Exploring Collaborative Opportunities: A Visit from Assoc. Prof. Vlastimil Hotař

At the beginning of February, we hosted Assoc. Prof. Vlastimil Hotař from the Department of Glass Producing Machines and Robotics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Liberec (TUL), as part of the Erasmus+ program.
Our institutions, FunGlass and TUL, share interests in 3D printing and have something to offer each other. FunGlass primarily develops the glass printing technology Stereolithography and has a very good analytical base. At the Department of Glass Producing Machines and Robotics in Liberec, researchers are engaged in the construction and development of experimental equipment for 3D printing of glass. They use DED (Direct energy deposition) technology for printing from optical fibers and SLM (selective laser melting) for printing from very fine input powders (below 30 µm).
During the visit, Dr. Jozef Kraxner, head of the Glass Processing Department, and Assoc. Prof. Hotař exchanged knowledge on the production and application of porous glass-ceramic materials. Porous Glass Plasticine is a new product developed by TUL that has open pores and interesting potential for real-life applications.
Discussions also included possible joint projects and cooperation in the education of doctoral students. According to Vlastimil Hotař, the discussion on the issue of doctoral studies is very interesting for him. He finds the FunGlass center inspiring because of its success in involving students in research and effective education.