Scaling CLASP USPL Platform For Production Manufacturing

CLASP pushes the state of the art in the exploitation of Ultra-Short Pulse Lasers for the manufacturing of composite materials. Current methods of hand sanding, especially Sand-to-Black, have many challenges, including variable efficiency by operator and multiple steps to ensure preparation for bond are manually intensive and time consuming. A hand-positioned ultrafast laser ablation tool was prototyped and demonstrated by the University of Dayton Research Institute to address these challenges. Alber Aerospace, in partnership with UDRI, commercializes this prototype with design for manufacturing, engineering to ruggedize components to an industrial grade, and research to increase the operational throughput. A cost-effective upgrade of an existing prototype results in a first article for internal test and stakeholder evaluation. A concluding Product Readiness Review ensures all aspects of production, maintenance, and support are considered in the commercialization of this capability.