How good is the weld or surface finish on my product or a component supplied to me? Was a defect caused by improper handling, or was there a hidden material flaw from the start? These are examples of questions that the team at the CXI TUL university research institute can answer very quickly. Thanks to the SUPPORT4SME project, companies can now access help with specific production issues, consultations, analyses and other services provided by a top-tier scientific workplace at minimal cost. The offer is intended for small and medium-sized enterprises with up to 250 employees from the Liberec, Ústí nad Labem and Karlovy Vary regions, as well as from Saxony.
“Many smaller companies have a good idea or a specific technical problem, but they lack access to the necessary equipment, experts or laboratory analyses. This is exactly where the SUPPORT4SME project can make a major difference. We want companies to know that they can turn to us even with very practical issues arising in day-to-day manufacturing or development,” says Adam Blažek, project lead from the Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation at the Technical University of Liberec.
Companies can request a tailored service via the project’s online platform. If they meet the programme conditions, they only pay VAT on the actual value of the service. As a result, investment in research is no longer a major financial barrier for SMEs.
Analysis as Support in a Legal Dispute
One of the companies that has already benefited from the project is construction firm Tembo brand, which was dealing with a cracked shaft on a front articulated loader. The company needed to determine whether the failure had been caused by operator error or by a defect in the product itself. It therefore turned to CXI.
Detailed analyses confirmed a manufacturing defect in the material and became part of an official expert report used in court proceedings. For cases like this, the university has access to the Helios 5 PFIB CXe electron microscope, which allows researchers to examine in great detail the quality of materials, surface treatments, alloys, welds and other defects. Costing more than CZK 45 million, the microscope is unique in that it also enables scientists to make microscopic “cuts” into the material under examination and, thanks to a full range of detectors, carry out comprehensive physical and chemical analyses of the sample’s composition.
For the company, the expert analysis not only explained the cause of the problem but also provided strong grounds for a complaint claim and further legal action. “Either I would have had to pay for an expensive repair of the machine, or I would have kept using it, which would obviously have posed a safety risk not only to me. We now have proof for our claim — the supplier delivered a defective product, and we will most likely end up in court,” says Jakub Ševčík from Tembo brand.
Support for the Development of Cross-Country Ski Waxes
The SUPPORT4SME project has also helped Titan Gliders, which found expert backing at TUL for the development of cross-country ski waxes. Using advanced analytical methods, scientists are examining both the company’s own synthesized additives and competing commercial waxes, giving the firm important data for further product development.
“Working with CXI TUL has clearly paid off for us. We know exactly where to focus our efforts, and without this kind of support infrastructure, it would have been very difficult for us to move forward. What’s more, thanks to this, we have gained support from Czech biathlon, the Czech Olympic Committee and the Liberec Region. For a company that started from scratch and was financed from its own resources, that is absolutely crucial,” says Petr Tischer of Titan Gliders.
Saving Companies Time and Money
The SUPPORT4SME project offers these services and many others, including consultations with specialists who have access to state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and support in solving specific technological and material-related problems. Its goal is to support more than 130 companies across the Czech-Saxon region; so far, just under thirty businesses have made use of the services.
“This is not only about supporting major innovation projects. In many cases, it is enough to solve one specific issue, verify the properties of a material or gain an expert view of a technological process. Even that kind of help can save a company time and money and open the door to further growth. Company representatives often do not even know that we are here or what all we can help them with. Yet they have access here to the latest instrumentation at absolutely negligible prices. We encourage companies not to hesitate and to contact us with the specific questions that concern or interest them,” Adam Blažek concludes.
