What do fancy salmon canapés and a glass of wine have to do with a 75 cm key with a bit consisting of the letters RWTH and a bow that features the ancient Seal of Charlemagne?

 
Well, the key has something to do with the RWTH and the Imperial City of Aachen – that’s obvious. And it’s clearly meant to symbolise something, probably the opener for some figurative door, or perhaps a key to success. Need a clue? The key is a 3D print, and the Aachen Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) holds the patent for 3D printing with metallic powder. Getting any closer to the answer?

In fact, the key was officially presented to Prof. Reinhart Poprawe, Head of the ILT and host of the new building on Campus Boulevard where a part of the Photonics Cluster is housed. And a pretty convivial host he was indeed! There was wine and very tasty canapés for the more than 600 invited guests from the worlds of science, business and politics.

A cluster is a kind of heap of experts in one place…

…and the Photonics Cluster specialises in the research and development of methods for the generation, forming and utilisation of light or laser beams, particularly as tools for industrial production. The Photonics Cluster is one of six new clusters on the RWTH Aachen Campus that are designed to bring specialists from the fields of science and business together under one roof and enable them to collaborate in direct dialogue with each other.