ORLANDO, FL, Nov. 26, 2014 — The Laser Institute of America (LIA)’s annual workshop on laser additive manufacturing moves to LIA’s hometown of Orlando on March 4-5 at the Embassy Suites – Lake Buena Vista South (Orlando, FL) for the first time in 2015. Held at Florida’s high-tech corridor, LAM promises another no-hype look at the disruptive power of additive processes.
Chaired by Dr. Ingomar Kelbassa, the seventh Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM®) Workshop will focus heavily not only on traditional laser-based cladding applications to prevent or repair corrosion and wear, but also on the process chains vital to optimizing the additive production of parts.
This is a long weekend for our staff as we are off on Thursday for Thanksgiving and do not have to come back to work until Monday. One of the things my family has traditionally done during this long weekend is to bring out our Christmas decorations. This has always been a fun family activity for us with the exception of Christmas lights. It doesn’t seem to matter how careful we were when packing the lights up the previous year, we always end up with string upon string of tangled joy that is anything but! This year however will be a much different story, because this year I will be using lasers to decorate the outside of my house.
While I was online shopping I came across these laser light kits intended just for Christmas. Most of the kits included at least two traditional Christmas colors, some had even more than that, and some even had audio that went along with moving light patterns. Installing these lights is going to be much easier than untangling my old lights. Plus I am looking forward to not having to drag out my old wobbly ladder.
As far as cost is concerned these seem to be relatively new to the consumer market and might be a little pricier than what some people would like to pay. However the lasers give you significantly more coverage per dollar than traditional strands, and in the long run seem to be the better value. The outdoor kits start around $120.00 and go up from there depending on number of colors, audio, etc.
Once you take into consideration the time saved, the ease of installation, along with the added safety benefits; I believe It will be just a matter of time before laser lights completely replace those old tangled up strings.
Will you be ditching your stringed lights this year for laser lights? Let us know in the comments…
ORLANDO, FL, Nov. 18, 2014 — Back by popular demand, Laser Institute of America (LIA) is excited to announce that the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z136 series of laser safety standards are once again available in digital format. No longer bound to only a hard copy, customers can now enjoy the flexibility of owning an electronic version of the same Z136 standard necessary for their particular profession. These standards, available for purchase from LIA directly, are essential tools for anyone using lasers in their business operations. The ANSI Z136 standards provide guidance for the safe use of lasers in the medical, telecommunication, manufacturing, and educational fields.
All nine of the Z136 standards are now available electronically including the parent standard Z136.1 Safe Use of Lasers. Serving as the cornerstone of all Z136 documents, the Z136.1 contains nationwide guidelines for the establishment of laser safety programs in industrial, military, research and development, and educational applications. The Z136.1 was updated and re-released just this year, and contains several updates including new definitions of key terms, all of which are searchable in the electronic format.
ORLANDO, FL, Nov. 10, 2014 — A new peer-review process for select presentations and a host of novel laser research expanded on the tradition and impact of 33rd installment of the Laser Institute of America’s flagship conference in San Diego on Oct. 19-23.
The International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (ICALEO®) featured 56 presentations given at least two reviews in a double-blind process, said returning General Chair Stefan Kaierle of Laser Zentrum Hanover. “We believe it was necessary… to change the way we present our work and especially to improve the quality.” About 35 to 40 papers will be published in a special edition of the Journal of Laser Applications, he said.
ICALEO featured another smorgasbord of laser research and experimentation spanning the traditional and the novel — from 3D printing of human cells and killing malaria-carrying mosquitoes to powering a small flying craft and improving the dyeing and patterning of textiles. Continue reading →
