Page 17 - CIM-Laser Annual Report 2014-2015

17
ANNUAL REPORT 2014-2015
MEET THE TEAM
Researchers: Richard Carter & Krste Pangovski How is the project developing? Any exciting results
so far?
The project has produced the world’s fastest industrially viable holographic camera . This system
is capable of taking 16 consecutive frames at up to 1,000,000,000 frames per second . The system has been applied to study the effect of light-in-flight using picosecond lasers . The objectives of this project are two-fold . Firstly, for glass-metal welding, it is to identify how the plasma filaments are formed, how long do they last and what are their geometries are throughout the process . This will allow us to better understand when, where and how to deposit laser energy, in real world applications . One of the most surprising results thus far are the timescales: structural modifications occur typically in a few nanoseconds (or less) but for glass to revert to its original state, assuming that we have not damaged it, is on the order of milliseconds! This brings us to the second objective: knowing
the relaxation times of different glasses allows us
to understand how often we can pass laser pulses through an optical element, given a particular energy density, without damaging the optic . In turn, this will allows us to design optical systems with additional insights into material damage thresholds constraints .
What is the main benefit of access to seedcorn funding?
Access to seed corn funding allows us to undertake some fundamental studies which would perhaps,
be otherwise overlooked in an industrially-focused project . This project is likely to make a significant impact on how we think about laser process design, particularly in a novel application area such as dissimilar materials joining, namely glasses to metals .
What are the next steps for this research?
Our initial work has concentrated on static processing
of cubes to flat surfaces; we deposit energy in a single location where the work piece and laser beam are fixed . This has allowed us to probe the interaction timescales for our chosen energies . Over the next quarter, we would like to start observing the welding process as it might work
in an industrial setting . Further, we will look to study more complex geometries to understand those influences of light propagation in glasses and the formation of welds .
In order to demonstrate the potential value of laser-based manufacturing to industry the Centre is offering 2 weeks of researcher time to companies via our Seedcorn projects .
Seedcorn projects allow SMEs to work with the Centre on 2 week feasibility studies or pump-priming projects at no cost to themselves .
A project will be awarded up to 2 weeks researcher time with input from members of the Centre academic team to develop or test laser-based production processes that could benefit the SME involved .
How to apply:
For more information on this scheme and details of how to apply please email LbPP@hw.ac.uk.
SME Seedcorn Projects