Our research team at Trinity College Dublin has built a groundbreaking device called Laser Ablation Particle Acceleration and Observation (LAPAO) machine, which is capable of firing microscopic particles at speeds up to 1 km/s, around three times faster than a bullet. For the first time in Europe, researchers can now visually observe what happens when 10–60 μm particles strike a surface at such extreme velocities.
LAPAO uses a high‑power laser to launch the particles and a high‑speed camera capturing one billion frames per second to record whether they stick, bounce, deform, or shatter upon impact. This information is crucial for improving cold spray, an advanced manufacturing technique used to build or repair metal components without melting them.
Until now, engineers relied heavily on computer simulations to estimate particle behaviour. LAPAO provides the first direct visual evidence, helping determine real critical velocities for materials such as aluminium, Ti64, and high‑entropy alloys—widely used in aerospace, automotive and electrical industries.
The team highlights that the machine’s applications go beyond manufacturing. It can also simulate high‑velocity debris impacts on satellites, a serious and growing risk in space operations.
LAPAO is already contributing to the EU‑funded MADECOLD project, which is developing a new type of cold spray driven by electrostatic particle acceleration. The machine is helping identify the precise bonding velocities and material‑dependent behaviours needed for this next‑generation technology.