Monthly Archives: November 2016

Using Direct Metal Sintering to Fight Bacteria in Implants

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Could adding antibacterial agents to the additive manufacturing process lead to safer medical implants?

Direct Metal Sintering is used to create titanium implants for dental and orthopedic use. 3D modeling allows manufacturers to determine the porosity and surface roughness of the implant for medical use. Titanium and titanium alloys are preferred in the medical field due to their biocompatibility and other properties that cause minimal disruptions within the body.

However, the rough surfaces can often lead to breeding grounds for bacteria, and by extension, biofilm in the implants. This can lead to infection or unwanted cell adhesion. These infections can cause implants to come loose or even detach. While measures are taken to prevent these infections, bacteria is still commonly present within an implant. Over time, bacterial colonization leads to the creation of a biofilm, which makes it more difficult to fight and remove the bacteria from within the implant.

To combat this, researchers determined that preventing the spread of bacteria would have to come from within the implant, or rather, with antibacterial coatings on the surface of the implant. This poses a unique challenge, as antibacterial agents used would have to be both compatible with the titanium and titanium alloys, and nontoxic to the patient receiving the implant. Utilizing a novel phase-transited lysosome, with a variable thickness, combined with three layers of negatively charged hyaluronic acid and positively charged chitosan, researchers believed they could prevent the formation of the biofilms by including these within the direct metal sintering process.

The results show that the method (phase transited lysosome-functionalized Direct Metal Laser Sintering Titanium, or PTL-DMLS-Ti)  can help prevent the early onset of bacterial presence in the implant, while still retaining its function and compatibility with the body. The findings are expected to gain interest within the medical field, with potential for additional applications in the future. Check out the full report here, for more information.

Interested in learning more about direct metal sintering and other additive manufacturing practices? Be sure to register for LAM, taking place February 21-22, in Houston, Texas. Don’t miss a single laser industry update, visit Lasers Today and sign up to receive the latest in lasers delivered directly to your inbox.

The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the international society for laser applications and safety. Our mission is to foster lasers, laser applications, and laser safety worldwide.

Board of Laser Safety (BLS) Announces Launch of New Website

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The Board of Laser Safety (BLS) is excited to announce the launch of its new website at www.lasersafety.org.

The new website provides a user-friendly platform for both medical and non-medical laser safety officers to stay up-to-date with the latest laser safety and certification news. This reflects the mission of the BLS, which is to “provide a means for improvement in the practice of laser safety by providing opportunities for the education, assessment, and recognition of laser safety professionals.”

The new website offers many convenient features, including:

  • Easy-to-read news feed that allows for timely releases of critical laser safety information.
  • Powerful cloud-based server that ensures speed and deliverability to all visitors.
  • Intuitive, responsive design that is easily navigable on all devices.

The new BLS website will continue to provide information on two types of certification – Certified Laser Safety Officer (CLSO) and Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer (CMLSO). Gaining BLS certification will enhance the credibility of a designated laser safety officer; it shows that the individual has the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the job of LSO. It demonstrates the individual’s commitment to the job as well as validate an employer’s commitment to a safe working environment. For more information on BLS certifications, please visit www.lasersafety.org/about-bls/what-is-certification.

The Laser Institute of America (LIA) supports the BLS’ mission by offering laser safety training for both LSOs and MLSOs. As the professional society for laser applications and safety, LIA is dedicated to serving the industrial, medical, research and government communities worldwide. For more information on the LIA, visit www.lia.org or call 1-800-34-LASER today.

Meet 3 of 2016’s Selective Laser Melting Innovators

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Selective Laser Melting is an increasingly important segment of additive manufacturing.

Considered by many to be the first major manufacturing revolution of the 21st Century, additive manufacturing continues to disrupt tradition and introduces new ways to shape our world. The following are a few of this year’s biggest innovators in the realm of selective laser melting:

IPG Photonics

Recently ranked on Forbes Fast Tech Top 25, IPG Photonics is making waves with their High Power CW Fiber Lasers for Selective Laser Melting and Laser Metal Deposition applications.

They use High Power CW Fiber Lasers to develop “fully dense metallic parts with improved mechanical properties.” With regular recognition for their products, IPG Photonics is a company to watch when it comes to industry innovations.

Courtesy: IPG Photonics

LPW Technology

LPW Technology offers a variety of metal powders for use in additive manufacturing. The company aims to “support, develop, and challenge the fast-growing 3D metal printing industry.”  LPW Technology recently partnered with TWI, Ltd. for the High Strength Aluminum Alloy Parts by Selective Laser Melting (Hi-StA-Part) Clean Sky project. The endeavor utilizes selective laser melting to “demonstrate the viability to produce aerospace grade aluminum parts” using direct manufacturing.

LPW focuses their research and development efforts around advancing the metal 3D Printing industry. Hi-StA-Part Clean Sky is just one of the many additive manufacturing projects LPW Technology is actively participating in.

Courtesy: SPI Lasers

SPI Lasers

SPI Lasers is one of the leading manufacturers of fiber lasers. They’ve also contributed to the rise of selective laser melting. The redPOWER CW Fiber Laser is used to build “complex titanium implants and components” in a matter of hours.

Fractionalizing the wait time expected in traditional manufacturing, their systems have a lower operating cost and work virtually any sort of metal. Plus, SPI Lasers does an excellent job of outlining additive manufacturing practices and applications to educate curious minds. Between education and application, SPI Lasers is setting a standard of innovation in not only selective laser melting, but in additive manufacturing overall.

Interested in learning more about these exciting innovations in selective laser melting? Be sure to register today for the Laser Additive Manufacturing Workshop (LAM®) taking place February 21-22, in Houston, Texas. To learn more about LPW Technology, IPG Photonics, and SPI Lasers, visit them along with other LAM Sponsors & Vendors at LAM 2017.

The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the international society for laser applications and safety. Our mission is to foster lasers, laser applications, and laser safety worldwide. Visit us at www.lia.org for more information.

Weekly Lasers Wrap Up – Week of November 14, 2016

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The Laser Institute of America LasersToday.com Weekly Wrap-Up aggregates industry news, conference updates, and LIA happenings. Here is the latest:

LIA News

November’s Featured Corporate member is Alio Industries, Inc. Alio Industries has developed a reputation through the years for its “innovative designs” and production of precision motor systems. Learn more about this Colorado-based company, and their contributions to the industry here.

Laser Industry News

GE has been a household name for decades. However, in the last year, GE has reinvented itself, increasingly merging with the world of open-source, industrial design, through manufacturing. Take a look at what GE has recently worked on here.

Lasers Today recently featured a guest post on Beam Delivery. This in-depth look discusses the importance of a laser’s beam size, M2, beam perimeter product, and the measurements needed for each. Discover why these measurements can be a great deal of importance to those in the industry here.

Researchers at UCLA are working to “explore one of the last frontiers of the electromagnetic spectrum” using terahertz lasers. Terahertz lasers are capable of producing photons with frequencies of over a trillion cycles per second. They are, however, a challenge to create. Check out the article at Phys.org to learn more about the team’s research.

Forget scarecrows. Lasers may soon be the preferred method to keep birds away from destroying crops. Currently, sound cannons, used at random intervals keep crows from lingering too long, much to the dismay of neighbors. The solution? Low powered lasers that take advantage of birds sensitivity to moving light, which usually indicates a predator nearby. Learn more here.

As 2016 begins to wind down to an end, the first look at the shifts, growth, and the overall state of the laser market is starting to show. Take a look at the first of the predictions and analytics here.

Don’t miss a single laser industry update! Sign up today to receive the latest in lasers delivered straight to your inbox. Be sure to follow LIA on Facebook and Twitter for even more laser news.

The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the international society for laser applications and safety. Our mission is to foster lasers, laser applications, and laser safety worldwide. Find us at www.lia.org

GE Puts Imagination to Work With Laser Additive Manufacturing

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Last year, GE reinvented itself as the world’s foremost Digital Industrial Company. Its primary mission? To merge the world of open-source, industrial design with proven manufacturing technology.

With the help of lasers and 3D printing, GE is helping define the future of global commerce and product innovation. Here are a few ways they’re putting additive manufacturing imagination to work:

  • Center for Additive Technology Advancement: In early 2016, GE opened a 125,000-square foot Center for Additive Technology Advancement near Pittsburgh, PA. Here, GE engineers experiment with new ways to print industrial components through high-powered lasers.
  • Stake in Concept Laser GmbH: Concept Laser is a leading global supplier of additive manufacturing equipment. Recently, they reached an agreement to acquire a 75 percent stake in Concept Laser GmbH for $599 million. The agreement allows for GE to take full ownership in the long-term.
  • 3D Printing Heats A City: A large power plant in Berlin, Germany, runs through GE Power Services’ gas turbine e-fleet. The Berlin Mitte plant heats the entire metropolitan area using 3D printed first-stage heat shields and first-stage vanes inside a single GE natural gas turbine. These vanes and heat shields help the turbine run more efficiently and burn less gas, and saves Berlin over $3 million each year.

As 3D printing is often envisioned as small, complex, or even invariable components, these technologies prove 3D printing makes a difference on a large scale. With the power of additive manufacturing, engineers can increase the capabilities of modern industrial design through lasers. It can also create much more complex pathways than through traditional metal casting.

GE will continue to invest in 3D printing, pledging to build a $1 billion 3D printing business by 2020. With no end to the momentum in sight, the Lasers Today staff is closely watching GE’s latest trends.

A representative from GE will speak at Laser Institute of America’s 2017 Lasers for Additive Manufacturing (LAM®) Workshop, February 21-22, 2017 in Houston, TX. LAM is the perfect way to stay on top of the additive manufacturing action, including when, where, and how to use laser additive manufacturing. To learn more about LAM and to register, click here.