LIA Invites You to The 2018 Laser Additive Manufacturing Conference

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Steven Glover

By Ron D. Schaeffer, Ph.D.

Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM) is one of the most exciting potential growth areas for the laser industry. The market has been watched for a few years and every year there are gains in the revenue generated by this market segment, but so far the revenue curve has not started rising dramatically. This can be viewed as both good news and bad news. The “bad” news is that the market has not exploded…yet! According to Alan Nogee from Strategies Unlimited, the industry can be broken down as follows:

• Stereolithography – Reasonable growth but the industry depends on more non-laser solutions.

• Laser Sintering (DMLS/SLS) – This area is growing strongly. There are two main application areas – plastics and metals. Plastics suffer from the availability of a variety of materials and usually use CO₂ and Diode lasers, usually with under 300W of output power.

• High Speed Sintering (HSS) – This is a newer technology and is used primarily for plastics. This technique is 10 – 100 times faster than SLS and can manufacture many tens of thousands of units per day. At the time of this writing, metals are not yet there, but time may change that.

The good news is that the LAM market is set to really ramp up and could spike in the next couple of years. Therefore, it is a great time to investigate LAM (and thereby the LAM^® Conference) to get in on the “ground floor” of the technology. While this conference has been around for 10 years, this year the venue has moved to Schaumburg, IL, for the first time and is co-located with the Lasers in Manufacturing Event^® (LME^®) with overlap on Wednesday, March 28^th. The conference takes place at the Schaumburg Convention Center on March 27–28, 2018.

Why attend LAM?

•Interact with laser industry experts – the Program chairs in particular are a very recognizable and highly
respected group.

• Find out if Laser Additive Manufacturing can help with your manufacturing problems.

• Network not only with the exhibitors but other attendees as well.

• As part of the registration fee for LAM, entry to the LME show is also included! Take advantage of both events and all of the associated benefits.

• Find a job in the photonics industry – or find laser experts to bring onto your team if you are thinking about ramping up laser processing.

• Increase the bottom line by increasing profits! In a manufacturing world this is what it is all about.

Program/Agenda

The LAM chairs will return to build on its successful program from last year. Milan Brandt of RMIT University will continue as the General Chair, with John Hunter of LPW Technology, Inc. and Minlin Zhong of Tsinghua University serving as Conference Co-chairs.

Day One

A representative from America Makes will give the first keynote address of the conference, titled “Smart Collaboration: A Public-Private Approach to Advancing the Additive Manufacturing Industry.” America Makes strives in additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP) technology research, discovery, creation, and innovation to increase global manufacturing competitiveness.

Other presentations range in topics from laser cladding to laser welding. Prabu Balu of Coherent, Inc. will discuss recent advances in laser cladding. Balu is the senior application engineer at Coherent. His talk will provide a set of guidelines to successfully deposit highly reflective materials using powder-based laser cladding (LC), high deposition rate (up to 10 kg/hr) with minimal dilution (as low as 1%) using hot-wire based LC and thin coating thicknesses (varying from 25 µm to 500 µm) using ultra-high-speed LC process.

Paree Allu of Flow Science will give a presentation on “Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modelling for Additive Manufacturing and Laser Welding.” Allu is a computational fluid dynamics engineer at Flow Science. Allu will explain how CFD modelling can help with the widespread use of AM technologies by providing a framework to better understand AM processes from the particle and melt pool scales.

Day One will wrap up with presentations on Process Monitoring, featuring John Lehman from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and his talk on Laser-based Manufacturing; Novel Developments in Process Monitoring at NIST. Lehman is the leader of the Sources and Detectors research group at NIST and a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany. The research group provides laser power and energy meter calibrations to the U.S. and much of the world.

Day Two

Keynote speaker Ehsan Toyserkani from the University of Waterloo will kick off Day Two with an overview of Canada’s additive manufacturing initiatives. Toyserkani is the founder of and research director for the MSAM lab at the University of Waterloo, the university research chair for additive manufacturing, and a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. His presentation will cover the challenges and opportunities related to a research program on novel in- and off-line quality monitoring of selective laser melting along with assurance protocols.

The following session will feature Warwick Downing of Rapid Advanced Manufacturing Limited and his thoughts on how to grow the metal additive manufacturing industry. Downing is the chief executive of Rapid Advanced Manufacturing. He established Rapid Advanced Manufacturing Ltd (RAM3D) in 2013 with a group of like-minded shareholders to grow the commercial opportunities created by the growth of the metal 3D printing sector.

In the final session of the conference, Mohsen Seifi from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International will discuss the standardization of additive manufacturing. Seifi is the director of Global Additive Manufacturing programs at ASTM International. Previously, he was a doctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Case Western Reserve University.

After the final session, there will be a reception on the show floor in conjunction with LME starting at 4 pm. Since LAM attendees are welcome to fully participate in LME, there are also many more talks, tutorials and classes available. Please see the information on LME for details. LIA will provide attendees with an enhanced experience by co-locating LAM and LME.

Weekly Wrap Up- Week of July 1st

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Steven Glover

Commercially available since the 1990’s, laser hair removal has remained relatively popular through the decades. This week, we take a look at just how effective the treatment is, how different lasers are used for different skin types, and the accessibility to the technology in the United States and beyond. Read more here.

Disease-carrying pests are a health issue worldwide. As more species of insects become resilient to chemical pesticides, a new solution is desperately needed. Intellectual Ventures Laboratory is developing a photonic fence, designed to eliminate pests using low-powered lasers. Learn more about how the team is working to find cost and energy effective solutions for the areas in greatest need here.

Despite exciting innovations in automobile headlights, involving lasers and LEDs, U.S vehicles have seen minimal changes to the lights on their cars. Learn about the decades-old law that prevents automotive companies from implementing new light technology in their vehicles, as well as the movements that aim to challenge the legislation here.

In this week’s Throwback Thursday, we look at the origin of the word laser. Learn about the ancient use of the word, what laser has in common with maser and radar, as well as the coining of the word as we know it today. Check it out here.

LIA’s executive committee held their summer meeting at the home office this week. LIA’s executive committee is President Lin Li, President-elect Paul Denney, Secretary Milan Brandt, Treasurer Steve Capp, and Past President Bob Thomas.

LIA was in attendance at The ASSE Safety 2016 Professional Development Conference & Exposition, this week. The conference is designed for OSH professionals, with a mind for best safety practices.

With July now upon us, be sure to check out the May/June issue of LIA Today. This issue focuses on laser safety with articles pertaining to ANSI standards, industry leaders and more. Find the digital version of the publication here.

Thinking about taking one of our online training courses? Be sure to check out An Introduction to Our Online Laser Safety Training Coursework. The online training courses were created to accommodate the busy schedules of LSOs. LIA offers classes for medical, industrial, and educational applications. The post gives an in-depth explanation of our online coursework, setting you up for success. Find it here.

Before taking your class, download our e-book Tackling Laser Safety in the Online Classroom. Designed for LSO’s, the e-book discusses changes to ANSI standards, tools to complete laser safety training and more. Find it here.

A current list of available online courses can be found here: https://www.lia.org/education/online-laser-safety-training

Lasers and Headlights: An Unexpected Challenge for Automobile Makers

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Steven Glover

Automobiles are slowly, but surely, going through a technological renaissance. In recent years, new developments in the way we drive, park, and power our vehicles have had lasting impacts on the simplicity and efficiency of how we get around. Yet, despite having cars that help us park, avoid traffic, and alert us when things go wrong, our headlights have stayed relatively the same, for decades.

That is not at all to say that there has been a lack of advancements. In fact, there are multiple cars with brand new lighting technology— they are just banned here. With a heavy concentration on European nations, vehicles are already on the market with brighter, longer-lasting, high efficiency headlights. Some, with likely much more to come, are implementing lasers into their automotive lighting.

Right now, LED headlights are leading the charge as the next-best-thing in the realm of automotive lighting. LED lights are more energy efficient, customizable, and often times, more cost-effective than the bulbs of yesterday. The bright LED arrays, as introduced in a few European automotive brands, shine brighter and longer.

Companies, like Varoc Lighting, are investing in new, more advanced lighting techniques for their automotive partners, with ample research and development going into laser headlights. While LED headlights will likely hit the market at a larger, much faster rate, lasers are next up to bat for in the future of automotive lighting. Audi showcased laser-based headlights at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show, claiming that the new headlights would be equipped into production vehicles in the future.

The technology is not perfect, yet. Current iterations still require the boost of multiple LED lights to reach the appropriate brightness and length of beam. Audi’s version consists of a blue laser projected onto a diode, which then emits a white light. The projector is small enough to fit comfortably in the headlight apparatus. Once the technology is better developed, the lights are anticipated to shine the length of a quarter mile, according to Audi’s Head of Lighting Operations, Stephan Berlitz.

The biggest challenge for the future of laser headlights? It is not energy related. It is not even technology related. In the United States, at least, it is the law. Regulations from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration require all U.S automobiles to have a high beam, a low beam, and nothing else. Worth noting is the fact that these guidelines have not been revised since Jimmy Carter was President. These guidelines have shelved LED and laser headlights for American consumers for the foreseeable future.

Audi is far from the only automobile maker held back from new developments in lighting. BMW’s i8 and others have had their advanced lighting systems barred from U.S. markets, where they are considered acceptable elsewhere. It comes down to the fact that regulations on headlights and other automotive lighting have not changed or adapted to new, emerging technologies; potentially hindering the future of American automotive sales and developments.

Based on tests and applications of the emerging lighting technologies, the lights would be intuitive enough to adjust to appropriate levels of brightness. Accidents caused by either A) forgetting to turn your lights on or B) having your high-beams on at an inappropriate time, would be reduced, or even eliminated.

A number of companies and collations have petitioned the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration to take a closer look at how their rigid regulations are hindering technological advancement. Many tech-minded automobile enthusiasts have also spoken out, in regards to revisiting the archaic regulations. Companies that are otherwise rival competitors have put their differences aside to push for the acceptance of the new technology, in the U.S. When differences of that magnitude are pushed aside in favor of new developments, it speaks volumes about how seriously automobile companies are taking these new headlight systems. It is less about a luxury product and more about technology that will further simplify our daily lives. Only time will tell if the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration is willing to make the future a reality.

How Effective is Laser Hair Removal?

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Steven Glover

The process of eliminating hair from growing on the body in designated areas has been one that has grown in popularity throughout the last ten years. Using lasers to permanently remove hair is a process which came to replace tedious treatments of Electrolysis which involved putting a thin needle into a single hair follicle in order to deliver an amount of energy that would then be directed towards the base of the follicle to cause damage. It is understood that this process was so tedious due to the amount of time required to eliminate hair growth, one hair follicle at a time. Laser hair removal (LHR) eventually became one of the most common cosmetic procedures after its transition into becoming commercially available circa the late 1990s. One of the first published articles describing this advanced removal process was written by a group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.

When being compared to LHR, Electrolysis had been a more time consuming procedure due to the fact that treatments had to be administered continuously for years after receiving the initial treatment. The process of LHR can be performed in minutes compared to the hours needed to administer Electrolysis. LHR also allows numerous hair follicles to be treated in one sitting rather than one hair follicle at a time. One of the more noticeable feats of using LHR machines is the fast-paced process of repeatedly blasting an ultra-fast laser pulse on the skin of a patient, a process known as Photothermolysis.

Unlike the temporary processes of waxing and shaving, the goal of removing hair follicles by a laser isn’t to temporarily remove the hair but to serve as a permanent solution to stopping its growth by destroying “germ cells” in the hair follicle which produce the hair in the first place. At the beginning of the hair removal process a laser is chosen based on the pigmentation, or melanin, of the patient’s skin. Since lasers are characterized by wavelength (measured in nanometers) these numbers are used in order to determine the type of laser that is to be used in any hair removal process. For example, Ruby or Deep Red lasers (694.3nm) are only safe for patients with very pale skin while Nd:YAG (1064nm) is a near-infrared laser that is made for treating darker skin pigmentations, though it is understood to be effective on all skin types.

As melanin from the hair soaks up energy from the laser, the germ cells in the hair follicle heat up to a temperature reaching over 212 degrees F. A cell begins to fall apart once its temperature approaches 140 degrees F. The laser then zaps the designed area of hair in a series of short pulses in order to keep the heat from spreading too far into the surrounding skin. Cells around the hair are damaged as the hair heats up but the laser turns off before the heat can spread or burn the skin. This process of exposing skin to administered laser pulses is why people who undergo this LHR procedure have to go more than once. Scheduling more than one appointment is necessary in order to permanently damage the hair follicles. It’s necessary for a patient to undergo this procedure every estimated five to ten weeks to permanently stop hair growth.

There are a few risks and normal side effects which include experiencing minor pain, skin damage, itching, pink skin, redness, allergic reactions, and swelling around the treatment area or swelling of the hair follicles with the two most common side effects being acne and skin discoloration. These risks can be greatly reduced by receiving hair removal treatments with the appropriate laser type for the individual’s skin pigmentation and treatment region.

LHR is safe as long as it’s done correctly. The body can handle small doses of radiation at a time however receiving more than the necessary amount of laser pulses in a given session may result in skin discoloration such as white spots or hypopigmentation. The treatment works best on those with low amounts of melanin and dark hair since melanin in the hair draws radiation, or the attention, away from the skin.

Within the United States, LHR is an unregulated procedure that anyone can do. In certain locations, only doctors and doctor-supervised personnel are able to perform the procedure while permission is often given to licensed professionals such as regular nurses, estheticians, and/or cosmetologists. The process of using a laser to permanently stop hair growth is one that is widely practiced within clinics and personal homes. Devices designed and sold at a retail price for consumer self-treatment are available in select stores both on location and online.

If you are licensed professional wanting to learn more about laser safety for similar cosmetic or medical procedures: be sure to visit www.lia.org for more information on LIA’s upcoming course on Medical Laser Safety Officer Training.

Throwback Thursday: The Rise of The Laser Light Show

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Steven Glover

Now a staple of planetariums and major concert events, the laser light show has wowed audiences for nearly half of a century. In this week’s Throwback Thursday, we take a look at the development of lasers for the sake of entertainment and the worldwide phenomenon that was and continues to be, the laser light show.

In the late 1960’s, artists and scientists collaborated on the use of lasers for art and entertainment. Similar to the invention of the laser itself, it is hard to pinpoint the “first” laser light show, as so many were fascinated with experimenting with the new medium for artistic or practical applications.

Much of the “wow factor” associated with laser light shows rely on very simple optical principles. A low powered laser, mirrors, and the “persistence of vision” (the afterimage seen by the human eye when light moves faster than the eye can perceive) are all that is needed to create a basic laser light show.

Advanced shows used mirrored prisms, galvanometers (electrical signals that shake mirrors at a fast enough rate that the lasers “trace” an image) and “chopping,” which refers to the rapid shutting on and off of the laser to create the illusion of movement. These, combined with simplistic, cartoonish designs make laser light shows a reality.

In the 1970s, major touring acts such as Led Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, The Who, and Pink Floyd made the laser light show a central part of their live performances. Contributing heavily to the world’s fascination with laser technology, the integration of lasers into popular musical performances rewrote the expectations of a live concert event. Today, you’ll be hard pressed to find a planetarium that does not hold “tribute shows” to these acts on a regular basis.

Comparatively, laser light shows are much easier and efficient than in their early heyday. Argon and krypton ion lasers were bulky and required a significant amount of power to put on the show. These days, the type and power of the laser required is based more on venue size. A small auditorium or theater can use standard electrical power and low-powered beams to put on a decent show. Larger venues, such as outdoor amphitheaters, require more power and still often use gas-based lasers for a greater variety in visuals. That being said, outside of better control of images through the use of computer-based controls, the laser light show has not evolved all that much since the turn of the century.

That is not, of course, to say that advancements in laser technology will not also be applied for entertainment purposes. Seeing as the use of lasers in entertainment has only become more standardized, it will likely not be long before someone decides to re-invent this long standing performance staple.

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