Imagine a 3D printer that can switch laser colors and power on the fly to weld different metals together without wasting energy. It's like having a smart toolkit that knows exactly how to handle tricky materials so you don't make mistakes. This means you can build complex parts for drones or planes faster and with much less scrap metal.
Laser-based additive manufacturing is currently too expensive and energy-inefficient for many companies. High material reflectivity and a lack of process understanding lead to wasted energy, material, and expensive trial-and-error cycles.
A dual-wavelength processing head (blue and NIR sources) and a common control unit. They also built a digital twin system for real-time monitoring and circularity assessment.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with the high cost of producing hypersonic aircraft leading edges — this project developed a dual-wavelength laser system that reduces production costs by 50-65%. It ensures first-time-right manufacturing of complex multi-material assemblies.
If you are a drone producer dealing with material waste and high energy bills — this project developed a modular laser setup and digital twin that can save 923kg of waste and 200MWh of energy per use case.
If you are a service bureau dealing with the high initial cost of laser equipment and limited material compatibility — this project developed economical, diode-based modular laser sources that expand the range of manufacturable metals.
Based on project objectives, the implementation of these technologies is expected to lower production costs by 50-65%.
The project is currently demonstrating capabilities through two industrial use cases: urban delivery drones and hypersonic aircraft components, using distributed production cells.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not listed, but the project involves 7 industrial partners and 6 SMEs who are developing the modular hardware and digital twin software.
The system aims to reduce energy consumption by 200MWh and decrease material waste by 923kg for the targeted use cases.
The project uses a 'digital sibling' at the shop floor level and a 'digital twin' at the cloud level for real-time monitoring and automatic assessment of design for circularity.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven with a 64% industry ratio, consisting of 11 partners across 6 countries. With 7 industrial partners and 6 SMEs, the project is strongly geared toward commercial application rather than pure academic research, ensuring that the developed laser modules meet actual market needs for cost and efficiency.
Contact JOANNEUM RESEARCH FORSCHUNGSGESELLSCHAFT MBH in Austria
Contact us to connect with the WAVETAILOR consortium for pilot integration.
