Energy Industry

High-power laser diodes are a key component for fusion power plants of the future. The joint project DioHELIOS sets out to boost their power and efficiency to a new level and to develop approaches for their automated mass production. This is because diode laser modules are required in large quantities for climate-neutral energy generation through laser-based inertial confinement fusion. Several companies and institutes are working together in the BMBF-funded project: ams-OSRAM, the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Jenoptik, Laserline and TRUMPF.

An international research team led by QuTech has demonstrated a network connection between quantum processors over metropolitan distances. Their result marks a key advance from early research networks in the lab towards a future quantum internet. The team developed fully independently operating nodes and integrated these with deployed optical internet fibre, enabling a 25 km quantum link. The researchers published their findings in Science Advances.

“Doing instead of procrastinating”. This is the AI strategy presented by Prof. Constantin Haefner, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, at the “AKL’24 – International Laser Technology Congress” in Aachen, Germany. Experts at the institute are putting this pragmatic strategy into practice in the German-Canadian AI-SLAM project, for example, in which an AI tool for the automated laser cladding of wear parts for the mining industry is being developed.

On September 10 and 11, 2024, the 5th Laser Colloquium Hydrogen 2024 - LKH2 brought together around 60 renowned experts from industry, science and research. The now well-established conference is the ideal platform for discussing the latest developments and applications of laser technology for fuel cell and hydrogen production. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen, the two-day event focused on the continuous production of metallic bipolar plates, process monitoring and the functionalization of surfaces.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT will show experts from the hydrogen industry how advanced laser technologies are helping to pave the way for the breakthrough of hydrogen technology at the international trade fair and conference Hy-fcell, which will take place in Stuttgart on October 8 and 9, 2024. At stand 4E51 in hall 4, the Aachen-based institute will be demonstrating which innovations can meet the growing demand for hydrogen technology and how laser technology increases efficiency, reduces costs and improves the sustainability of fuel cell production.

A new ultrashort pulse (USP) laser beam source from TRUMPF, designed for industrial use, will significantly expand the range of applications of USP laser processes. The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen will be systematically exploring the potential of this beam source with an average output of 1 kW in the coming months. Among other things, experiments are planned to optimize processes in battery and fuel cell production, toolmaking and semiconductor technology, as well as to test various beam guidance strategies. Many of these pilot applications have their origins in the Fraunhofer internal Cluster of Excellence Advanced Photon Sources (CAPS), to which 21 institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft belong.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is supplementing its established Aachen “6th Conference on Laser Polishing LaP” on October 15 to 16, 2024 for the first time with a new conference, one that addresses the growing global interest in photonic process chains for the optics industry. The “1st Conference on Laser-based Optics Manufacturing LOM” will focus on laser-based manufacturing of complex optics and aim to boost the transfer of knowledge from research to industry. Laser-based optics manufacturing promises competitive advantages because it is cost-efficient, digitally controllable and also free of grinding dust and polishing agents.

The fifth Laser Colloquium Hydrogen - LKH2, organized by the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, will take place on September 10 and 11, 2024, Once more it will focus on promoting sustainable networking since no state, no company, no research institution can manage the transition to sustainable hydrogen production alone. That is why numerous experts from industry and research will again meet in Aachen to exchange ideas and develop solutions together. One of the highlights of this year's congress will be the presentation of the German-Australian HyGATE project.

The “AKL’24 - International Laser Technology Congress” took place in Aachen from April 17 to 19, 2024. For the 14th time, the congress provided a platform for an intensive professional exchange on current technology trends and perspectives in laser technology. In addition to three forums and nine sessions with a total of 82 specialist presentations, the 525 participants from 21 countries had access to a fully booked exhibition with 58 companies and 60 “Laser Technology Live” demonstrations in the laboratories of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT and RWTH Aachen University. Two evening events and the deliberately relaxed schedule on the three days of the congress invited participants to network. In short: AKL’24 was the place to be for the laser community.

A team of international scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, and the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) collaborated on an experiment to optimise high-intensity high-repetition rate laser technology using machine learning. The experiment represents a significant leap forward in the study, understanding, and practical application of high-intensity lasers.