Category Archives: LME News

Focus on All of Your Materials Processing Needs at LME 2014 & its New Lasers for Manufacturing Summit

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By Geoff Giordano

More than four years ago, consensus began building in the United States on the need for a “laser only” show focused solely on the benefits of industrial laser materials processing.

Now in its fourth year, the Laser Institute of America’s one-of-a-kind Lasers for Manufacturing Event® (LME®) will build on its momentum and value with the addition of a one-day Lasers for Manufacturing Summit. The summit, to be held Sept. 22, precedes LME 2014 on Sept. 23-24 at the Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL.

LME has made believers of companies that want to talk directly to established or potential customers and attendees who need to learn the nuts and bolts of using lasers efficiently and profitably. With its range of educational levels and opportunities for vendors to present to attendees at the Laser Technology Showcase Theater, LME provides one-stop shopping for companies interested in integrating laser technology into their production. Continue reading →

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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Keynote Speaker Dr. Ron Schaeffer will Wrap Up LME by Expanding on the Benefits of Ultrafast Lasers in Manufacturing

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Machine-shop owner and author/columnist Dr. Ron Schaeffer will deliver the closing keynote address on the use of ultrafast lasers in manufacturing on Sept. 24, the second and final day of the Laser Institute of America’s fourth annual Lasers for Manufacturing Event® (LME®) in Schaumburg, IL.

Schaeffer, founder and CEO of PhotoMachining in Pelham, NH, is also a columnist for Industrial Laser Solutions magazine and author of the 2012 book Fundamentals of Laser Micromachining.

Schaeffer brings exactly the kind of real-world success stories that hit home for LME attendees. His job shop is particularly successful in the medical device market. “We had some of our best years in 2008/2009, because we were heavily entrenched” in that area, he has said.

And, since lasers are the only way to manufacture many complex medical devices and components like stents, catheters and diagnostic tools, profits can be generous. For example, diabetes test strips include a thin conductive layer of metal or ink patterned with lasers. “This has been a big area for us; we’ve got laser systems doing this in several of the top manufacturers of these devices.”

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Additive Manufacturing Expert Dr. Ingomar Kelbassa will Focus on the Realities of 3D Printing in His LME Keynote Address

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Renowned additive manufacturing expert Dr. Ingomar Kelbassa of Fraunhofer ILT, will provide a keynote address on laser AM and 3D printing in the Laser Technology Showcase theater on the exhibit floor of the fourth annual Lasers for Manufacturing Event® (LME®) on Sept. 24 in Schaumburg, IL.

Kelbassa, a frequent speaker at LIA events, is also serving as general chair of LIA’s seventh annual Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM®) Workshop in March 2015. He was also part of the team at Germany’s Fraunhofer ILT that won an Aviation Week innovation award in 2012 for the institute’s additively manufactured 80-blade BLISK, or blade-integrated disk.

“From the material point of view, from the maturity point of view, from the technology readiness point of view,” additive techniques like selective laser melting are ready for industrial implementation, Kelbassa asserts. His address at LME will emphasize to attendees the key tenets of additive manufacturing: “Complexity for free (and) individualization for free.”

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