| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/J013242/1 |
| Title: |
Laser Induced Micro Plasma Processing (LIMP2) |
| Principal Investigator: |
French, Dr PW |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
General Engineering Research Institute |
| Organisation: |
Liverpool John Moores University |
| Scheme: |
First Grant - Revised 2009 |
| Starts: |
15 August 2012 |
Ends: |
14 August 2014 |
Value (£): |
93,171
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Manufacturing Machine & Plant |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
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03 Nov 2011
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Materials, Mechanical and Medical Engineering
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Announced
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
Micromachining materials such as ceramics and polymers for use in the medical implant or electronics industry is becoming an increasingly important activity for UK industry. Creating features on the micron scale or depositing coatings on the nanoscale has enabled the above industrial sectors to develop new solutions to such applications as: the acceptance of implants by the human body or patterning of thin conduction layers on touch-screen displays at a high resolution, allowing the phone's owner to watch movies while travelling.
All of these breakthroughs in medical devices and microelectronics, are made possible by the creation of small features. Laser Induced Micro Plasma Processing (LIMP2) will be an enabling tool allowing the production of features smaller than the actual laser spot which can be as less than 10 um. LIMP2 would also allow lasers to be used on materials that up to now have been impossible to machine by laser.
The aim of the project is to develop an understanding of how a plasma, a highly energetic hot gas, and laser beam interact at the surface of different substrates such as polymers, glass, metals and ceramics. It will attempt to answer such questions as "Can we control the plasma-laser beam interaction using electrical and magnetic fields and in so doing create interesting effects that will allow the plasma to be pinched into an area that is smaller than the laser spot diameter"? In so doing LIMP2 will allow a relative inexpensive laser system to machine directly on the nanoscale.
LIMP2 will introduce a new manufacturing technology that will be employed in the manufacturing of high value high performance electronic goods. This will benefit the UK suppliers of laser sources into the electronics production machine market. The other benefit that the general public will see in terms of healthcare. An important application in the medical field is microstructure texturing of medical implants such as stents and artificial joints. LIMP2 can be used to create novel microstructures that have the property of being able to control how a living cell interacts with the surface of the implant. The structures will allow one type of cell to grow while suppressing other types that would prove detrimental to the patient's health, causing swelling of a joint and possible rejection of the implant.
The UK companies who are supporting the project will also gain immediate benefits from a successful conclusion of the project. Two laser companies are working together to support the project, one based in the Midlands the other in the South West of England. LIMP2 would open new markets for their laser systems allowing them to compete in the competitive microelectronics market in the Far East.
Two of the projects supporting companies Biomer Technology and MicroSystems plan to use LIMP2 in medical devices market but on very different materials. Biomer Technology produces a polymeric coating that they use to coat medical devices. Biomer is interested in LIMP2 micro-machined surfaces that can control cell growth. MicroSystems on the other hand produce micro-moulds for major pharmaceutical companies. MicroSystems see LIMP2 being used on their micro-moulds to produce surfaces that are hydrophilic, (likes water) or hydrophobic, repels water molecules. This type of control over a surface property is very useful not only in the medical device sector but in other sectors such as aerospace, electronics, and the defence industry.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.livjm.ac.uk |