Revolutionizing Industrial Materials Processing with Optical Phased Array Coherent Beam Combined High Power, Digitally controlled Lasers.

Project Information

CBCLASER

Grant agreement ID: 802873

DOI

10.3030/802873

Project closed

EC signature date 24 January 2018

Start date 1 February 2018

End date 31 July 2020

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Nanotechnologies

Total cost

€ 2 813 750,00

EU contribution

€ 1 969 625,00

Coordinated by

CIVAN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES LTD
Israel

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CBCLASER (Revolutionizing Industrial Materials Processing with Optical Phased Array Coherent BeamCombined High Power, Digitally controlled Lasers.)

Reporting period: 2019-02-01 to 2020-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Material processing uses many technologies for cutting, welding and surface treatment. The current market solutions for these applications include water jet, plasma and CNC. In the past year’s laser technology usage in the material processing market is increasing. Laser machines is an established market and within this technology more innovation is happing, and the market is moving from CO2 lasers to Fiber lasers.

The automobile and aerospace industries are developing new technologies using complex shapes and materials. The material processing market is working on solutions for enabling the production of such products. The laser market is developing solutions to control the melt pool. By controlling different parameters as beam shape, focal point and duration of the melt pool.

Most of the solutions offered in the market are based on mechanical parts which are limited in speed and require high maintenance. Civan’s CBCLASER is controlled electro optically and has a dynamic beam in MHz regime that includes all the different existing solutions in the market.

With the CBCLASER new possibilities are available in the material processing which will influence significant industries to use this technology and develop new and innovative products using dis-similar materials, exotic materials and accurate cutting and welding.

CBCLASER project is aimed to develop a ready to market laser based on Coherent Beam Combining (CBC) technology. During the project Civan will leverage its existing lasers and knowledge to a commercialize product that can be mass produced.

During the CBCLASER project Civan will Integrate two laser systems that will be sent to two leading companies in the material processing industry to conduct a pilot. The feedback from the pilot will be used to improve the ready to market laser. In order to be ready for the sales predictions, large investment to up-scale the manufacturing line is done. This includes re-design f the manufacturing line, implementing automation tools in the manufacturing line and building new teams to support the production.

The last aspect for the success of the project is the commercialization of the product. Marketing and sales efforts are done to promise the success of the business plan and to penetrate the market.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Civan developed and proofed the ability to build high power lasers and Optical Phase Array (OPA) that enable a dynamic beam in low power. In the first year of the project a first generation was developed and built. This laser proofed the ability to have CBCLASER in high power with dynamic beam. Second generation with significant improvements was developed and was in final stages of integration by the end of the year. The second generation includes smaller and robust components improving the laser reliability.

During the second-year leading companies will conduct pilots with the CBCLASER. The companies include leading system integrators as well of end users such as car manufactures. Arrangements for these pilots started from the beginning of the project. The companies’ feedback will be analyzed and implemented in the ready to market version.

Civan increased its marketing efforts and already received orders from leading companies. During the past year the company participated in three exhibitions and has received interest from many people who learned about Coherent Beam Combining (CBC) technology and the CBCLASER.

In order to be able to meet the demand, during the first year of the project Civan had up-scaled a manufacturing line for the CBCLASER. This will enable the company to reach the expected sale plan for the next five years. The up-scale included building a new clean room, developing automation tools for manufacturing and training new teams.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

CBCLASER is expected to be top of the art laser with abilities that have not been available in the past which will allow industries as automotive and aerospace to develop new and innovative products.
During the first year of the program Civan had grown and doubled the number of employees in the company in order to prepare for mass market of CBCLASER.

First CBCLASER integrated

CBCLASER