The University of Stuttgart is leading the field in terms of research into the use of laser technologies in industrial production processes, which is why the Institute of Laser Technologies (IFSW) is a popular partner in European projects. But, how does research work in a cross-border, inter- cultural context involving science and industry? And, what value is added?
Marwan Abdou Ahmed's background is just as international as his research projects. Born in Djibouti, he is a French citizen and works with researchers from Russia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Switzerland. He is currently Head of Laser Development and Laser Optics at the University of Stuttgart's Institute of Laser Technologies. “I've got a pretty good understanding of cultural diversity”, says Ahmed, who holds a doctoral degree in Physics. That’s a great advantage in his day-to-day work: international research collaboration is a particularly pronounced feature in his area of expertise. Collaboration partners include both government institutes and companies that wish to improve their production processes and are therefore interested in establishing close ties with university-based researchers. The University of Stuttgart is a popular partner in the field of laser technology. Over the past few decades, the IFSW has pioneered important research in this field.
One of Marwan Abdou Ahmed’s projects is RAZipol (Ultrafast Lasers with Radial and Azimuthal Polarizations for High-efficiency Micro-machining Applications), the objective of which is to use disc lasers to make production processes even more efficient than is currently possible. One of the problems involved is that, currently, a laser beam can either operate extremely rapidly but with a lower level of precision – or very slowly but extremely precisely. “The challenge of this project”, Ahmed explains, “is to combine these two objectives”. Yet, entirely different parameters, such as the intensity and duration of the laser pulse, have a bearing on this. In contrast to the common laser pointer-type laser beams used in slide show presentations, industrial lasers do not use an uninterrupted beam; in a production setting they switch on and off in rapid succession whereby each individual pulse could last around a billionth of a second. In this way, very different tasks can be precisely executed depending on frequency and intensity. Lasers can be used to drill ultra-fine holes or to machine a surface to give it a structure that can only be seen through a microscope. “This kind of application process, is important for example in the field microelectronics” says Ahmed.
Fine Holes for Injection Nozzles
Smartphone and tablet manufacturers use laser techniques to machine tiny little components that are integrated within the devices: the same applies to the automotive industry. “It can be demonstrated”, says Ahmed, “that Diesel injection nozzles made using ultra-fast lasers cause less air pollution that injectors made using conventional processes”. Laser processes are also used in the production of spinnerets, which are used in the textile industry.
Also involved in the RAZIpol project, in addition to the IFSW, are the French Charles Fabry Research Institute, five medium-sized enterprises from different countries as well as Schweißtechnische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (SLV M-V) GmbH. The partner organizations submitted a joint funding application to the European Union, which they received and continue to receive. The collaborating institutions meet regularly to discuss progress in their work, whereby they proceed in accordance with rules and standards agreed upon during the project planning phase. To get funding from the European Union it is necessary, for example, to agree precisely who will be driving the research and in what direct and when the results are expected, whereby the various companies and research institutes share the work in an expedient manner. If, on the other hand, fundamental research is required in the field of laser physics then the researchers will be needed, whilst the partner companies focus applications in production processes.
Diamonds and Wristwatches
Marwan Abdou Ahmed knows how to manage European projects. He coordinated the RAZipol project and now heads up the follow-on HIPERDIAS (HIgh throughPut LasER processing of DIAmond and Silicon) project. The objective of this project is to develop highly efficient production processes involving disc lasers capable of machining three-dimensional structures in silicon, a crucial development for the semiconductor industry. Another focus involves processing diamonds used in industrial tools for machining hard materials. In addition, they need to be able to make ultra-precise incisions in very thin metal components, which is of interest, for example, to the wristwatch sector but also to medical device manufacturers. In addition to the University of Stuttgart, the ten collaboration partners involved in the HIPERDIAS project include the technology giant Bosch, the University of Limoges, Amplitude, a French laser manufacturer and other organizations from Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Switzerland.
So, how did physicist Abdou Ahmed come to head up a Europe wide science project? He laughs: “It was my idea – and the initiator usually takes on this job”. Like other researchers, he also needs to apply for funding to get any project off the ground. One's success in doing so depends on multiple factors. First, of course, you need to have the idea and a good scientific reputation. It also doesn’t hurt to have a network of contacts to find suitable collaborators. “I spent hours on the phone calling around research institutes and companies”. People working in the field know one another from earlier projects or research conferences.
Laser technology is all about applied science. According to Abou Ahmed, “the focus is on practical utilization in industry and that's also the starting point for all our planning ”. He also asked around various companies to find out where research may be needed. In terms of funding, there are various institutes to choose from, such as the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the European Union. A prerequisite for EU funding is that the project partners come from several countries. The EU is a popular choice for laser projects because, among other things, institutes such as the DFG are more apt to provide funding for basic research and they tend to regard laser beam sources as belonging within the scope of theoretical physics. “Therefore”, Ahmed explains, “the chances of their funding more application-based laser-beam-source development projects such as the HIPERDIAS project were not so good”.
Vital Third-Party Funding
Researchers often spend a large part of their working time submitting applications for third-party funding. Their success rate can vary widely, but is around 30 per cent across all funding bodies. Even during the application phase, the international project partners have to get organized, with budget planning being the number one priority. “Each of the partners has to know exactly how much money they have available” says Ahmed. The research strategy can also be a bone of contention. “Companies like to focus on a specific aspect of the technology that is of particular relevance to themselves”. The research perspective is usually more generalized and more focused on the fundamental science.
Cultural differences can also play a role in inter-European projects. As Ahmed explains: “the various partners sometimes interpret agreed aspects in different ways”. For example, when it comes to when certain results are due. It can also happen that companies may attempt to block the publication of certain findings to avoid revealing too much to the competition. However, transparency is a prerequisite of all state-funded projects. According to Professor Thomas Graf, Director of the IFSW and Prorector for the Transfer of Knowledge and Technology at the University of Stuttgart: “all findings relating to fundamental science have to be published”. His institute employs 50 staff members, some 80 per cent of whom rely on third-party funding and submit many applications to the EU. Whilst the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research also subsidizes projects with an industrial focus, it does so to a lesser extent than used to be the case. “Germany recognized the importance of laser technology very early on”, says Graf. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research lavished relevant projects with funding for more than two decades. “That gave us an enormous head start. But, at the same time, it was obvious that it couldn't continue like that forever”.
For this reason, most applications tend to be submitted to the EU these days. Another project involving the IFSW and other European partners is the TresClean (High ThRoughput lasEr texturing of Self-CLEANing and antibacterial surfaces) project. One of the partners is ALPhANOV the French laser centre in Bordeaux. The University of Parma is also involved as is the Spanish-based Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte (BSH Home Appliances), Raylase from Germany and ECOR, an Italian manufacturer of filling plant. As Volkher Onuseit, who represents the IFSW within the project, explains: “the project is about creating antibacterial surfaces with the aid of laser technology”. No surface is ever completely flat: structures, minute hollows, are always visible under the microscope; bacteria tend to colonize these spaces, which contaminates the surface. “It is possible to use ultra-short laser pulses to make the surface structure so smooth that bacteria can no longer find space to live on it”, Onuseit explains. Nor can water or other liquids accumulate there.
No Need to Worry About Splashes
The benefits of this for filling plant manufacturers and the food industry are many. When sauce bottles are filled, for example, minute particles almost always miss the opening and contaminate the machinery. If their surfaces are so smooth that neither food remains or bacteria can stick to them, then they don’t have to cleaned as often, which means less production downtime and more efficiency.
Such surfaces are also of interest to dishwasher manufacturers. “Bacterial cultures can also flourish in the water tanks they contain”, says Onuseit, but, if the surface has a certain structure then they cannot establish themselves. The goal of the project is to determine how best to create such structures with the aid of the laser. Researchers, such as Onuseit, are used to working in an international context. In terms of content, the engineer sees little difference between the research cultures in the various European countries. “Everyone concerned takes a professional approach to work and adhere to the same scientific standards”.
Very Small Differences
However, the composition of the project teams can vary from country to country. Onuseit cites France as an example. “It’s usual there to assign the relevant tasks to post-doctoral researchers”. They collaborate with doctoral candidates on the German side, who tend to be older here and are allowed to work more independently than in France where doctoral studies follow a more regimented curriculum under close supervision.
One rapidly becomes familiar with such differences when working on international projects. Take Italy for example: “Those who earn a doctorate there often want a career in research”, says Onuseit. Most students, who earn their doctorate in Germany, by contrast, tend to regard this phase as a stepping stone where they can gather experience and increase their chances of landing a good position in industry on the strength of the doctor title.
Heimo Fischer