“Our technology enables higher performance at lower costs.”
We met with Laura Esposito, a researcher at the CNR and CEO of Zenit Smart Polycrystal, to go over with her the journey of this startup, which is setting up a perfect example of technology transfer, from the idea to the market, and in which the LIFTT Board of Directors has finalised a €200,000 investment that will enable the Proof of Concept to be realised.
How, when and why was Zenit born?
Zenit,” he explains, “was set up as a spin-off of CNR ISTEC, which operates in the heart of the Faenza Ceramic District and has been involved in research and development of advanced materials in the ceramic sector since 1965. As part of this research, we have identified a new prospect for the solid-state laser source market. The start-up was created two years ago, after the entrust of the patent. The patent, in turn, was the result of ten years of research into ceramic polycrystals for optical applications carried out by the group of researchers of which I was a member and whom, together with me, became the founders of Zenit. We succeeded in determining a working process in the field of laser technology that allows the definition of polycrystals which are more efficient and less expensive than the dominant technology of the single crystal. We basically realised that the use of transparent ceramic materials had important advantages in this area. In fact, we can produce shapes with a high degree of freedom and also with a complex structure, consisting of materials with a variation of internal composition in one piece. To this day, it is only possible to produce such components by hot-assembling several pieces in a difficult and expensive process. Our innovation is the adoption of the ceramic process and 3D printing instead of the single crystal process.
Was the feedback immediately positive?
“Yes in fact, we patented this process precisely because the initial feedback from operators in the sector confirmed that the potential for industrial applications was decidedly higher and more innovative than those currently on the market. The next steps validated the validity of our intuition: first of all, we participated in the Start Cup of Emilia-Romagna and from there we arrived at the National Award for Innovation, the PNI. We are missing the last and decisive step: the comparison with the market, which is the real litmus test of the quality of a researcher’s work: I may think I have a wonderful idea, but it is the market that has to confirm it. At the PNI, we received encouraging feedback on our business plan, which was much appreciated; even though none of us had ever developed a business plan before nor created a company. In addition, when we were in direct contact with potential customers in the industrial world, we noticed an interest in this type of component from end users. Putting all these elements together, we realised that our project had the right credentials to tackle the market. Hence the meeting with LIFTT: the investment that has been financed will serve the Proof-of-Concept phase.We succeeded in determining a working process in the field of laser technology that allows the definition of polycrystals which are more efficient and less expensive than the dominant technology of the single crystal.
What exactly does Zenit’s technology consist of?
“We were born, as mentioned, within an Italian district known throughout the world, the Emilian district of ceramics: Our technology derives also from the specific know-how present in this area, and is based on the additive manufacturing of 3D printing, which allows the production of transparent ceramic components used for optical applications, laser radiation sources, but also for scintillators or laser lights. 3D printing allows us to produce components which – unlike those currently used for these applications – can be made in complex shapes and from parts of different materials or with different compositions. Zenit’s added value lies in the fact that we have developed a process that allows us to achieve perfect optical transparency. Until now, printing transparent ceramic materials has always been very difficult because of processing techniques that involve residual porosity which reduces the transparency of the material: light refracts and the material is no longer optically transparent”.
A solution that opens up new perspectives.
“Based on this innovative patent, we want to bring these new materials to the market. They have superior optical performance and are much cheaper to produce than single-crystal technology.
What are the target markets?
“In this first year we want to focus on the market where we have done the most experimental testing, which is the laser market. Currently, monocrystals emit laser radiation: our polycrystals, on the other hand, have a complex structure that makes it possible to boost applications in various fields, from industrial processing to welding, from engraving to medical applications, like for example in ophthalmology. However, there are other areas of interest: in the automotive sector, for example, almost all headlights are LEDs, whereas we are proposing to replace them with lasers, which already exist partially but in a very niche market. Our idea is to expand the market to a more large-scale production. During these 2 years we have contacted potential customers, we have monitored their needs, we have identified them and we also have letters of intent showing their interest in testing our materials. The idea is therefore to use Proof of Concept to validate the components that will be built according to the applications indicated by these potential customers with whom we are already in contact. Over the course of this year, we would like to validate these components and then, by transferring prototypes to them, test and optimise them.
