German-Russian Cooperation in Laser Technology Successful

In Russia there are five Laser Innovation Technological Centers (LITC), which are supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The idea behind the LITCs is based on a network of testing and consulting centers for laser technology, which was founded in Germany in 1996. Just like in Germany, the LITCs in Russia want to make their laser know-how available to a broad industrial spectrum.

An example for the work in this project was given by the LITC Moscow. A company asked the center for help in constructing a photochemical reactor for water decontamination. Different parts of a reflective stainless steel had to be cut using a laser, and then welded together to form a reactor shell. Since the reactor works under a pressure of up to 6 ATM, the welding seams had to be hermetically sealed and maintain narrow tolerances.

The laser technology for this project was exported from Germany to Moscow. The laser of the south German company Trumpf (Ditzingen) was connected to a processing head of the company Scansonic, based in Berlin. Both parts were then connected to a KUKA robot (Augsburg). Finally, using German technology, the engineers in Moscow could fabricate this complex piece to the satisfaction of the company.

Ultimately, the project follows two main goals. On the one hand, the LITCs provide small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) in Russia with a sort of “jump start in laser technology.” The expansion of laser manufacturing in Russia is being supported through consulting and testing. On the other hand, this project should help German laser technology to have a wider basis in Russia.

Contact:
Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH)
Michael Botts
Hollerithallee 8
D-30419 Hannover
Tel.: +49 511 2788-151
Fax: +49 511 2788-100
E-Mail: m.botts@lzh.de
The Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) carries out research and development in the field of laser technology and is supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport of the State of Lower Saxony (Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Verkehr).