Project UltraWELD will develop photonic based processes for highly dissimilar material joining in manufacturing of complex electro optics devices for defence/aerospace applications and OLED lighting. Ultrafast (i.e. pico- or femto-second pulsed) laser welding of glass to metals is proposed as an alternative to other bonding techniques that currently fail to provide a satisfactory solution on demanding requirements for device hermetic sealing and suffer from device degradation due to outgassing of volatile components in adhesives. We will develop new ultrafast laser processes for dissimilar material joining (microwelding) and also design and build a flexible custom laser prototype machine capable of applications development to demonstrate such laser microwelding in key selected real devices at TRL level 6. The project will directly benefit all five industry partners by enabling early adoption of this technology from end users, to enhance product competitiveness by increasing reliability and in-service lifetime and reduce cost of ownership.
January 2018 - Project launch
June 2020 - Project close
March 2019 - Project update: Successfully welded dissimilar materials, glass to metal welding achieved.
Macdonald, K (2019), ‘'Revolutionary' weld joins glass to metal’, BBC Scotland, March 1st 2019, available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-47402068 (link opens in new window)
Laser Systems Europe, (2019) ‘Ultrafast laser used to successfully weld glass to metal’, March 1st 2019, available at https://www.lasersystemseurope.com/news/ultrafast-laser-used-successfully-weld-glass-metal (link opens in window)
Happich, J (2018), ‘The UltraWELD project to improve OLED encapsulation’, EE News Europe, August 10th 2018, available at https://www.eenewseurope.com/news/ultraweld-project-improve-oled-encapsulation (link opens in new window)
Project partners: