from the sample. A beam splitter combines the two light components – the superposition of both light components is measured in a spectrometer. Since the path of the light in the reference arm is always the same; the path in the sample arm varies due to the different samples and sample layers, individual layers of a sample can be examined here and layer thicknesses of up to one micrometer can be measured.

The Fraunhofer IPT will be exhibiting the high-resolution OCT system at Control in Stuttgart from May 3 to 6, 2022, at the joint booth of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Hall 6, Booth 6301.

The AiF project “ifSidLa – Development of a method for the interferometric layer thickness measurement of thin, printed coating films” is funded by the “Promotion of Industrial Cooperative Research (IGF)” and the “Forschungsgesellschaft Druckmaschinen e.V. (FGD)” under the funding code “20894N1” for two years.

Project Consortium

– Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT, Aachen
– Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, Stuttgart
– Project Advisory Committee (PA), from the printing industry

For more information on the OCT measurement process, please visit: https://www.ipt.fraunhofer.de/oct-en.

Wissenschaftliche Ansprechpartner:

Charlotte Stehmar M.Sc.
“Optical Metrology and Imaging Techniques” Group

Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
Steinbachstr. 17
52074 Aachen, Germany
Phone +49 241 8904-781
charlotte.stehmar@ipt.fraunhofer.de
www.ipt.fraunhofer.de

Weitere Informationen:

https://www.ipt.fraunhofer.de/en/Press/Pressreleases/220406-control-2022-optical…

The post Enhancing Thin Film Quality With Optical Coherence Tomography appeared first on Innovations Report.

Today, sustainability is not an option, but much more an obligation no matter what technology is under development. Accordingly, the laser industry is increasingly using USP technology to improve sustainability in many projects. Lasers are already being utilized to boost the efficiency of hydrogen technology and to generate absolutely tight battery housings in electromobility applications.

In the BMBF-funded SimConDrill project, Fraunhofer ILT has joined forces with industrial partners to build a filter that – for the first time – can remove microplastics from wastewater. “At its core, our challenge was to drill as many holes as possible, as small as possible, in a steel foil in the shortest time possible,” explains Andrea Lanfermann, project manager at Fraunhofer ILT.

Mobile filter plant in wastewater treatment plant

This has been achieved. After the process was developed at Fraunhofer ILT, experts from LaserJob GmbH drilled 59 million holes with a diameter 10 micrometers into a filter sheet, thus creating a filter prototype. The Fraunhofer researchers are also collaborating with three other companies on this ambitious project. In addition to the project coordinator KLASS Filter GmbH, LUNOVU GmbH and OptiY GmbH are also involved.

In the meantime, the laser-drilled metal foils have been installed in KLASS Filter GmbH’s patented cyclone filter and subjected to extensive testing. In the first test, the fine powder from 3D printers was filtered from contaminated water. The setup is now being tested under real conditions in a wastewater treatment plant.

Process knowledge is the key

Drilling millions of holes one after the other takes time, but can be done faster with the multibeam process, in which a matrix of identical beams is generated from a laser beam via a special optical system. Fraunhofer ILT used this process with an ultrashort-pulse laser (TruMicro 5280 Femto Edition) to drill holes simultaneously with 144 beams. The basis for such applications is detailed process knowledge, which has been collected at Fraunhofer ILT over decades and implemented in corresponding models and software. Thanks to this expertise, parameters can be varied on the computer and optimum process parameters found quickly. The robustness of the process can also be analyzed before the application is tested.

In parallel to this drilling application, a consortium of six partners is working on how to best integrate a multi-beam processing system into an industrial machine. In the EU project Multiflex, researchers along with the industry are increasing the productivity of scanner-based laser material processing using multi-beam processes. The special feature of this project is that all partial beams can be individually controlled and, thus, used to produce any kind of surface structure. The project partners aim to increase the speed of the process by a factor of twenty to fifty, thus making the entire process significantly more cost-effective.

CAPS: Scaling into the kW range

Process knowledge is also a critical factor in further scaling up materials processing with ultrashort laser pulses with or without multibeam optics. When power is increased into the kilowatt range, thermal damage to the workpiece can occur. Such effects are explored through complex simulations, and processes can be adapted accordingly.

The laser systems for such experiments are available in the application laboratory at Fraunhofer ILT in Aachen. They are part of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Advanced Photon Sources CAPS, where 13 Fraunhofer institutes jointly develop laser beam sources, process technology and applications for USP laser powers up to 20 kW. A second CAPS laboratory is operated at Fraunhofer IOF in Jena.

Fraunhofer know-how at LASER World of PHOTONICS

At the leading photonics trade fair LASER World of PHOTONICS in Munich, the laser-drilled microplastic filter will be on display, as well as other highlights of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Advanced Photon Sources CAPS. From April 26 to 29, 2022, experts will be available at the Fraunhofer booths B4.239 and A6.441 to provide information about ultrashort pulse laser technology, the generation of secondary radiation from THz to X-rays, and the groundbreaking applications of these technologies.

Weitere Informationen:

https://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2022/april-2022/taking-the-figh…

The post Lasers Combat Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment appeared first on Innovations Report.

Future technology on the Thames: the Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR will present the wide range of its capabilities at the 24th European Microwave Week 2021 (EuMW), which will take place in London from April 2 to 7, 2022 after being postponed due to the pandemic. Industry and science will now come together again on site at Europe’s leading trade fair and conference for microwave technology, radio frequency engineering and radar. Fraunhofer FHR is participating in EuMW with a joint booth and 11 conference presentations.

Within the joint booth with the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO, the Technical Research Centre Finland VTT and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF, Fraunhofer FHR shows a broad spectrum of its research activities and radar applications from different fields.

For example, the scientists from Wachtberg present an active radar reflector for the calibration of driver assistance systems. Automated vehicles use multiple sensors for perception, and the alignment of camera and radar sensors to each other must be checked so that the two do not “look” in different directions. The active radar reflector developed at Fraunhofer FHR can be used in conjunction with an optical test chart from Image Engineering to calibrate and verify alignment. Due to the design of the reflector, the optical calibration mark and the radar reflection appear at exactly the same angle. This enables precise alignment of the sensor systems, increasing the reliability and safety of the driver assistance system.

The topic of additive manufacturing of high-frequency structures will also be presented: The 3D manufacturing processes used at Fraunhofer FHR enable completely new designs in the high-frequency range. Visitors can familiarize themselves with the advantages of additive manufacturing processes in high-frequency technology and gain an insight into the technical parameters of the equipment at Fraunhofer FHR and the manufactured high-frequency structures.

The institute will participate in the conference area of the event with an extensive lecture program. 11 contributions and poster sessions by Fraunhofer FHR researchers are on the agenda. “We are very pleased to be able to personally attend and shape this important event again and are present in London with exciting topics. Whether as a platform for presentation or for exchange and networking – EuMW is unique,” says Prof. Peter Knott, Institute Director of Fraunhofer FHR.

http://www.fhr.fraunhofer.de/

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