Applied Energetics leases more space in UArizona Tech Park
A Tucson-based company that develops laser and optical technology is expanding at the University of Arizona’s UA Tech Park, where it plans to create a new lab and expand its manufacturing capacity.
Applied Energetics (OTCQB:AERG) leased 5,000 square feet of additional space at the UA of Tech Park to establish a “Battle Lab,” allowing the company to conduct laser system testing and demonstrations. The facility will also provide more capacity to manufacture advanced lasers, according to a company release.
Applied Energetics aims to open its Battle Lab by November, the company told the Business Journal in an email.
“The build-out and development of this new extension is an essential step toward fulfilling our commitment to both current and potential future customers,” Gregory Quarles, president and CEO of Applied Energetics, said in a statement. Quarles added that the expansion will provide “purpose-built advanced manufacturing, assembly, and testing space as we move through the development process to production.”
Applied Energetics’ expansion marks its second at the UA Tech Park in a little over a year. In June 2023, the company announced it was adding an 8,300-square-foot facility to its headquarters to accommodate increased research, product development, training, testing and production. With its most recent expansion, Applied Energetics now occupies more than 26,000 square feet at the UA Tech Park, where it has been headquartered since 2021.
Applied Energetics plans to increase its workforce as it ramps up manufacturing and testing for customers and government contracts, but it has not yet determined the number of workers it will hire. The company develops systems for aerospace, defense, industrial and scientific customers. It holds all crucial intellectual property rights to the development and use of laser guided energy and related technologies, the Business Journal previously reported.
In April, Applied Energetics landed a $1.2 million contract with the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research for continued development and testing of its optical technology with an ultrashort pulse laser. The contract evolved from a two-year, $3.9 million grant from the Office of Naval Research previously announced in 2022 to develop and test infrared technology with the goal of making it capable of withstanding harsh conditions that U.S. Marines encounter in the field, the Business Journal previously reported.
What’s more, the company in May was selected to join a U.S. Department of Defense consortium to support development of space-related technologies for the military.
The UA Tech Park is directed by Tech Parks Arizona, which connects the university, community and industry to spur innovation and collaboration.
More than 100 companies — including IBM, Raytheon and Applied Energetic — are in the UA Tech Park campus, which consists of 2 million square feet of office, laboratory and production space.