Delphi gets $3.7M for laser-cutting technology | Rochester Business Journal New York business news and information

Delphi Automotive Systems LLC will get $3.7 million to develop laser-cutting technology, officials announced Tuesday.

The funding, from the Department of Energy, will help Delphi develop lasers that use micro-precision cutting in a single-step manufacturing process for fuel injection systems, officials said.

“This project has energy-saving implications and applicability across numerous industries and the DOE is critical to advancing these important initiatives,” said Jeffrey Owens, chief technology officer, Delphi Automotive PLC.

The project's prototype platform will be developed and verified at Delphi's facility in Henrietta.

The local funding is part of a $54 million investment by the Energy Department for 13 projects nationwide, federal officials said.

“The projects announced today will improve the competitive position of U.S. industry and help New York’s manufacturers produce more while saving energy, saving money and protecting our air and water,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu, a University of Rochester graduate, in a statement.

The 13 projects will leverage investments of $17 million from the private sector for transformational technologies, materials and processes that can help American manufacturers dramatically increase the energy efficiency of their operations and reduce costs, officials said.

The Energy Department said the Delphi project involves developing fast lasers that to remove material in the production of parts, reducing re-work and scrap rates and increasing laser machining energy efficiency by 20 percent to 25 percent over standard practices.

“Delphi is a pre-eminent Rochester technology company, as evidenced by its cutting-edge work to create the world’s first commercially available mobile solid oxide fuel cell unit,” Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement.

“Like Delphi’s fuel-cell development,” Schumer said, “this most recent DOE investment in Delphi’s cutting-edge micro laser system is another Rochester innovation that will help fuel energy-efficient automobiles on our roads and fuel high-tech jobs in Rochester.”