Laser Zentrum Hanover has opened two new testing, consulting and training centres for the industrial use of laser technology in the Taganrog and Kaluga regions of Russia. The network of Laser Innovative-Technological Centres (LITCs) now has expanded its activities to five centres in Russia.
The goal of the centres for the industrial use of laser technology in Russia under the leadership of the Laser Zentrum Hanover (LZH) and the Bavarian Laser Centre (BLZ) is to modernise 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 centres of the network use modern laser equipment from leading German companies like Trumpf, LIMO Lissotschenko, Rofin Sinar, Jenoptik or the Maschinenfabrik Arnold. Depending on the available equipment, each site has specialised in certain areas of laser technology, for example 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, but also 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 (SLITC) in Taganrog is located near one of the important centres of the Russian aeronautic industry. Obninsk, on the other hand, site of the Kaluga Laser Innovative Technology Centre, is well-known for its automotive industry. These two new innovation centres are joining the centres already established in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Jekaterinburg.
The project is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of its optical technologies framework, and is implemented by the VDI-Technologiezentrum.
