Better cooling of cutting tools. Invention from the FST wins the top prize and heads for use

Competing against nine finalist projects from research institutions and universities, the spin-off ECHO Tools from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering UWB (FST)brought home 1st place from the Transfera Technology Day competition. The jury awards inventions that are ready for practical application.

A precise supply of coolant delivered directly to the cutting zone during machining—that is a simple way to illustrate how the modular cooling system for cutting tools known as ECHO works. According to its creators, the system—compatible with virtually all cutting tools with indexable inserts—combines the advantages of 3D printing with traditional chip machining. Based on tests carried out at the Pilsen-based company Precision Catspart CZ, which machines components for aircraft engines, the improved cooling system helps increase tool life by up to 350 percent. “We can direct the coolant exactly to the right place and in the right amount, which reduces tool wear,” explained Luboš Kroft from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at UWB.

It was the industry’s demand in response to real cooling-related problems that prompted Luboš Kroft and Jindřich Sýkora to start developing the ECHO system at the RTI research center of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. In 2022, they obtained a patent and won a gold medal at the International Engineering Fair in Brno. A year later, the faculty’s spin-off company ECHO Tools, s.r.o. was established. The company now supplies the tools to Precision Catspart CZ, where they are in regular use.

Luboš Kroft accepted the first-place award at Transfera Technology Day in Prague. In his presentation, he focused mainly on the potential of his product and its real-world applications. “For me, the most valuable aspect is definitely the feedback from investors and the contacts gained with potential industry partners. We discuss our projects together, and they advise us on how to further develop our companies and proceed with technology commercialization,” Kroft added.

The awards for the nine finalists were presented on 9 December at the Czech Academy of Sciences by Růžena Štemberková from the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, chair of the organizing association Transfera.cz. The University of West Bohemia in Pilsen is also a member of the association, one of its vice-chairs is Martin Jambura, head of the UWB Office for Knowledge Transfer and Contract Research. “The aim of the competition is not only to connect academia with industry, but also to interconnect research teams with one another,” said Jambura. “They have the opportunity to learn what research is being conducted elsewhere. This fosters healthy competition but, above all, creates opportunities for building contacts across research institutions and universities and potentially for future collaboration on research projects.”

In this year’s 6th edition of Transfera Technology Day, 18 technologies from 12 institutions competed, with nine advancing to the final evening. The University of West Bohemia in Pilsen had two entries in the running. Besides the ECHO system, the final also featured a predictive diagnostic system for intelligent and sustainable energy developed at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, presented by Jan Leffler. Using sensors and continuous data analysis, the system can detect early signs of failure in energy equipment, enabling timely maintenance planning and reducing both costs and environmental impact. In previous years, the competition also saw multiple participations from František Mach of the same faculty, who, together with colleagues, won 1st place in 2022 for a magnetically controlled microfluidic pump.