NGlobal Magazin 01-2010

The new player for the Soccer World Cup is only 6.8 mm tall

Niedersachsen Global www.nglobal.de 46 Clusters Mini-Ronaldo:   New Player for the  Soccer World Cup The world’s smallest TIPP-KICK player is only 6.8 mm tall.  Hopefully in due time for the soccer World Cup in South Africa in 2010, the Laser Zen- trum Hannover e.V. (LZH) and the company TIPP-KICK are preparing for an exciting “mini event”: the world’s smallest functional TIPP-KICK player. The first developmental step has already taken place, and the LZH produced a game figure that is only 6.8 mm tall. However, the micro-player is not yet able to kick a ball. Tricky Work Now engineers at the LZH are working on giving the player full functionality. Project partner Trimetric Gm- bH, Garbsen first took a digital image of the original game figure. The image data served as the basis for the mini figure, which was made in 340 layers of a liq- uid polymer which was hardened by a laser. Each layer is only 0.02 mm thick. “Miniaturization of the me- chanical parts is quite tricky,” says Ulrich Klug of the LZH, “since the figure is produced in one step, in a ready-to-play condition. We haven’t been able to send this player out on the playing field, because moving parts of the ‘Mini-Ronaldo’ are still too fragile for the rough competition using tweezers,” Klug adds wink- ing. “The technical parts of the player show which challenges we are facing when building up parts lay- er by layer. This is especially true when making real micro-components for applications in biomedical- technology, micro-fluidics or micro-system technol- by Michael Botts ogy. Usually the whole new design of a micro-part is necessary. Not too many people know what possibili- ties micro-stereolithography has, and we are trying to make this visible with the micro-TIPP-KICK player.” All About Lasers Starting as a spin-off from the University of Hannover in 1986, the LZH has since become one of the largest independent laser research institutes in Europe. “We cover almost all areas of laser research and develop- ment,” says Dr. Dietmar Kracht, executive officer of the LZH. “Our center has expertise from welding thick ship hulls down to manipulation cell material using lasers.” The LZH has been able to serve as an inter- face between university research and industrial appli- cations based on both the interdisciplinary interaction between physicists and engineers, as well as an affin- ity to industrial firms. Around 270 staff are involved in laser research activities, from the development of la- sers, for example for use in outer space, to the ‘classi- cal’ laser applications (cutting, welding, marking etc.), to the generation of nanoparticles. They are also well networked within and without the laser community, with project partners through- out Germany, Europe and the world. In order to solve the problem of ‘Mini Ronaldo’, the LZH has brought another competent partner on board. The phoenix GmbH & Co.KG in Munich is working on a completely new mechanical design of the kicking leg for the micro- player. The next stages of development will show whether this new layer-by-layer concept can be mini- aturized. When all the minute parts work together, “Mini-Ronaldo” can start working on winning the title as top scorer. www.lzh.de Photos: LZH The rod through player’s head, which triggers the kicking mechanism, is as thin as a human hair.