15 Years of Innovation in High-Energy Laser Development

ALPES aims to develop and mature the technologies needed for the next generation of small and medium range aircraft, covering both metallic and composite aerostructures. Several technologies and industrial partners are brought together within the project to help produce lighter, more efficient aircraft structures better suited to industrial requirements.

Within this framework, ShockLite continues to work alongside Europe Technologies on a new fibered Laser Shock Peening (LSP) machine. The goal is to push the technology further by offering a more versatile solution, one that is better suited to industrial use and adapted to the specific constraints of aeronautical applications. This work builds directly on the fibered LSP developments achieved through FLASP, and is now moving towards a dedicated machine designed for broader industrial use. Our latest tests have confirmed that our fiber-delivered laser system can generate high levels of compressive stress at 10, 20, 50 and 100 Hz, marking a significant gain in processing speed compared with our previous LSP system.

Partners

Airbus Atlantic, Airbus Operations, C-TEC Constellium Technology Center, Hutchinson, Europe Technologies, Ferry Capitain, Cetim, Imagine Optic

Anneal-LUS takes the use of laser ultrasonics (LUS) further by applying it to the monitoring of steel microstructure during annealing. The project seeks to improve understanding and control of the microstructural changes that occur during heat treatment, with the aim of achieving better control over the final properties of the steel.

ShockLite contributes its expertise in fiber-delivered laser ultrasonics and industrial optical systems to this effort. The work carries forward what was achieved in MicroControl and MicroControl-PLUS, extending the use of LUS to annealing applications and to new industrial production environments.

Partners

CEA, ArcelorMittal Maizières Research, ArcelorMittal Belgium, Imagine Optic

Ahead of ALPES, FLASP had already explored fiber-delivered laser shock peening (LSP) as a more flexible alternative to conventional systems. Carried out with Europe Technologies, the project set out to demonstrate the feasibility of treating aluminum and titanium parts using a laser beam delivered through an optical fiber. It was conducted as an open-call demonstrator within PULSATE, the EU program supporting SMEs working on laser-based manufacturing.

Imagine Optic developed the optical setup, including the fiber injection module, the optical fiber itself and a compact optical head, while Europe Technologies selected the materials and carried out the residual stress characterization. Tests performed on 7075 T6 aluminum and Ta6V titanium at ALPhANOV in Bordeaux showed compressive residual stresses above 400 MPa, extending beyond 1 mm in depth, with only a limited impact on surface finish (Ra < 2 µm). These results point to the potential of fibered LSP for treating parts that are hard to access or cannot easily be moved into a conventional LSP setup.

Partners (only FLASP)

Imagine Optic, Europe Technologies

ForgeLaser focused on developing laser shock peening (LSP) technologies capable of reaching confined or hard-to-access areas of aeronautical structures. The aim was to overcome the limitations of conventional LSP systems by combining small laser spots, high-repetition-rate lasers, flexible fiber-based beam delivery and alternative confinement solutions, so as to generate deep compressive residual stresses in metallic parts while preserving good surface quality.

Our contribution centered on the optical beam-delivery technology, and in particular on the fiber injection and coupling system needed to transport high-energy nanosecond laser pulses over several meters of fiber. This system was designed to let a compact optical head reach confined areas that conventional LSP equipment cannot access. The project brought together PIMM/Arts et Métiers, I2M Bordeaux, CEA, Airbus Operations, Thales LAS France, RESCOLL and Imagine Optic, combining expertise in laser technology, plasma physics, mechanics, numerical modelling and aeronautical applications. These developments were ultimately meant to be demonstrated on real industrial parts, paving the way for more flexible LSP systems suited to treating complex aeronautical structures.

Partners

ENSAM – I2M, PIMM, Imagine Optic, RESCOLL, CEA, Airbus Operations SAS, Thales LAS France SAS

TRANSFUGE focused on developing advanced materials and surface treatments for the next generation of power transmission components, particularly gears and bearings. Within the project, Laser Shock Peening (LSP) has been investigated as a way to introduce deep compressive residual stresses into highly loaded metallic components, with the goal of improving their fatigue performance.

As part of this work, Imagine Optic developed and delivered a dedicated fibered laser peening platform to IRT M2P. The platform pairs a 6-axis robot with fiber-delivered nanosecond laser pulses, giving researchers a flexible setup for developing and characterizing LSP treatments. Research conducted within TRANSFUGE has included the treatment of 32CrMoV13 nitrided steel, aimed at optimizing LSP parameters to enhance surface and sub-surface compressive residual stresses while limiting changes to surface roughness and metallurgical properties.

Partners

ABC SwissTech, Airbus Helicopters, AMtopus, ArcelorMittal, Ascometal, Aubert & Duval, Beckmann-Institut für Technologieentwicklung e.V., EMAG, Enovasense, Aalberts Surface Technologies, Imagine Optic, LASALYS, MELIAD, Metal Additive Technologies, MISTRAS Group SAS, Naval Group, NTN Europe, Oerlikon Balzers France, OVAKO France, Stellantis, R&Dnano, Renault, Safran, Saint-Gobain Centre de Recherches et d'études européen, Schaeffler France, Sintertech, Thales Land and Air Systems, Valeo, PIMM, LAMPA, Institut Jean Lamour

MONARQUE explored the use of controlled, laser-induced shock waves for the inspection, characterization and disassembly of bonded composite structures. The project aimed to generate controlled damage and stress states within multilayer materials, opening up new approaches to non-destructive testing, structural health monitoring and the selective disassembly of bonded joints.

Imagine Optic contributed to the laser shock side of the project, working alongside Safran, Airbus, Dassault, Thales, CEA, Rescoll and PIMM-ENSAM. This collaboration led to a dedicated laser shock platform installed at Rescoll, combining high-energy nanosecond laser sources, automated positioning and symmetric shock configurations. The resulting setup now enables controlled laser-induced loading of composite and bonded structures, supporting applications that range from generating calibrated defects and inspecting bonds to the controlled damaging and disassembly of bonded assemblies.

Partners

Safran, Airbus, Dassault, PIMM – ENSAM ParisTech, CEA DAM, Thales, Rescoll, Testia, Imagine Optic

MicroControl-PLUS continued the work begun with MicroControl, in collaboration with ArcelorMittal Global R&D in Maizières-lès-Metz, France. The project combines laser ultrasonics with metallurgical models to improve control over hot-strip-rolling conditions and the resulting properties of the final product. It also pushed fiber-injected peak power beyond the 10 to 20 MW range typical of commercial fibering solutions, helping to make an industrial, fully fibered LUS system possible.

A transportable trolley carrying the complete LUS chain, including the generation and detection lasers, a two-wave-mixing interferometer and a fibered optical head, was installed at an operating hot strip mill in Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany. This installation demonstrated the potential of fiber-delivered LUS for reliable, in-line monitoring of steel production.

Partners

ArcelorMittal Maizières Research, Imagine Optic, Swerim, Swerim AB, National Research Council Canada (IMI-NRC)

MicroControl marked the start of ShockLite's collaboration with ArcelorMittal Global Research on fiber-delivered laser ultrasonics. The project set out to characterize steel properties, including grain size and phase transformations, at different points along a hot-rolling mill, with the goal of using these measurements to adjust process parameters such as heating, cooling and rolling speed and thereby avoid non-compliant steel production.

One of the key challenges was transmitting the high-energy nanosecond laser pulses needed to generate a usable ultrasonic signal through standard fused-silica optical fiber. Meeting this challenge was an essential step in bringing laser ultrasonics from the laboratory to the mill floor, and it laid the groundwork for the work later continued in MicroControl-PLUS.

Partners

ArcelorMittal Maizières Research, National Research Council of Canada (CNRC-IMI), Centre de Recherches Métallurgiques (CRM), Imagine Optic, Swerea KIMAB, Swerea MEFOS