The Colorado Advanced Photonics Technology Center, a joint effort of educational institutions, state agencies and companies, will hold a grand opening May 13 at the Higher Education Advanced Technology Center at the University of Colorado聮s Lowry campus.
The non-profit center will be used to train workers in skills needed by the photonics industry, to transfer photonics technology from Colorado universities to industry and provide a prototyping facility for Colorado companies, said CAPT Director Brian Hooker.
Photonics, which is basically the manipulation of light, is used in everything from photography and compact discs to printing out simple computer documents, he said. "Colorado now has about 140 photonics related companies but a shortage of workers to staff them," said Hooker, also an associate professor in CU-Boulder聮s electrical and computer engineering department.
The grand opening of the CAPT center will be held at 9136 E. 10th Ave. in Aurora from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, with emphasis on high-tech companies who may be interested in collaborating with the center.
Created in 1994 with $64 million in seed money from the state of Colorado and private companies, the Higher Education Advanced Technology Center is located at the former Lowry Air Force Base. It provides technology education and training to more than 3,500 students annually and offers degrees and certificates in fields like photonics, precision measurement, robotics and manufacturing systems.
The CAPT Center will provide cutting-edge technological services and human resources to its corporate partners, said Hooker. The center is the only one in Colorado with the ability to deliver photonics prototyping, precision measurement, the use of photonics and equipment and facilities, employee training and extended contact between students and potential employers.
CAPT also will offer short courses for both students and businesses designed to meet the training needs of Colorado companies, said Hooker. Many of the courses include hands-on laboratory sessions in addition to classroom lectures.
The CAPT staff also is available to consult on product design, do equipment testing for photonics companies and provide a photonics manufacturing facility to produce custom devices, said Hooker. The prototyping facility contains $5 million worth of processing, packaging and metrology equipment.
Companies will be able to collaborate with suppliers and customers, train employees in photonics technologies and hire students skilled in photonics, he said.
The center has $5 million for pilot line processing, packaging and inspection, including 2,500 square feet of clean-room facilities. It also has more than 1,000 square feet of support laboratories. Before any company commits to purchasing expensive equipment, employees or CAPT technicians can test it on-site to ensure it is the right product that will meet the company聮s needs, said Hooker.
Industry experts have estimated that nearly 50,000 people are currently employed in the photonics field in the Denver area and the industry will need up to 30,000 more employees in the next 20 years. All participating companies will be able to explore and license technologies coming from Colorado universities.
"The CAPT Center has focused initially on creating a first-class characterization and measurement facility with specialized photonics equipment needed by both small and large companies," said Hooker. "During the next year we will be purchasing more equipment to build up our prototyping facility."
For more information, visit the CAPT web site: .