+49 (0)671 / 201331 - 0
+49 (0)671 / 201331 - 0
At BUSCH Microsystems, we have never been satisfied with what is currently feasible, possible or “state-of-the-art”. It is not our mission to stick to the status quo. We have always considered it our task to push the limits of what is possible, conceivable, a bit further.
BUSCH is currently participating in the DPP (Digital Photonic Production) Research Campus, where RWTH Aachen University and the Fraunhofer Institute together with business partners are exploring the use of light as a tool for the production of tomorrow.
At the DPP Research Campus, the research is conducted in interdisciplinary teams that are put together for regular sprints as needed. BUSCH Microsystems, currently the only machine engineering company among the business partners, contributes its resources in the defined competence fields of Photonic and Subtractive Production.
In the current phase, BUSCH is working on the system integration of cascaded multi-beam systems. The research facility currently under construction will be equipped with an ultra-short pulse laser system (USP laser) from Edgewave and galvanometer scanners and optics from Scanlab. BUSCH manufactures the customized positioning system consisting of granite portal, axes and a housing suitable for laser applications.
Here the challenge for mechanical engineering primarily lies in the positioning dynamics, which must be adopted precisely to the requirements of the complex overall system. The research facility requires an accuracy of 1 µm per axis. Another issue is the laser security, which is ensured with the system housing and the control functions. Various tasks from other sprints will be promptly tested on the system and the findings documented.
To learn more about the diverse research areas please visit the (german) website of the DPP Research Campus. In addition to BUSCH Microsystems here you can also get to know other current research partners.
A previous research project dealt with a completely different topic, namely, the straightness of reference rulers. How “straight” is the “straight” anyway? This is what Karl-Josef Schalz, the Managing Director of Schalz Adaptronic and professor for Precision Machine Engineering at the University for Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK), Hildesheim Holzminden Goettingen, wanted to find out.
As early as 2015, he approached BUSCH with the idea for an Ultra Precision Straightness Measuring Machine. Schalz wanted to improve accuracy with which reference rulers of up to two meter long are measured. Straighter reference rulers can significantly reduce the process errors of the guides in machining and measuring machines, without endlessly increasing the cost for these machines. And in this case “straight” means: An accuracy of less than 50 nm.
As part of the research project BUSCH developed a prototype, which can measure reference rulers of up to 50 cm more accurately than ever before. It consists almost exclusively of granite, has an air-cushioned measuring axis and achieves a reproducibility of 5 nm.
The cooperation between science and industry, where theory and practice come together, constantly gives rise to new projects on a wide range of topics. Starting this year, BUSCH has been working with LightFab and the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology in the PANDA research cooperation, which is concerned with high-precision 3-D printing here you can learn more about the project.
