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2 PRIZE
nd

INNOVATIVE SURFACES USING HIGH-SPEED LASER-BIOMIMETICS

> Dr. Tim Kunze, Managing Director / CEO
Fusion Bionic GmbH
Dresden, Germany

Fusion Bionic GmbH, a spin-off from Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS, As the first provider world-wide for interference-based optical solutions, Fusion Bionic already
develops and distributes systems for the fabrication of laser-functionalized surfaces using bio- attracted significant customer interest of multiple industrial partners worldwide and closed the
inspired principles. The patented Fusion Bionic hardware solutions are the result of around 5 years first fiscal year with a six digits revenue, delivering first products and services to market leaders in
of prototyping and development by the founding team based on the initial technology development Asia and machine integrators in Europe. For 2022, 10 further solutions are already requested from
by Prof. Andrés Lasagni of the Dresden University of Technology and Fraunhofer IWS, leading to industry parties and research institutions. Moreover, a new product family based on a polygon-
completely new products based on the Direct Laser Interference Patterning DLIP technology. In based DLIP approach will be brought to the market, which will make surface functionalization
vision of commercializing the DLIP technology, the founders of Fusion Bionic successfully mastered possible with speeds up to 3 m²/min.
the Fraunhofer spin-off program AHEAD and established the start-up in the early 2021. The high-
throughput manufacturing systems offered by Fusion Bionic are compact, robust, and up to 100 The use of laser-functionalized, bio-inspired effects has a strong innovation potential in many
times faster than established methods, thus bringing laser functionalization to the next level. The industries, as established processes such as sandblasting can be completely replaced or completely
core advantage of the DLIP modules is the high-throughput fabrication of micro- and nanotextures new innovative surfaces can be enabled. An example of a great opportunity is the replacement or
directly on the materials surface with speeds up to 1 m²/min, without using additional steps or reduction of environmentally harmful chemical de-icing agents by the functional surface structures
chemicals. The fabricated surface textures exhibit specifically designed surface functions inspired based on the lotus effect realized by Fusion Bionic. Similar innovation potentials arise in many other
e.g. from the lotus leaf or moth-eye, such as self-cleaning, anti-icing, reduced friction, improved areas, as existing coating solutions can be replaced or previously untreated surfaces can be
contact performance or anti-reflection. improved.

So far, the industrial production of functional surfaces has been typically achieved using coatings or The excellence of the products and services of Fusion Bionic has been also recognized by corporates
lithographic processes. However, many technical surfaces demand new ways to improve their and organizations. Firstly, Fusion Bionic won the Heraeus’ Accelerator Program in 2021, standing
performance where traditional coatings are not applicable or are not enough to succeed. On top of out of more than 1800 world-wide active startups. The outcomes of the Accelerator Program are
that, green manufacturing aspects such as sustainability and ecologic viability are important, which establishing the foundations for the creation of highly performant products in the energy industry
need to be economically attractive at the same time. The laser-based biomimetic approach offered using laser-biomimetic approaches, allowing Fusion Bionic to hold the title of Accelerator Champion
by Fusion Bionic provides a completely new degree of freedom in surface design at unprecedented 2021. Secondly, the team of Fusion Bionic was one of the Tech Tour Program Award Winners in 2021,
high speeds allowing for innovative products and processes employing functional micro- and highlighting the market attractiveness of laser-functional surfaces in competition to more than 90
nanotextures. start-ups of the photonics sector. Last but not least, the CEO and Co-Founder of Fusion Bionic, Dr.
Tim Kunze, has been nominated from the Bundesverband Deutsche Startups e.V. as Top10 in the
category “Newcomer of the year 2022”.

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