The Open Innovation Lab (OIL) is a research facility of the Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences. The aim is to strengthen the competitiveness of the regional economy by providing top technology in the area of laser material processing, additive manufacturing, materials testing and measurement technology.

For the transfer of technology and the research related services an ultra-modern machinery and state-of-the-art metrology is available. Highly qualified competence teams form the basis to deal with concrete questions fast and effectively. For that the Open Innovation Lab bundles the experience of the laser application center (LAZ) and the center for additive manufacturing (ZAF) of applied laser and photonics group of the University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg.

The resources of the Open Innovation Labs can be integrated strategically by companies in order to increase their innovation potential, to speed up innovations and to secure their competitiveness in the long run.

Types of cooperation

• Technology consulting
• Feasibility studies
• Process qualification
• Cooperative research
• Prototypes and small-scale series
• Metrological services
• Training courses

Laser material processing

The Open Innovation Lab has a wide range of different laser systems and enables the investigation of various laser processes such as cutting, welding and structuring. 24 different beam sources are available in power classes up to 4 kW. The emission spectra range from 248 nm to 10.6 μm in continuous-wave or pulse mode. The advantages of an ultra-short pulse laser can be used with pulse durations of up to 100 fs. The wide array of laser systems allows the machining of almost any material, ranging from metals to ceramics to glass.

Additive manufacturing

Various processes are available for the additive production of plastic and metal components. For the manufacture of metallic components, systems based on selective laser melting are used, and for plastics the fused deposition process and the polyjet process are available. It is thus possible to produce arbitrarily complex designs with a large number of materials. Both concept models and functional components as well as (small) series parts can be realized.

Metrology and material testing

Various measuring and test systems are available for the investigation and characterization of structures and components. These include, for example, imaging methods such as the scanning electron microscope, the laser scanning microscope, the laser light scanning microscope or the white light interferometer. The measurement of thin layers and the determination of optical properties can also be carried out in our laboratories. In addition, material and friction properties can be tested using a hardness and tensile tester as well as a tribometer and contact angle measuring device. Metallographic examinations can be carried out using micrographs and etching. Thermal properties of materials can be determined with a dilatometer.

The government of Unterfranken grants a grant of around 2.85 million euros to the project "Open Innovation Lab for applied laser technology and photonics" to the Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences.

Würzburg (ruf) - The government of Unterfranken has granted funding of € 2,850,194 to the Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences for the project "Open Innovation Lab for applied laser and photonics group" from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The estimated total costs for the project are € 5,700,388. The grant amount is thus 50%. The grant will be provided by the Operational Program in the "Investment in growth and employment" objective for Bavaria 2014-2020.

"Increasing competition from globalization as well as shorter technology and product life cycles increase the pressure on companies to innovate and are driving factors for the need to optimize the innovation process. With today's funding, we can further strengthen the University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg as a regional competence center and as an interface to the regional economy ", said government president Dr. Paul Beinhofer at today's decision handing over to the Vice-President of the University of Aschaffenburg Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Stark and Prof. Dr. Ralf Hellmann (laboratory for applied laser and photonics).

At the University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg, an Open Innovation Lab for applied laser and photonics will be set up with the aim of speeding up and intensifying technology transfer in the government district of Unterfranken. As a central point of contact, the university provides knowledge, skills and resources in the region, which above all enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to increase their ability to innovate, initiate and stabilize cooperative ventures and open up new business fields. Already 14 companies (mainly from the region) have been actively involved with a letter of intent.

As an institutionalized interface between science and business, the Open Innovation Lab is a future-oriented organizer with great leverage, as laser technology and photonics provide innovations as key technologies for almost all industries. The above mentioned measures and activities eliminate the usual hurdles of an efficient transfer of technology described above and the Open Innovation Lab provides measurable transfer sequences. With this innovative approach, the Open Innovation Lab for applied laser and photonics at the Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences has achieved model character with signal effect.