Tuesday, July 1, 2025, marked a significant milestone in the landscape of industrial research and innovation with the official inauguration of the joint SPARK laboratory (Sintering Pulsed to Advanced Materials and Knowledge). This collaboration brings together three major players: the ICB laboratory (UBE), the industrial group SAFRAN, and the company SINTERMAT. It will enable research on innovative materials produced using Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), a “flash sintering” technique that uses heat and electrical pulses to fuse powders into a dense solid material.
Hosted at the ICB premises in the Maison de la Métallurgie in Dijon, the participants began the day with an introduction by Olivier Delcourt (SAFRAN), who highlighted the strategic importance of this partnership focused on innovative SPS (Spark Plasma Sintering) processes. This presentation was followed by a joint presentation from the ICB (Stéphane Guérin, Unit Director), the CALHISPO platform (Frédéric Bernard, Platform Manager), and SINTERMAT (Fouad Naimi, Company Director), highlighting the complementary nature of the scientific and industrial expertise brought together within this project.
The morning continued on the experimental platform for an immersion into the heart of the SPS process and a focus on the experimental resources and scientific program of the LabCom. Presentations by Éric Dalbies (Deputy CEO, SAFRAN) and Vincent Thomas, President of the University of Burgundy Europe, concluded this first part of the day, emphasizing the importance of the links between public research and industry.
After a friendly lunch, the participants went to SINTERMAT in Venarey-les-Laumes for a tour of the industrial facilities.
With SPARK, the ICB laboratory and its partners are embarking on a multi-year ambitious program, combining fundamental research and industrial applications for the future of advanced materials.
In the press
– Le Bien Public : Read the article
