Safran, Oerlikon, CNRS and the University of Limoges create a joint research lab and technology platform for surface treatment in southwest France
Paris Air Show, Le Bourget. Stéphane Cueille, Safran Senior Executive Vice President, R&T and Innovation, Dr. Roland Fischer, CEO of Oerlikon, Jean-Luc Moullet, Chief Technology Transfer Officer at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), and Alain Celerier, President of the University of Limoges, have signed a Letter of Intent announcing the creation in Limoges of a joint research laboratory, PROTHEIS, and a technology platform, SAFIR, two complementary organizations specialized in surface treatments for aerospace applications. The signing ceremony was attended by Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Secretary of State reporting to the French Minister of the Economy and Finance, in charge of innovation, and Alain Rousset, President of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwest France.
These two new entities will help Safran enhance its surface treatment capabilities, to make lighter and longer-lasting products capable of reducing noise and nitrogen oxide emissions, compliant with the European regulation REACH and capable of addressing the requirements of all types of aerospace applications, now and in the future. The lab’s roadmap also provides for developing the numerical simulation of processes, in line with Safran Factory of the Future initiative, based on capturing, storing, analyzing and exploiting production data, to ensure control over product quality.
Oerlikon expects the collaboration to advance its already strong support of the aerospace industry along the entire value chain. Oerlikon contributes to the partnership with deep and long-standing expertise in advanced materials, surface engineering and high-end, industrialized equipment to increase the competitiveness in the industry.
For the CNRS and the University of Limoges, which operate a joint research unit called IRCER, the aim is to foster scientific and technical discussions on surface treatments with leading national and international laboratories and to attract top talent from around the world. This project will bolster IRCER’s position in the aerospace sector, as well as personnel training in conjunction with the ENSIL/ENSCI engineering school and the Science and Technology faculty at the University of Limoges.
Through this joint research lab, the different entities can unite their skills and expertise. The research to be carried out will be guided by Safran’s requirements, as well as the R&D activities of Safran, Oerlikon and RCER.
The technology platform will cover technology readiness levels from TRL1 to TRL6*, and offers the possibility of combining high-level multidisciplinary skills. It will efficiently manage the entire maturation process, while also ensuring the requisite safety conditions. With an investment of more than 8 million euros, this platform will be used to translate the joint lab’s scientific work into concrete technologies, while also being available to work for other transport, energy and electronics companies.
This project will strengthen the ecosystem that already exists in Limoges, making it a unique center of expertise in Europe based on the IRCER laboratory, the University of Limoges, Oerlikon and the CITRA engineering and surface treatment center.
According to Stéphane Cueille, Senior Executive Vice President, R&T and Innovation at Safran, “This ambitious project will bolster our surface treatment skills to further improve the performance of our aerospace systems and equipment thanks to new materials and processes. The joint lab and technology platform will eventually provide world-class science and technology to all Group companies, as well as our supply chain.”
“We are excited to enter into this strategic partnership with Safran, CNRS and The University of Limoges,” said Oerlikon CEO, Dr. Roland Fischer. “We are a strong believer in the value of partnerships that bridge business, R&D and education. By combining our advanced R&D expertise in functional coatings, surface solutions and additive manufacturing with Safran’s R&D roadmap, we will help make aerospace more efficient, safer, quieter and faster.”
“This project will bolster IRCER’s position in high-level scientific research targeting key areas for the future of aerospace. It will also help spread the global influence of programs offered by the ENSIL/ENSCI engineering school and the Science & Technology faculty at the University of Limoges.” According to Alain Denoirjean of the IRCER.
“The planned creation of a joint Safran/Oerlikon/CNRS/University of Limoges research lab specializing in thermal spray coating technologies is the culmination of a long-standing partnership that started over 15 years ago with a number of research contracts and doctoral theses,” noted Jean-Luc Moullet, Chief Technology Transfer Officer at the CNRS. “The partnership between two world-class partners clearly reflects our commitment to cementing ties with industry and making an active contribution to the development of new technologies for tomorrow’s aerospace sector.”
Alain Rousset, President of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional council, commented: “The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France welcomes the initiative to set up an RD&I (research, development and innovation) platform in Limoges specializing in surface treatment. It will strengthen the IRCER laboratory’s research capabilities and expertise, raise its profile in this field and pursue RD&I programs in line with the technological aspects of the region’s Factory of the Future plan. It also aims to boost the competitiveness of Safran and its regional subsidiaries as well as the activities of companies like Oerlikon, while supporting and sustaining their presence in Limoges in the longer term.”
*TRL (Technology Readiness Level) is a scale indicating the degree of maturity of a technology, in this case from observing and describing basic principles (TRL1) to the demonstration of a prototype in a representative environment (TRL6).
