Weekly Lasers Wrap Up – Week of December 5, 2016

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Steven Glover

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

Laser Industry News

This week, Lasers Today featured a guest blog discussing additive manufacturing using hot wire and powder processes. The post gives an in-depth overview of laser cladding, powder cladding, hot & cold wire cladding, including processes and tools used for each. Find it here.

After performing a few updates, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) is back online. Over the last year, updates on LIGO’s lasers, electronics, and other assets have increased its sensitivity by 10 to 25 percent. Check out the interview with Peter Fritschel, the associate director of LIGO at MIT here.

Following the passage of the 21st Century Cures act, the National Photonics Initiative applauds House leaders for their decision. The bill provides $4.8 billion for advanced research on medicine initiatives. The involvement of optics and photonics in health care technology leads to less invasive, more cost-effective treatment for patients. Learn more about the bill here.

LIA Updates

Peter Baker is the first ever recipient of the LIA Leadership Award. This award focuses on “an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in an organization or a company and has significantly benefited the world laser community. The recipient may have also led to major global impacts in the advancement of laser science, technology, engineering, education or applications.” Baker has lead LIA for 28 years, playing an immeasurable part in LIA’s impact on the laser community. Read the full press release here.

Did you know that Student Membership with LIA is only $25? LIA members enjoy complimentary subscriptions to LIA publications, discounts on LIA courses, conferences, & seminars, networking opportunities, and more! Get the details here.

Conference News

Laser Additive Manufacturing Workshop (LAM) will take place February 21-22, 2017 in Houston, Texas. LAM features presentations from researchers and industry leaders pertaining to the use of additive manufacturing. This year will feature a new session on micro/nano laser additive manufacturing research. Register today 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

Weekly Lasers Wrap Up – Week of November 28, 2016

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Steven Glover

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

Laser Industry News

The Board of Laser Safety (BLS) released a new website, designed to create a user-friendly platform for laser safety officers to stay up-to-date with laser safety and certification news. The new site includes an easy-to-read news feed, a powerful cloud-based server, and an intuitive, responsive design, providing the best user experience for laser safety officers. The BLS website will continue to provide information on two certifications- Certified Laser Safety Officer (CLSO) and Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer (CMLSO). Find out more about the new website here.

Could Direct Metal Sintering be used to fight bacteria in medical implants? Researchers are currently researching the potential of adding layers of antibacterial agents, such as a novel phase-transited lysosome, in the creation of titanium implants. Despite the biocompatibility of Titanium, it is not uncommon for bacteria to find a home around an implant. This can lead to loosening, detachment, and even infection of the implant area. Learn more about the research here.

Science Alert reports that researchers have developed a laser using water and light. Overcoming the water wave oscillation that has proven to be a challenge in the past, the researchers used a small device which used “an optical fiber to deliver light” to a drop of octane and water. The light then interacted with the waves of water, moving back and forth until enough energy was built up for the light to emerge from the droplet. Find the original article here.

Conference News

Weekly Lasers Wrap Up – Week of November 14, 2016

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Steven Glover

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.

Weekly Lasers Wrap-Up: Week of 11/7/2016

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Steven Glover

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

Conference News

Did you miss out on ICALEO® this year? Lasers Today posted a wrap-up of the event this week, taking a closer look at the sessions, presentations, and awards presented throughout. Official 2016 ICALEO® proceedings are now available in the LIA Store. For more about ICALEO® 2016, find the official wrap-up press release here.

LIA Updates

While some may prefer learning in a traditional classroom, many LSOs benefit from online training. For those of you considering online instruction, LIA has provided a handful of tips to help you get the most out of your online training before you even begin! Check out the tips here.

A new LIA White Paper is now available. Entitled Our Growing Industry: How You Can Prepare, the White Paper discusses the proper training and resources LSOs can utilize to ensure employee safety. Readers will also find tips regarding the key elements that make up a strong laser safety plan, tips on selecting eye protection, and more! Download it here.

Attention Students! Are you interested in becoming an LIA Member? If so, Student Membership prices have been reduced to $25! Becoming an LIA Member has numerous perks and advantages such as subscriptions to LIA publications, discounts on courses, conferences, and seminars, and so much more! Become a member here.

Laser News:

Researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology aim to be able to transfer 100gb of data per second in a single fiber, with one core. To do this, the team is focusing on making the laser faster “while consuming less and less energy.” Learn more about the team’s ambitious plans here.

Could a device designed to identify pathogens and toxins be on its way to Mars? A NASA technologist hopes so and is currently testing a prototype Bio-Indicator Lidar Instrument (BILI) for use on a future Mars rover. Using ultraviolet lasers, BILI would be used to scan for biomarker molecules, as a clue to past life on the red planet. Find out more about BILI and Mars rovers 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.

Weekly Lasers Wrap Up – Week of October 31, 2016

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Steven Glover

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

Industry News

Physicists have shattered the existing laser-electron interaction record! Beating the previously known efficiency of 10 percent, for most free-electron lasers, researchers were able to convert the energy of an electron beam into a pulse of coherent light, with an efficiency of 30 percent.

Learn more about this record-breaking accomplishment, and what it may mean for the future of high powered lasers here.

Following the development of a short-range, 2-kilowatt laser weapon, the Army may have laser equipped vehicles by 2017. Engadget reports that the device is designed to be mounted to the roof, and will be used to protect soldiers against missiles, mortars, and drones. Find the original article here.

Researchers are exploring new possibilities regarding the use of ultrafast lasers to etch microstructures into thin glass. The method will likely have applications in analytics, such as engraving information into a chip. Check out the surprising phenomenon that makes the etching process so intriguing here.

LIA News

Are you interested in learning more about the world of additive manufacturing? Be sure to check out our free slideshare The Cost of Manufacturing With Lasers and Without Them. The slideshare explores the advantages of additive manufacturing, types of 3D printing technology, characteristics of additive manufacturing, and more! Find it here.

We want YOU to become part of the LIA experience! Explore the options, perks, and savings associated with LIA membership. Help us continue to cultivate innovation, ingenuity, and inspiration. Learn more here.

Beware the hidden costs associated with not completing, or regularly refreshing, LSO training. LIA offers numerous resources and perks designed to help LSOs keep themselves, their colleagues, and their work environments safe and secure. As an added bonus, LIA has included a coupon code with a significant discount on LSO training. Get it here!