These studies are carried out, among other places, in the Department of Laser Technologies, Automation and Production Organization at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Wrocław University of Science and Technology, which purchased scientific and research equipment for the CAMT Laboratory (Center for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies).
Research and Business
The technology department specializes in research for the aviation, automotive and medical industries. It also works on the mechatronics of vision systems and the automation of manufacturing processes—in other words, Industry 4.0. Scientists analyze the internal structure of products and materials. Put simply, this concerns chemical composition, structure, surface quality and material strength under both static and dynamic loads, as well as at elevated temperatures.
Metallic materials, polymer composites and biomaterials are brought to the laboratory. Before components made from them enter production, scientists conduct expert assessments and quality inspections during the manufacturing process at the industry's request. Not only the quality of products we use every day depends on this, but often our health and lives as well.
Top-of-the-Line Equipment
Today, the laboratory impresses with its modern equipment, purchased with European funds. The most expensive items were a furnace for heat-treatment research, a device for additive manufacturing from metal powders (3D printing), a high-resolution technical computed tomography scanner for analyzing components produced by the scientists, and a high-resolution scanning electron microscope. The laboratory also has high-temperature chambers for mechanical and fatigue testing, as well as robotic arms and robots.
Few centers in Poland, or even in Europe, have such equipment. This enables the university's scientists to conduct competitive research. Cooperation with industry at a global level, opportunities for developing the scientific staff and conducting analyses with high-class equipment mean that the results of scientific research are published by prestigious publishers. Such advanced equipment makes it possible to detect defects in materials used in medicine and, at the request of archaeologists, to examine artifacts in detail without the risk of damaging them.
Young Scientists
The laboratory also supports the development of young scientists. One example is Piotr Gruber, who recently defended his doctoral dissertation.
“I developed a new material with antibacterial properties. It is used in medicine, in devices and in personal protective equipment,” he explains. “In my research, I used the laboratory's modern equipment, including a scanning microscope, a laser diffractometer and devices for testing loose polymer powders.”
Informational material from the Marshal's Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship
