Virtual tour to scientific laboratories – mission possible
LITEK™ members invited students of final grades of gymnasium to get acquainted with photonics laser technologies successfully developed in Lithuania. Last Friday, 18th of September, the XVII Science Festival “Spaceship Earth” finished, forcing participants and organizers to show flexibility due to the changing conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation has made it possible to prove that nowadays it is possible to visit a workplace of researchers and get to know their activities more closely from at least anywhere in the world. This year, the employees of JSC “EKSPLA” and Department of Laser Technologies of Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC LTS) admitted the participants to their virtual laboratories.
During the event, the audience was introduced to one of the laser application techniques – metal 3D printing. In this technique, the laser beam melts the metal dust in layers until the desired metal object is extracted. This technique is mostly used in the aerospace and defense, medical and dental, automotive industries. Department of Laser Technologies of FTMC conducts a variety of research to expand the scope of this technology – making it faster and cheaper compared to the traditional manufacturing technologies that still dominate today.
What is the difference between a laser sold in stores and a scientific laser? -is one of the questions of participants of the event, which was answered in the virtual excursion organized by JSC “EKSPLA”. During the event, the participants got acquainted not only with the basic principles of laser system operation, but also with their differences and different areas of laser application. JSC “EKSPLA” is a company with many years of experience in the field of laser research and production of laser equipment. It has a significant share of the global market for scientific picosecond lasers, is the only company in the world to produce SFG spectrometers for surface testing of materials, and has been awarded the “Oscar” of lasers at “Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation“ (USA) prestigious contest.
“Spaceship Earth” is a science festival organized for the seventeenth year and has become the largest science popularization event in Lithuania. This year, the festival offered 350 events that attracted over 13,000 participants. During the festival, the public is given the opportunity not only to learn more about the latest trends in science and technology, but also to try them out.
