Alphanov of the Route des Lasers cluster has begun its installation within the Institut d’optique d’Aquitaine in the french region of Aquitaine near Bordeaux. The move allows the optical and technology centre to continue and increase its support of the Aquitaine photonics industry’s economic development.
Previously the centres teams were split between two buildings but the new premises, covering 2,000m2, allows all of the engineers to be based under one roof. A larger cleanroom and more experiment halls will allow more ambitious work to be carried out and also provides the opportunity for more extensive collaboration with Alphanov’s partners.
The centres administration, the laser sources and components department and the laser and optical systems department, are already installed, while the laser micromachining department will join the institute in early 2014.
Alphanov will be able to work closely to the topics addressed by the research centre LAPHIA (Lasers and Photonics in Aquitaine) and within the LP2N laboratory (Laboratoire de Photonique, Numérique et Nanosciences), which is also installed in the institute. The work launched in recent months will accelerate developments in large composites machining, tissue engineering by laser and deployment of an industrialisation pilot line.
Benoit Appert-Collin, Alphanov CEO, said: ‘Our installation in the Institut d’optique d’Aquitaine, close to our industrial and scientific partners, will enable us to further expand our co-developments. Meanwhile, the significant increase of the surface of our facilities matches our plans for co-location of R&D and diversification of our areas of expertise.’
In the coming months, several companies will have facilities close to Alphanov engineers and technicians: INSERM, Argolight, Cilas, Innoptics, LASEA, Muquans. Meanwhile, the scope of the technological support to the business development will be expanded through joint work with the entrepreneurship training of the Institut d’optique Graduate School (IOGS) near to Paris, another tenant of the new institute.
