NETWORK OF RUSSIAN-GERMAN LASER CENTERS EXPANDS
Two testing, consulting and training centers for the industrial use of laser technology recently opened in the regions Taganrog and Kaluga in Russia. The goal of the centers is to modernize manufacturing in Russia with the help of laser technology and know how from Germany.
Posted: November 15, 2010
At the end of September two testing, consulting and training centers for the industrial use of laser technology opened in the regions Taganrog and Kaluga in Russia to expand the activities of the Network of Laser Innovative-Technological Centers (LITC) to five centers in that country.
The goal of these laser centers is to modernize manufacturing in Russia with the help of laser technology and know-how from Germany. German enterprises, in return, hope to have easier access to the market in these economically interesting regions of Russia. The five laser centers of the network use modern laser equipment from leading German companies such as Trumpf, LIMO Lissotschenko, Rofin Sinar, Jenoptik or the Maschinenfabrik Arnold. Depending on the available equipment, each site has specialized in certain areas of laser technology, for example, the cutting and welding of metals, plastics or other non-metal materials, or on surface treatment.
At the LITCs, small- and medium-sized enterprises from the region, as well as research institutes and universities, have the possibility to use modern laser equipment to push process development and training and education, and to open new fields of application. Support in training and education for specialists in the fields of laser technology and laser safety are given by the staff of the German laser centers in Lower Saxony (LZH) or Bavaria (BLZ)
The Southern Laser Innovative Technology Center in Taganrog is located near one of the important centers of the Russian aeronautic industry. Obninsk, on the other hand, site of the Kaluga Laser Innovative Technology Center, is well-known for its automotive industry. These two new innovation centers are joining the centers already established in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Jekaterinburg. At the opening ceremonies in Taganrog and Obninsk, a number of representatives from regional companies, universities and organizations were present, along with German cooperation partners. Head of the Training and Education Group at the LZH, Markus Klemmt said, “The main advantage is in the networking. The consulting competencies and the training and education courses in the new centers will also be available for the whole network.”
By engaging local enterprises, for example the Beriev Aircraft Corp. and AviaOK International, the Southern Federal University, and the Laser Association Russia, and local government offices, the project initiators could form important cross-connections between industry, science and politics, even during the set-up phase. This regional networking plays an important role, not only for the successful establishment of laser technology in Russia, but also for the interregional cooperation between the five Russian-German laser centers.
The “Testing, Consulting and Training Centers for Laser Technology in Russia” project is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the framework of the program “Optical Technoliges”. The project aims at furthering the scientific and technical cooperation between Russia and Germany. The project management is carried out by the VDI-Technologiezentrum GmbH.
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