Defense firms form consortium to explore commercial laser uses.

A consortium that includes three major Los Angeles County defense and aerospace contractors has been formed to develop new laser beam technology for commercial uses.

Work by the group is being funded by a $16.4 million grant from the White House Technology Reinvestment Project, which is designed to help defense contractors switch to commercial work.

In addition to the government grant, the project is being funded by a matching $16.4 million contribution from the 16 consortium members.

Since the cuts began in defense spending in 1990, there has been a lot of discussion about major contractors switching to commercial work. Creation of the laser beam consortium is one of the few concrete efforts by major contractors to work as a group to develop new commercial technology.

The three major local contractors that are members of the consortium are TRW Space & Electronics Group in Redondo Beach, a division of TRW Inc.; Northrop Grumman Corp., based in Century City; and Hughes Aircraft Co. with headquarters in Los Angeles. Other members of the group include Boeing Co., United Technologies Corp., General Electric Co. and Caterpillar Inc.

Len Marabella, a physicist at TRW and administrative leader of the consortium, said the group's aim is to develop a new generation of laser technology. He said the group wants to design a new type of machine that produces laser beams, and to create a more precise and powerful beam.

A laser is a powerful beam of light energy that is used to cut, drill, weld and treat different types of materials.

Marabella said defense contractors have a particular expertise in laser technology because of its widespread use in making airplanes and other weapons systems.

"We want to take the current technology and make it better for wider and more efficient use," he said. Marabella noted that the cost of producing an automobile in the United States could be reduced by $185 with a better welding process.

He said one specific aim of the group is to design a smaller laser-beam producing machine. Present machines are large and bulky and hard to maneuver, said Marabella.

According to Marabella, the market for laser beams is about $1 billion a year in the U.S.

Marabella said funding for the project is for two years.

A spokeswoman for Grumman, Maria Oharenko, said the company joined the consortium because of Grumman's existing use of lasers.

"We have vast experience in lasers and we're always looking for ways to become more efficient and lower our costs. We see this as a way to improve the entire laser process," she said.