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Optomec to Deliver LENS System to Penn State University

The Applied Research Laboratory of the Pennsylvania State University (ARL-PSU) is actively engaged in many programs directed at the use of laser technology to decrease manufacturing and sustainability costs for various Navy platforms. One subset of these technologies, laser material deposition, has and will continue to impact the affordability of Navy systems through several applications, including value-added additive manufacturing and repair. The 2009 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) provided funding to purchase the system, which will be housed and maintained by ARL's Laser Processing Division in a user-friendly, safe environment accessible to faculty and students adjacent to an established shared ARL/University laser facility.

Shawn Kelly, Research Associate at Penn State, explains, "The LENS MR-7 system offers the functionality, flexibility, and repeatability in a research-grade laser deposition system that the Applied Research Laboratory at The Penn State University requires in order to develop the next generation of laser additive manufacturing technologies for the U.S. Navy and other Industrial partners. Optomec has been more than willing to adapt the MR-7 system to provide a unique research tool that allows the Laser Processing Division to expand the capabilities of laser deposition technologies across length scales. The Division plans to showcase the MR-7 system at an open house in the late Fall 2009 timeframe."

LENS systems have been utilized in production worldwide, from Army repair depots to major aerospace manufacturers. The functionality of the MR-7 system, which includes dual powder feeders, closed-loop melt-pool control, non-contact thermal cameras for measuring temperature and cooling rate, inert processing chamber, specifically designed deposition heads, and a fiber laser make it an ideal system for materials research, rapid alloy discovery, process development, solidification and materials processing research. Furthermore, for the first time, single-mode fiber laser technology offered by IPG Photonics has been integrated into PSU's LENS MR-7 system, opening new avenues and capabilities for unique materials and laser processing research. Click here for more information on the LENS MR-7 System.

Optomec is the world-leading provider of additive manufacturing systems for high-performance applications in the Aerospace & Defense, Electronics, and Biomedical markets. These systems utilize Optomec's proprietary Aerosol Jet technology and LENS powder-metal fabrication and repair technology. The company has a global customer base of industry-leading manufacturers.

LENS is a registered trademark of Sandia Corporation.

Aerosol Jet and Optomec are registered trademarks of Optomec, Inc.

Optomec
Shayna Watson, 505-761-8250
swatson@optomec.com
www.optomec.com