Standard of Excellence: Delivering Excellence—A Daily Goal
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Tin Whisker Mitigation in Aerospace Applications, Part 3
The Knowledge Base: Building the Workforce of Tomorrow With EMAC
Laser Photonics, Boston Engineering Announce Partnership to Equip Naval Robotic Crawler with Laser Technology
August 13, 2024 | BUSINESS WIREEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Laser Photonics Corporation (LPC), a leading global developer of industrial laser systems for laser cleaning and other material processing applications, and Boston Engineering Corporation, a product design and engineering consulting company, announced that they have formed a partnership to integrate laser technologies into autonomous robots for use in the naval defense industry.
Boston Engineering specializes in developing unmanned vehicles that can autonomously perform tasks previously done by humans. This has resulted in the company creating systems that help complete operational tasks in the maritime industry faster and more precisely. Boston Engineering has also created technologies that protect people from injury and, in many cases, extend detection, inspection and repair capabilities. Now, Boston Engineering has selected LPC as its technology partner to provide advanced laser tools for integration into its robotic crawler technology.
“Laser Photonics enters this partnership with Boston Engineering with great enthusiasm, eager to combine the power of autonomous robots and laser technology,” said Wayne Tupuola, CEO of LPC. “We are ready to revolutionize the way naval drydock and related maintenance operations are performed, helping address the challenges of labor shortages and safety concerns in situations where fast fleet turnaround is critical.”
Boston Engineering will incorporate LPC’s cutting-edge laser technologies into its robotic crawler, which will then be able to scale ship hulls and other structures to automate corrosion removal, contamination cleaning, and other material processing tasks safely and effectively. This includes effectively operating in hard-to-reach and dangerous areas.
Mark Smithers, CTO and co-founder of Boston Engineering, said: “There’s a big push in the naval defense space for automation. The addition of LPC technology to our robotic crawler gives us another potent asset in our arsenal. Laser cleaning is highly time- and labor-efficient for optimizing maintenance and repair. We look forward to equipping our crawler with laser power through this partnership.”
Integrating these two technologies together will lead to a definitive solution for professionals in the defense, maritime, shipbuilding and boat maintenance/repair industries who are looking for a viable and safe method of effectively addressing surface preparation, cleaning, decontamination and restoration.
Share on:
Suggested Items
IEEE Study Describes Breakthroughs in Semiconductor Nanolasers for Ultra-Efficient Optical Technologies
06/25/2025 | PRNewswireA new wave of innovation is transforming the future of optical technologies, driven by rapid advancements in semiconductor nanolasers. These advances are essential for future applications such as on-chip optical communication and neuromorphic computing, which require compact, energy-efficient light sources.
Excellon Installs COBRA Hybrid Laser at Innovative Circuits
06/23/2025 | ExcellonExcellon is pleased to announce the successful installation of a second COBRA Hybrid Laser System at Innovative Circuits, located in Alpharetta, Georgia. The Excellon COBRA Hybrid Laser System uniquely combines both UV and CO₂ (IR) laser sources on a single platform—making it ideal for high-density prototype and production printed circuit boards (PCBs).
The Chemical Connection: Through-glass Vias in Glass Substrates
06/24/2025 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionThis month’s theme is vias and how best to ensure via quality and reliability. I don’t have much expertise in this process area or much to contribute that most of you don’t already know. However, I’ve recently become peripherally involved in a via technology that may be of more than academic interest to some of us. It entails putting vias in a material not usually associated with PCB manufacturing: through-glass vias (TGVs) in glass substrates.
The Evolution of Picosecond Laser Drilling
06/19/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineIs it hard to imagine a single laser pulse reduced not only from nanoseconds to picoseconds in its pulse duration, but even to femtoseconds? Well, buckle up because it seems we are there. In this interview, Dr. Stefan Rung, technical director of laser machines at Schmoll Maschinen GmbH, traces the technology trajectory of the laser drill from the CO2 laser to cutting-edge picosecond and hybrid laser drilling systems, highlighting the benefits and limitations of each method, and demonstrating how laser innovations are shaping the future of PCB fabrication.
Altus, Danutek Expand Partnership with LPKF to Offer Laser Plastic Welding Solutions
05/21/2025 | Altus GroupAltus Group, a leading supplier of capital equipment and service support for the electronics manufacturing sector in the UK and Ireland, and its sister company Danutek, which serves Central and Eastern Europe, are expanding their technology offering through an enhanced partnership with LPKF, a specialist in laser-based manufacturing solutions.