AIM (AIMEN, Spain)

www.aimen.es

RTD profiles
AIMEN is a research and technology organization based in Spain founded in 1967. AIMEN has over 96 skilled staff and a turnover of 2.9 million Euros. AIMEN provides to the industry R&D services in welding, materials and NDT. AIMEN has laser welding capabilities and is working on collaborative projects with automotive companies (OEM, TIER 1 and TIER 2), such as procedures development for body in white applications, new products development using laser welding technology and laser welding evaluations. AIMEN has been involved in the following European research projects:

• Developing of new thin diamond cutting discs for marble and stone industry (FP6-2004-SME-COOP)
• Innovative Software Interface for the Development of hot forging Tools (INNOTOOL) (FP6-2004-SME-COLL))
• Development of New High-Strength Hypereutectoid DP and TRIP Steels (HyperDpTrip) (RFCS Project)
• Laser Treatment of Profiled Rolls (Laserhard) (RFCS project)

AIMEN has cutting edge equipment for joining and welding, mechanical testing and metallographic, chemical and physical analysis to support the research activities

Role in the project
AIMEN will be involved in all of the work packages to some extent, at the request of the SMEs. AIMEN could have major input into the following work packages. AIMEN would fabricate samples with engineered defects (WP-A). AIMEN will also make contributions to the system design and provide a venue for laboratory testing and validation of the OLIWAM system (WP-D and F). AIMEN will also contribute disseminating the project results into industry.

Reason for participation in project
AIMEN has a large experience in R&D projects involving welding and NDT. AIMEN has over 36 qualified personnel with appropriate education and experience in both of these technical areas. AIMEN has the following research equipment and facilities, to execute this project:

• 2 laser processing cells containing a 4.4kW Nd: YAG laser power source, laser welding heads, robots, and monitoring equipment.
• 1 NDT laboratory which includes X-ray, US, thermography among other technologies.
• Metalographic, chemical, physical and mechanical laboratories.
• AIMEN's commitment is to improve the technological level of the industry through industrial collaborative projects.

AIMEN is looking forward to the participation in the project to obtain knowledge and experience in on-line monitoring and NDT Inspection of laser welds. This topic is of great interest to many companies, answering a real production problem. AIMEN sees the project as a means of providing a new solution to laser industrial users. AIMEN is also looking to collaborate in CRAFT projects with new automotive companies and potential equipment suppliers.