In industries such as aerospace, energy, and defense, many critical pieces of equipment are subject to wear, corrosion, or mechanical fatigue. When a critical part is damaged, traditional solutions such as complete replacement, remanufacturing, or welding can prove costly, time-consuming to implement, or unsuitable.
To address these situations, FixLab, a spin-off from CMAT at Mines Paris – PSL, is developing a new approach to industrial maintenance. The principle: acting only where necessary, directly on the damaged or weakened areas, without altering the entire system. This strategy not only restores equipment performance but also improves it by locally adapting material properties to operational stresses.
To carry out these interventions, FixLab relies in particular on a cold spray process. This technology involves spraying metal particles at very high speeds so that they adhere to a surface without requiring the high temperatures associated with traditional welding. The scientific and technical value of this approach lies in its ability to preserve the characteristics of the original component while adding new functionalities.
The potential applications are numerous:
The challenge is to offer tailor-made solutions, designed based on the part’s intended function and the material’s actual properties. At the heart of this approach, proprietary software aims to make these interventions reliable, reproducible, and fully qualified—whereas results previously depended on expertise that was difficult to pass on.
By limiting the need to replace entire pieces of equipment, the approach developed by FixLab can help reduce facility downtime and optimize the use of existing resources.
Beyond repair, the project contributes to a broader discussion on the evolution of industrial practices: how can we extend the lifespan of critical infrastructure? How can we maintain complex equipment amid supply chain pressures? How can we preserve strategic expertise within Europe?
These are the questions to which FixLab aims to provide concrete answers through expertise that integrates an understanding of materials, process control, digital management, and the validation of performed interventions.
VivaTech has established itself as the global gathering for startups, companies, and research stakeholders shaping the technologies of tomorrow. For its first participation in the event, PSL University will present some twenty projects from its laboratories, alongside the PSL Innovation Hub and the University’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. FixLab’s presence at VivaTech 2026 illustrates the role played by Mines Paris – PSL in transforming scientific knowledge into concrete innovations.
This collective presence reflects a strong ambition: to support the entire innovation journey, from the emergence of ideas within laboratories to the creation of deep-tech companies capable of addressing major industrial and societal needs.
By supporting initiatives such as FixLab, Mines Paris – PSL affirms its commitment to research that is open to the socio-economic world. The School supports its researchers and entrepreneurs through the various stages of their projects’ development: technological development, industrial partnerships, knowledge transfer, and business creation.
FixLab exemplifies this dynamic. Built on cutting-edge expertise in materials science and processes, the startup offers a new approach to industrial maintenance: more targeted, more efficient, and potentially more sustainable. At VivaTech, it will showcase a vision of innovation deeply rooted in the missions of Mines Paris – PSL: putting science to work to address the major challenges of our time and contributing to the emergence of more resilient and responsible industries.
Cold Spray, an innovative additive-type process, revolutionizes the construction and repair of metal parts by projecting particles at high speed, open...