2010 Award for Excellence

LSP Technologies, Inc. has been named a co-recipient of the 2010 Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer by the Department of Energy’s Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC). LSP Technologies was recognized for their contribution toward transferring “Laser Shock Peening for Pilger Dies” to the commercial marketplace in collaboration with Battelle’s Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNNL) and Sandvik Special Metals (SSM).  LSP Technologies pioneered the commercial development of a metal surface treatment called laser peening in the late 1990s, which was first invented in the 1970s by Battelle researchers in Columbus, Ohio.

Special metalforming tools called pilger dies are used to reduce the circumference and wall thickness of metal tubes. The high operational stresses exerted on the dies during the cold pilgering process can result in frequent die failures, which results in costly downtime.   LSP Technologies, PNNL, and Sandvik teamed to develop and apply laser shock peening techniques to extend steel die life.  Dies treated by LSP Technologies can last up to six times longer than untreated dies. Laser shock peening deters die failures by using high-energy laser pulses to create deep, compressive residual stresses in the die’s surface.  LSP Technologies, Sandvik, and PNNL researchers are studying how the automotive, aerospace, and nuclear industries can benefit from this development. To read more about Laser Shock Peening of Pilger Dies, please click on the following link:
LSP of Pilger Dies – PNNL Sandvik LSPT