Laser Additive Solutions Ltd (LAS) is a specialist precision engineering company that develops repairs, manufacturing and joining processes, and we specialise in providing the highest quality laser-based solutions to our customers. Current LAS customers include blue chip companies operating in aerospace, power generation, transport and military sectors. We also work closely with a range of UK SME's, such as tooling companies as well as UK universities and research centres. LAS's aim for the TITAN project is to develop design techniques and methodologies for Titanium bicycle pedals produced by Additive Manufacturing. The project concept will be based on the reuse of scrapped/unwanted Ti64 parts (either bicycle related or otherwise) and demonstrating how complex new designs can be generated and then prototypes manufactured with the highest-quality. The project will involve optimisation of the build nesting (combining multiple 3D printed parts on the build plate) in order to reduce costs for customers and increase knowledge of LAS engineers. Since April 2018 LAS have held the ISO 9001:2015 quality assurance status accredited by BSI, this assures our customers that all steps have been taken to provide the highest quality repaired or manufacture components. The LAS team will use their inhouse State-of-the-Art Laser-Powder Bed Fusion TRUMPF TruPrint 3000 machine and 45 years of combined additive manufacturing experience to produce a design optimised additively manufactured part for use on bicycles.

The Sharp-LASE project will develop an automated robot-controlled precision laser hardening process, tested and proved to aerospace standards. Using existing production components which are normally induction hardened, the integrated process will demonstrate the improved accuracy and reliability achievable through laser hardening compared to conventional methods. The outputs will enable the process to be qualified by aerospace OEMs, allowing the OEM's and component manufacturers to consider a more controllable and energy efficient surface hardening alternative, which generates less waste and lower emissions, thereby contributing to the achievement of industry decarbonisation targets. Furthermore, the system will be capable of being easily integrated into a digital factory environment, contributing to the advancement of industry 4.0 techniques within the aerospace sector.

The potential growth of the plastics caps and closures industry is being hampered by the tooling industry’s use of conventional material removal machining process is for the production of the mould tools. These processes include milling, turning and drilling and they are inherently wasteful of material. The mould tools are machined from solid stock often cutting away up to 80% or more of the original material. Agemaspark seeks to overcome these barriers by developing a highly efficient advanced manufacturing process for the production of laser sintered mould tools with a novel ceramic coating. The mould tools will make use of breakthrough process utilising mould profile following conformal cooling channels embedded with temperature control sensors enabling localised temperature control. This will overcome inherent deficiencies in the current plastic caps and closures mould tooling technology. Our manufacturing process will enable us to produce the first laser sintered mould tool with real time temperature control for the plastic caps and closures industry in Europe and globally