World’s Laser Industry Meets for the Premier Conference in Atlanta
The 34th International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (ICALEO®) took place Oct. 18–22 at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel in Georgia. This year the conference had over 400 attendees from 22 different countries and 200 presentations and posters highlighting the latest breakthroughs in laser research and development. ICALEO provided those that attended the opportunity to learn about advances in laser material processes and networking opportunities with scientists, engineers and researchers from across the globe. It is no surprise that ICALEO is the most important laser materials processing conference in the world. Continue reading →
A Bright Spot during the International Year of Light
By Michelle L. Stock, Ph.D.
The worldwide market for lasers in 2015 was steady in terms of overall revenue growth in 2015 according to Allen Nogee, a Senior Analyst at Strategies Unlimited and an expert on photonics markets. While in early 2015 he predicted a growth rate of 6.6 percent over 2014, Nogee is finishing up the year with an estimate (based on data up to the third quarter) of 5.0 percent over all laser markets, beating global economic growth of 3.3 percent but lower than the US stock market for the same period. This, after the US and Europe started the year off well, but fizzled a bit as we move toward the end of the year. However, when you focus on the industrial laser category, the news is rosier and closer to predictions, with growth in revenue compared to 2014 estimated to be 6.5 percent (see Figure 1 for industrial laser revenues).
Figure 1. Industrial laser revenues for 2014, preliminary revenues for 2015, and estimated revenues for 2016 (Source: Allen Nogee, Strategies Unlimited)
“Revenue increase over last year in the EU for industrial lasers was 5.5 percent, while in the US it was ~ 6 percent, but keep in mind there were drastic currency changes this year which negatively impacted American companies and helped EU companies because the dollar went up relative to the Euro. Many US companies are complaining that the headwinds from the currency were 6 percent, 7 percent and even 10 percent depending upon when sales occurred.” At the same time Asia, particularly China, fared pretty well to keep things moving along at a steady rate.Continue reading →
Is it possible to make a real lightsaber? Since 1977, Star Wars fans and researchers alike have pondered this question and many others, blurring the line between science fiction and science fact. For some, the idea of habitable planets in galaxies far, far away where intergalactic battles wage on is little more than kids stuff. For others, Jedi and Sith have served as inspiration for real-world applications in science and technology.
The latest entry in the Star Wars franchise, “The Force Awakens” will hit theaters Friday. With it, comes a renewed interest in lightsabers, holographic projections and other otherworldly laser technology. A new film likely means new gadgets, weapons and technology, and for the more curious viewers, poses the question “Is this even possible? If not now, when?”
If lightsabers were available to the masses, they’d likely sell out overnight. The transportable sword-like device casts a beam of light, extending a few feet from a metal base, and can cut through virtually any surface. While used primarily as a weapon in the Star Wars films, imagine the real world applications of such a device. Tasks normally reserved for knives, such as carving a holiday ham, would be easier than ever. Cutting materials such as wood or steel, would be simplified to one steady swipe.
Unfortunately for us all, the lightsaber as seen in the films, is not possible. Maybe physics and photonics work differently on other planets. Here on Earth? Well, the force is not with us.
According to physics.org, A lightsaber would need a way to stop itself extending outward, in order to be functional. Light, specifically lasers, does not stop until something absorbs or reflects its energy. A lightsaber would need a cap on the end of it, in order to stop. In doing so, however, the lightsaber loses the ability to impale. (Sorry Qui-Gon!) Furthermore, the cap would need to be attached to the rest of the device, likely making the swiping motion of the “blade” impossible.
Heat conducted by the high-powered laser poses the need for the device to be cooled down. Without a cooling mechanism, the lightsaber would become too hot to handle, extremely quickly. The energy needed to create a laser powerful enough to cut in such a clean, precise way, would make a lightsaber too large to be even remotely portable. In fact, in order to power a laser of that magnitude, one would need to have a strong power source to start up the laser initially. Unfortunately, this means that a portable lightsaber in our lifetime is about as likely as Jar-Jar Binks being a Sith Lord.
Luckily, weapons are not the “only hope” for a Star Wars inspired future. In the very same scene in which Obi Wan Kenobi introduces Luke Skywalker to the lightsaber, they receive an urgent holographic message from Princess Leia, via R2D2. In 2010, researchers at University of Arizona developed a “holographic telepresence,” which allowed a three-dimensional image, without the need for special eyewear, such as 3D glasses. The images were able to be recorded, and then displayed in another location, in real time.
To create the holographic message, the team used multiple cameras to capture the image from numerous angles. The information from the image is then encoded onto a laser beam, which meets with another laser, used as a reference. The pattern created by the interference becomes part of the photorefractive polymer, which stores the image. The pulse of the laser records a holographic pixel, as part of the entire picture. The images fade away within minutes, naturally. The experiment was conducted on a 10 in screen, in one color. After the success of the prototype, the team began working on a larger scale version, in multiple colors. While holographic messaging will find its place in entertainment and advertising, rather than as a life-changing moment for a farm boy from Tatooine, its potential applications may change communications as we know it.
Not all Star Wars technology is realistic, or even scientifically plausible. But rather than dismiss it as blockbuster movie fodder meant to sell toys, the willingness to attempt to recreate the tools has lead to exciting new technologies, involving lasers and beyond. If “A New Hope” brought us holographic messaging 40 years later, one can only guess what will be developed following “The Force Awakens.” While Laser Institute of America will not teach you the best way to avoid a blaster shot, LIA does offer a complete line of laser safety courses, designed to prepare you for real-life laser applications.
To find out more about the latest in laser technology, visit laserevent.org.
Prima Power North America Inc. is a member of the Prima Industrie Group, which serves the field as a world leader in the developing, manufacturing, and marketing of laser systems for industrial applications, industrial electronics, and laser sources and sheet metal processing machinery. Today, Prima Industrie Group consists of two divisions: Prima Electro and Prima Power. Prima Power North America, located in Arlington Heights, IL, is responsible for the sales, marketing, and service of Prima Industrie Group’s products. Prima Power N.A. works in conjunction with its Prima family across the globe, from Italy and Finland to China.
The company was founded in Turin, Italy in 1977 and broke into the market with the manufacturing of its first 3D laser system in 1979. This product, which was designed for the trimming of automotive parts, brought Prima Industrie into the forefront of its field, as the company became a world leader in the 3D sector. In 1992, Prima Industrie expanded to the 2D sector with the acquisition of the Swiss company, Laserwork AG. Prima Industrie Group’s continuous production of innovative products and its series of acquisitions over the years have established the company as a major force in the world of laser and sheet metal working machinery.
After acquiring Finn-Power Group – a fellow leader in the sheet metal industry – in 2008, the company expanded its production line to provide customers with not only 2D and 3D laser systems, but also turret punch presses, combination punch/shear and punch laser machines, automated manufacturing cells and systems, press brakes, automated benders, and material handling systems.
Prima Power is constantly growing with the market demands, expanding as recently as March 2015 with the opening of its 10,000 square foot facility in China, which houses a factory, a show room, and offices. This new branch – Prima Power Suzhou – focuses not only on manufacturing, but also on the sale and service of its wide range of products.
Throughout its history of expansions, Prima Industrie Group has remained dedicated to providing customers with products that meet their changing needs. They have continuously fulfilled the market’s demands for productivity and efficiency, while also offering the flexibility – through increased product differentiation and customization – that the market requires. In addition, the company remains sensitive to the important issues of energy consumption and sustainability. Simultaneously, Prima Industrie Group has answered the call for not only systems of high level automation and integration, but also products that maintain a high level of connectivity with the entire factory and the production information flow.
Prima Power N.A. Inc. has been a proud member of LIA since 2001. To learn more, please visit www.primapower.com/en.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is updating its Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines and wants your help in shaping the new document.
Intended to help employers establish safety and health management plans at their workplaces, the guidelines were first published in 1989. They are being updated to reflect modern technology and practices. As revised, the guidelines should be particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized businesses. And for the first time, they address ways in which multiple employers at the same worksite can coordinate efforts to make sure all workers are protected.
The guidelines are advisory only and do not create any new legal obligations or alter existing obligations under OSHA standards or regulations.
OSHA has made available a draft of the revised document on its website, at www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines, along with a set of questions to consider when reviewing the guidelines. The page also has a direct link to post comments, which will be accepted until February 15. Comments will be taken into consideration when creating a final set of guidelines.
“The goal of safety and health management is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Employers who embrace these guidelines will experience lower injury and illness rates, and their progress in improving the safety culture at their worksites will contribute to higher productivity, reduced costs and greater worker satisfaction.”
About LIA
The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the professional society for laser applications and safety serving the industrial, educational, medical, research and government communities throughout the world since 1968. LIA is committed to keeping the workplace safe from hazards associated with lasers. The joined alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) helps achieve these goals. www.lia.org, 13501 Ingenuity Drive, Ste 128, Orlando, FL 32826, +1.407.380.1553.
