Category Archives: Member Press Releases

American Laser Enterprises, LLC – January’s Featured Corporate Member

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ALELLCAmerican Laser Enterprises, LLC (ALE) is an integral force in today’s laser industry, providing optoelectronic engineering, intuitive design and manufacturing services for laser beam delivery components and systems for CO2, Nd: YAG, Fiber, Solid State, Diode and Disc laser sources. In addition to an inventory of laser spare parts – including lenses, mirrors, nozzles, tips and insulators, sensor cables and wires, sensor bodies and the company’s full line of laser process heads – American Laser Enterprises consists of a veteran engineering staff, encompassing over 120 years of experience in the industry. Respected for their success in designing, manufacturing and installing a variety of first-time laser processes for new material applications for machine tool builders or integrators, ALE’s engineers have been involved in a number of laser system development activities for both manufacturing and military use.

American Laser Enterprises arrived on the market in 2007, after American Laser Spares – originally founded in 1996 – purchased the assets of American Laser Enterprises, Inc. The melding of the two companies resulted in the creation of a new destination for customers, where they can not only have beam delivery consumables and spare parts serviced, but also purchase both off-the-shelf and custom-designed beam delivery systems. Located in Wixom, MI, CEO Susan Sprentall oversees the employees that make up the company’s two departments: Aftermarket Spare Parts and Optics.

Over the years, ALE’s numerous contributions to the laser industry have proven revolutionary and have established the company as a vital presence in the field. The company developed the first Automated Laser Alignment System (ALAS), which aligns multiple CO2 beam delivery components in the span of a few minutes. This system – which ALE can use remotely – eliminates days of downtime that can ultimately prove costly for customers. American Laser Enterprises continued improving equipment with the creation of the first mini-series laser process heads for fiber laser systems to cut, weld or clad. After this development, the company created the ALE combo head, which gives customers the ability to use their laser for a variety of applications, simply by alternating the nozzle assembly in order to cut, weld or surface treat. Additionally, ALE’s engineers developed a height sensor – the ArmorDillo™ Sensor Cable line – and aftermarket quick replacement nozzle assemblies for various OEM products.

Today, the laser industry relies on American Laser Enterprises for its full line of aftermarket spare parts and optics, ArmorDillo™ Sensor Cable line, repair and on-site training services and a selection of over 40 ALE laser processing heads – available with or without height sensing. The company’s services have extended to the U.S. Government, where ALE has proven integral to laser ablation coating removal development activities. As a result of this work, ALE will create a new company – SurClean, Inc. – which will commercialize ALE’s original laser process control technology and announce a complete product offering later in 2016.

While American Laser Enterprises continues to grow and adapt to the changing laser industry, it remains dedicated to its niche business: providing product development design services and application solutions for systems integrators, machine tool builders and end users. This dedication is reflected in ALE’s response to the increased presence of fiber lasers in the market. The increase – which has allowed small and medium-sized job shops the flexibility to include laser processing – has increased the market’s need for new beam delivery components and education for end users. While machine tool builders offer off-the-shelf products to meet these needs, numerous applications require custom tools that are specifically tailored to customers’ needs. “This is where ALE excels,” said CEO, Susan Sprentall. “We are small, we listen, we focus on the customer and deliver an intuitive, cost-effective solution.”

ALE’s predecessor – American Laser Spares – joined LIA in 1996, and both companies have been involved with the organization in the years since. LIA is an integral resource for American Laser Enterprises and the work the company does. From the Laser Safety Program – which ALE regularly refers its customers to – and the ANSI standards, to the up-to-date information on advanced research and development activities across the globe and LIA’s numerous conferences, American Laser Enterprises values the opportunity LIA offers industry professionals to network with, and learn from, one another.

For more information, visit www.a-l-e.net.

Prima Power N.A. Inc. – December’s Featured Corporate Member

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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.

Announcing OSHA’s New Draft Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines

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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.

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Haas Laser Technologies Inc. – November’s Featured Corporate Member

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Haas Laser Technologies, Inc. serves the industrial laser market by designing and manufacturing both custom laser beam delivery components and laser beam diagnostic equipment for all facets of industrial laser applications. Its innovative team offers a wide array of modular delivery components for all laser wavelengths. Determined to provide solutions for the market’s specific needs, the company produces custom laser systems and custom machining. In addition, the laser beam delivery components produced by the company perform a number of laser process applications – from laser cutting and laser welding, to laser marking and laser surface treatment. With their groundbreaking products and one of the largest selections of laser beam delivery components across the globe, Haas Laser Technologies is continuously hailed as an innovator and technology leader.

Haas Laser Technologies, Inc. began its work in Flanders, NJ in 1992 when its namesake and CEO Gilbert Haas founded the company with the goal to produce quality products that would not only prove reliable and innovative, but define industry standards as well. It began with the development of a proven, modular concept line and, in its early days, provided Chrysler with a custom laser beam delivery system for the scribing and drilling of the car company’s automotive connecting rods. From there, Haas Laser Technologies’ success has continued, offering modular beam delivery components that provide custom solutions utilizing standard components. Twenty-three years after its establishment, the company has grown into a vertically integrated operation, encompassing a seasoned engineering staff, an advanced manufacturing group, and a complete state-of-the-art machine shop, all of which spans two locations: Weston, FL and, its original home, Flanders, NJ.

Since its inception, Haas Laser Technologies, Inc. has continuously proven itself as an integral force in the field, offering products for the industry’s changing needs. The company did this most recently when faced with the demand for thermal lensing of optical components for high power laser applications. Haas Laser Technologies answered with its patented TLC optics, which mitigate thermal lensing.

Pioneers in the field, Haas Laser Technologies is always searching for ways to improve upon technology. The company’s latest revolutionary endeavor came with its creation of the first laser beam diagnostic equipment to measure laser beam quality (M2) in real-time: the Beam Waist Analyzer Camera (BWA-CAM) and Beam Analyzer Camera (BA-CAM).

The Beam Waist Analyzer Camera (BWA-CAM) also measures thermal lensing of high power optical components instantly and features several applications to provide all users with a seamless experience. The BWA-CAM benefits laser manufacturers by giving them the ability to measure and document laser performance and allowing them to confirm the laser and entire optical system performance during the system’s acceptance and installation. The modular component can also be utilized by end users and field service engineers. With the product, end users can monitor the laser system performance instantaneously during the process, while field service engineers can ensure that the laser is operating within specifications. The Beam Analyzer Camera (BA-CAM) also offers users efficient results with its ability to instantaneously measure and analyze both CW and pulsed lasers. In addition, it measures and monitors several components of the laser beam, including diameter, centroid, ellipticity, orientation, spatial profile and more.

As a company dedicated to offering their customers the best products possible, Haas Laser Technologies is always developing customer-driven projects in its R&D lab. Its team prides themselves on their continuous work to create new product offerings and new options available alongside their current product line. As a result of continuous product developments and a dedicated team, Haas Laser Technologies has stayed true to Mr. Haas’ original vision of defining the industry’s standards in industrial laser applications.

Haas Laser Technologies, Inc. joined Laser Institute of America in 2008 and their CEO, Gilbert Haas, serves as an active member of the LIA Board of Directors.

To learn more, please visit www.haaslti.com.

Capitol Hill Stands Down for Construction Fall Safety

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OSHA and Turner Construction Join Together for Fall Stand-Down in Senate Park

WASHINGTON – Restoration work at the U.S. Capitol Dome has been a prominent feature of the D.C. skyline for more than a year now. Inside an impressive 288-foot vault wrapped by a web of scaffolding, the dome’s workers safely climb in and out every day making repairs to cracks in the iconic structure. In the shadow of this historic project, Turner Construction will stop work to remind those responsible for its completion and the nation why fall prevention is so vital.

On May 6, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health and Administration will be joining Turner in Senate Park for a fall prevention safety stand-down. Deputy Labor Secretary Christopher Lu will deliver remarks alongside the company’s high-level representatives and safety experts.

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