IWM wins top prize with Laserflash machine
Our Laserflash 427 is a very special device that was put into operation as a prototype in our company in 1992. In the last 30 years, the IWM has undergone several transformations, mergers and name changes, which our Laserflash has experienced virtually live. The biggest (spatial) change for our LFA was the 2013 move from Nizzaallee 32 to Augustinerbach 4, where it is still with us in the thermophysics lab and is and has been used regularly.
Unlike the modern LFA 427, our Laserflash consists of a total of 3 (large) parts - the laser cabinet, the control unit and the actual test fixture with detector, furnace and sample chamber. In order to be able to guarantee highly precise results even after 30 years, we have regularly maintained our LFA over the past decades and, for example, replaced the iris diaphragm system with an aperture wheel control.
With our laserflash, we mainly test metallic materials and investigate, for example, the influence of microstructure and porosity on the thermal diffusivity of materials produced by LPBF as well as injection molded materials. Occasionally, however, it is also used to examine ceramics and polymers.