Optomec(R) Presents Final Report on LENS(R) Phase II at CTMA Symposium.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- LENS (Laser Engineered Net Shaping) Considered One of the Most Successful Projects in CTMA History Providing DoD with Millions in Annual Savings

Dr. Richard Grylls, LENS Product Manager for Optomec, presented the results of LENS Phase II at the 2006 CTMA (Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities) Symposium in Williamsburg, Va., on March 29. Following the footsteps of LENS Phase I, the second phase of the project delivered a next-generation additive manufacturing system, the LENS 850-R, which will be used to repair large, high-value metal components at the Anniston Army Depot (ANAD) in Alabama. Following the successful completion of LENS Phase I, Optomec developed the LENS 850-R system, specifically designed with a larger work envelope, making it ideal for repair and fabrication of larger components. The LENS 850-R was installed at ANAD in January 2006 to keep pace with the increased M1 Abrams Tank overhaul schedule.

LENS systems are used to fabricate, enhance, and repair high-performance metal components in materials such as titanium and stainless steel. LENS systems use energy from a high-power laser to build up structures one layer at a time directly from powdered metals. The resulting fully functional three-dimensional components have mechanical properties that can be equivalent or even superior to wrought materials. LENS solutions can be used throughout the entire product lifecycle for applications ranging from materials research to functional prototyping to rapid manufacturing to in-service repair applications.

The purpose of the CTMA Working Symposium is to identify new project ideas and collaborative teams as candidates for future CTMA projects. Working with the co-sponsoring organizations, the Symposium seeks to identify manufacturing issues, and then works together to identify project areas of interest to the Symposium participants. CTMA is a collaboration between the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), its member companies, and the DoD.

Optomec is the world-leading provider of additive manufacturing systems for high-performance applications in the electronics, biomedical, and aerospace & defense markets. These systems utilize Optomec's proprietary M3D aerosol-jetting technology and LENS powder-metal fabrication technology. The company has a global customer base of industry-leading manufacturers.

LENS is a registered trademark of Sandia Corp.

M3D is a registered trademark of Optomec Inc. (3 is superscripted).