RAS Nodes

Various laser systems for ablation, soldering, welding, marking, adjustment, sintering, stereolithography, LOM.

The award-winning Manufacturing Engineering Centre (MEC) forms part of Cardiff University, which dates back to 1883 and is one of Britain's major civic universities. The 80-strong ISO 9001:2000 accredited Centre has an international reputation for its leading-edge research in advanced manufacturing and information technology spanning a broad spectrum of subjects.

CCLRC is the largest UK national research facility employing ~2000 scientists, engineers and support staff. The project-related tasks for 4M will be carried out by the Central Microstructure Facility (CMF) at CCLRC-RAL. CMF is a division of the CCLRC engaged in R&D activities in micro and nano systems technology for the past 20 years. It has been involved with large number of nationally funded and EC funded projects. CCLRC -RAL has led many Nationally funded programmes including the £19 million Innovations in Industrial Lithography (ISL) programme funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industries. The CMF is a major national centre for microsystems technology. As a national facility we interact with over 100 universities in the UK. Our European involvement is also very strong. We have led many EU projects.
The Central Microstructure Facility (CMF) provides state-of-the-art microfabrication services and R&D facilities, based on electron-beam lithography and semiconductor equipment, to universities and industry. A central well-found research and prototype manufacturing service is available using advanced technology for microelectronics, masks, interconnects, direct write and for microsystems technology/microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). CMF is a neutral site where academic-industry and industry-industry collaborations offer good technology transfer opportunities.

The Chair of Manufacturing Technology (head: Prof. Manfred Geiger; about 80 employees) is one of the six departments of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. The chair's key activities comprise metal forming, laser technology and development of computational tools in the area of these technologies. The research topics in the field of micro manufacturing cover micro metal forming processes like bulk metal forming, blanking or deep drawing, micro laser manufacturing processes applied to welding, soldering or adjustment of micro components as well as metrology of micro structures.In order to spread the results of research and to qualify engineers students of the university are trained by lectures, practical training and writing of diploma and doctoral theses.

FEMTO-ST has fully equipped clean room equipment (laser mask writer; photolithography; RIE and DRIE); hot embossing; ultrasonic machining.

For more information about the facilities available, visit the FEMTO-ST website at: