In the recent years PROGRESJA S.A. focused on research and development activities mainly in the Material Science and Metal Additive Manufacturing sectors. PROGRESJA S.A. is working on R&D projects related to LASER TECHNOLOGIES, SURFACE ENGINEERING as well as ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING IN METAL. The most important projects include:
- Development of cryogenic hybrid technology of manufacturing high-performance nanostructural surface layers (NCBiR POIR.1.1.1)
- Technology of 3D additive forming of components by local free laser melting of metal eco-material (NCBiR POIR 1.1.1)
- Development of a technology for laser and hybrid welding of high-strength steels, including high yield point S960QL (PARP)
The Projects are being implemented at the company’s facility which contains well-equipped laboratories furnished with e.g. a Renishaw AM400 Industrial Metal 3D-Printer, a six-axis robotic station for laser welding, laser cladding and Laser Metal Deposition equipped with a 3,000 W HPFL, High Power Fiber Laser(IPG YLS-3000-CT laser / Panasonic TA-1900 robot) with the possibility to equip laser beam power meters, consumable feeders and pyrometers, a 10-axis robotic welding cell: Panasonic E-Frame (Panasonic TA-1800), a GOM ATOS Core 200 3D optical scanning system, a metal powders production line, designed and manufactured by Progresja S.A., devices for the cryogenic treatment of metals, machining centres & milling machines, microscopes, spectrometers, etc.
Progresja S.A. cooperates with major national universities (such as the Silesian University of Technology, the AGH University of Science and Technology) and research institutes (amongst others, the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences).
The objective of the project is to develop a new, never before used cryogenic hybrid technology for manufacturing special-performance surface layers. The cryogenic, hybrid technology combines two currently most advanced laser-based processes of surface treatment i.e. laser pad welding and laser alloying, which, additionally, are carried out in cryogenic conditions to obtain surface layers of
increased durability. The new technology is developed through the implementation of a series of industrial research projects aiming at working out the conditions for cryogenic hybrid manufacturing of model surface layers. In further stages of the project, R&D works focused on the application of the technology to some actually used working parts of machines and tools to improve their characteristics such as hardness, abrasion and erosion resistance and impact strength were carried out.
This project involves the development of a completely new technology of additive forming of three dimensional metal parts by localized free laser melting (MSSL) of new additional material in the form of particles, called "metallic Eco-material". It makes it possible to produce parts in a wide range of dimensions and sizes, from small to large-sized parts and components. Additionally, thanks to the developed technology of producing the additional material, the costs of such material (EMM) will be considerably lower than the powders used in additives technologies such as SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), SLM (Selective Laser Melting), EBM and LMD (Laser Metal Deposition).