Monthly Archives: August 2014

LIA’s Medical LSO Courses To Feature Laser Demonstrations

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ORLANDO, FL, Aug. 14, 2014 — In an effort to give students a first-hand experience with lasers in the operating room, the Laser Institute of America (LIA) is partnering with medical solutions provider Universal Hospital Services (UHS), through its UHS Surgical Services business unit, to offer laser demonstrations at LIA’s Medical Laser Safety Officer (MLSO) training courses.

UHS first demonstrated a CO2 laser at a recent LIA course in Boston. UHS is a nationally recognized provider of state-of-the-art mobile surgical equipment and operates from more than 80 offices across the US.

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First-Time Participant Mitchell Van Zuiden will Present the Latest in Laser Cutting Advancements at LME

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ORLANDO, FL, Aug. 6, 2014 — Advances in laser metal cutting, a staple of modern manufacturing, will be the subject of a keynote address by Mitchell Van Zuiden of Bystronic at the Laser Institute of America’s fourth annual Lasers for Manufacturing Event® (LME®) on Sept. 23 in Schaumburg, IL.

Van Zuiden’s presentation, to be given at the highly popular Laser Technology Showcase theater right on the exhibition floor, will tie in directly to the equipment LME attendees will be able to peruse while also attending a range of basic and advanced courses and tutorials on how to build and safely use laser-based systems.

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Announcing LIA’s Lasers for Manufacturing Summit – The Concepts & Contacts You Need to Use Lasers Profitably

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ORLANDO, FL, Aug. 5, 2014 — To arm manufacturing executives with the information they need to profit from laser-driven production in the 21st century, the Laser Institute of America is bringing out some big guns for its first Lasers for Manufacturing Summit on Sept. 22 at the Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL.

On tap to present at the summit are Mark Douglass of Longbow Research, renowned additive manufacturing expert Terry Wohlers, as well as representatives from GE Global Research and TRUMPF. The event will close with a laser manufacturing forum moderated by LIA Past President David Belforte, editor-in-chief of summit media premier partner Industrial Laser Solutions magazine.

Kicking off the intimate high-level briefing around 1pm will be Douglass, who will give an overview of industrial laser markets. Wohlers will follow with a 40-minute presentation on the current state of laser additive manufacturing. After a break, James Yang from GE Global Research will discuss additive manufacturing opportunities and challenges at GE, and TRUMPF’s Sascha Weiler will address applications for ultrafast lasers.

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Laser Micro Welding of Aluminum with the Superposition of a Pulsed Diode Laser and a Pulsed Nd:Yag Laser

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By Philipp von Witzendorff, Lorenz Gehrmann, Martin Bielenin, Jean-Pierre Bergmann, Stefan Kaierle and Ludger Overmeyer

Pulsed laser welding is applied for welding of thin aluminum sheets when the heat affected zone has to be minimized. The pulsed laser process enables a low and precise heat input because the heat dissipates away in between the laser pulses. Applications are hermetic sealing of electronics or opto-electronics which are not persistent enough to resist high temperatures. Aluminum has a low absorptivity (~ 5 %) for the laser radiation of industrial established YAG laser sources which restricts the process efficiency. In addition, several aluminum alloys have a high tendency to generate hot cracks during welding which is even more severe in pulsed laser welding because the pulsed mode leads to rapid cooling. Continue reading →

Embedding Fiber Optic Sensors Using Laser Additive Manufacturing

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By Dirk Havermann, William N. Macpherson, Robert R. J. Maier and Duncan P. Hand

Laser Additive Manufacturing provides novel and exciting possibilities when constructing 3-dimensional free form components in polymers and metals.  The process of building 3D components from the inside-out opens up the possibility of embedding sensors into the heart of a component.  Fiber Bragg gratings are an ideal sensor for smart composite materials and are already used for delivering in-situ measurements of polymer components. Recently developed high temperature compatible fiber Bragg gratings, suitable for continuous use at temperatures of up to 1000 °C, provide the opportunity of extending sensing capabilities to metallic components. In this cross-disciplinary project, fiber optic sensing and laser additive manufacturing are merged to encapsulate fiber optic sensors into stainless steel components.  Continue reading →