CENTRE FOR INDUSTRIAL OPTICS: A WIDE RANGE of industries from aerospace to healthcare need to measure materials' vibration and component strain during the manufacturing process.

Most of the systems on the market that do this cost €80,000 or more. Now scientists from the Centre for Industrial and Engineering Optics at the Dublin Institute of Technology have developed a system that does the job at a fraction of the price.

“Our low-cost system is based on holographic technology, which allows wholefield measurement to sub-micron precision with the results displayed as video images,” says Dr Vincent Toal, director of the Centre for Industrial and Engineering Optics and former head of the school of physics at the college.

“Current systems are based on optical components, which are complex, very expensive to manufacture and do not usually provide wholefield or multipoint capabilities.

“Our system does and the results are easily interpreted. The system is easy to use and will make optical non-destructive testing available to a much wider range of industrial users. Our system’s high-precision measurement also results in improved quality control.”

Typical users would be those making consumer products, such as domestic appliances and power tools, biomedical companies making items such as heart valves or joint replacements, the automotive and aerospace industries and companies in the environmental sector.

The system was recently exhibited at Photonex, the premier trade show for the photonics sector which showcases new technologies. The next step is to license or sell the technology through Hothouse, the DIT’s innovation and technology transfer centre, says Toal. “As a result of the exhibition we have a number of companies interested in doing this,” he says. “The feedback on the technology was excellent and it struck a chord with a US company in the field. Strong interest was also shown in the centre’s other new technologies, including low-cost optical manufacturing and holographic DNA detection.”