Concurrent Technologies Corp. (CTC) has awarded a $300,000 contract to Advanced Photonix Inc. (API) to deliver a terahertz system to support the US Air Force’s need for accurate coating removal on aircraft. The contract will culminate with the delivery of the company’s new T-Gauge system and a sensor specific to the application in its second quarter of this fiscal year. CTC, an applied scientific R&D services organization, was contracted by the Air Force to develop a robot-mounted laser ablation scanner capable of removing partial or entire paint layers from the surface of an aircraft. Paint removal requires very accurate thickness measurement of the various layers. API’s T-Gauge system, coupled with a high-speed line scanner, will play an integral role in the laser removal process. The system will scan the surface and develop a 3-D map that will feed back to the robotic motion control and accurately move the laser for proper and accurate paint removal. The T-Gauge system also could be used in industrial markets, said Robin Risser, chief operating officer for API. After a short feasibility study, CTC amended the contract to include a high-speed scanning system to provide accurate measurement of the preablation coating. The commercial availability of the T-Gauge system enabled the company to accelerate the completion of its contract and reduce the development risk that was initially envisioned. For more information, visit: www.advancedphotonix.com