Following a €13.5 million (about $17.5 million) investment, Trumpf Laser has opened its new solid-state laser development center. The 6200-sq-m site houses both office space and laboratories, with all development activity consolidated under a single roof rather than scattered around the Black Forest site. “The laser is playing a decisive role in the design of tomorrow’s production technologies,” said professor Reinhart Poprawe, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology in Aachen. Trumpf Laser’s new development center, with total floor space of 6,200 m², contains office space and development laboratories for solid-state lasers. Courtesy of Trumpf. The floor space freed up will now be used to expand laser production capacity, while the development center could be expanded easily in the future by adding a third story, the company said. “The application options for laser technology are by no means exhausted,” said Peter Leibinger, vice-chairman of the Trumpf Group management board. “And Schramberg will continue to play a superior part in ensuring that Germany continues to hold a top position, all around the world, in the field of industrial lasers. “Schramberg is not only the cradle of the German laser industry. Today it is one of the world’s leaders in laser technology development and production.” The center features a series of laser-cut aluminum fins that run the entire height of the building. Laser testing will take place on a lower level that is largely embedded into a slope, with offices on the upper floor. For more information, visit: www.trumpf-laser.com