For research and development related services of customer from industry and science, all research and production facilities of AG alp are open. A selection of services are listed below as examples. Further equipment and details can be found on the Equipment page and in the Center Additive Manufacturing.
Production of three-dimensional components from different metals and plastics with max. dimensions of 300 x 300 x 300 m3 respectively 406 x 355 x 406 mm3. For metals, aluminum alloys AlSi10Mg, tool steel 1.2709, stainless steel 1.4404, cobalt-chrome alloy nickel alloy Inconel 625, titanium 4, titanium 6-alumnium-4-paladium and molybdeneum are available. Other materials are available on request. Thermal post-treatment in conventional furnaces under inert gas as well as hot isostatic presses are available as services.
Various thermosets as well as thermoplastics in form of engineering plastics and high-temperature stable materials can be used for the generative production of plastic components.
Laser processing of metals in the form of cutting, drilling, welding and hardening processes can be performed with fiber lasers (single mode and multi mode, Q-CW) with an output of up to 4 kW. This laser power makes it possible, for example, to cut mild steel with a thickness of up to 30 mm. Different system concepts in connection with a high number of degrees of freedom allow the processing of plates with a size of up to 1000 x 500 mm2 as well as three-dimensional, rotatable free form up to a maximum component size of 600 x 300 x 300 mm3.
In addition to metal processing, laser transmission welding of plastics with diode lasers and fiber lasers with up to 300 W can be offered.
Structured laser ablations can be performed with resolutions of a few micrometers. Due to the large number of available laser beam sources with adjustable wavelengths (248 nm - 1070 nm) and pulse durations (100 fs - 100 ns), an optimal process design can be achieved for all materials classes, from dielectrics to metal and plastics. In combination with galvanometer scanners with positioning speed of several meters per second, efficient and highly accurate laser ablation processes can be carried out. Corresponding laser systems can also be used for cutting and drilling processes.
Material testing
The testing of metallic and non-metallic materials can be carried out in various characteristics. The hardness can be determined according to Vickers (HV), Brinell (HB), Rockwell (HRA, HRC, HRE) and Koop in a load range from 10 g to 250 kg. The Shore D hardness test method is available for testing plastics. Further analysis possibilities for the measurement of friction properties in translational and rotational measurements up to a measuring temperature of 400 °C in a load range of 5 mN to 200 N.
A contact angle measuring instrument can be used to investigate of hydrophilic / hydrophobic properties in a temperature range up to 400 °C and various tilting tendencies.
The mechanical properties of materials can be determined in tests with a tensile tester with a force of up to 50 kN. Material and component specific thermal expansions can be measured in a dilatometer in a temperature range of up to 1150 °C. The mechanical properties of materials can be determined with a tensile test system with a force of up to 50 kN. In addition, metallographic examinations of etched and unetched microstructures can be offered. A climatic chamber is abailable for investigations under different ambient conditions.
Workpiece inspection
Confocal, interferometric, laser scanning and classical incident and transmitted light microscopes are available for workpiece and material inspections. For resolutions below the optical resolution limit, AG alp also has a atomic force microscope (AFM) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In the field of material analysis, EDX analyses and Raman spectroscopic investigations can be carried out.
Optics
For the photometric and radiometric examination of optical beam sources (e.g. LED spectro goniometer up to 170 nm), for the examination of optical components such as lenses of filters as well as for the optical characterization of materials (e.g. transmission and reflection measuring station from 190 nm to 2100 nm, temperature-controlled multi-wavelength refractive index measurement) and products, a comprehensive range of measuring equipment is available.
For further questions and information on individual services, please feel free to contact us at an time.
