By: Geoffrey Giordano ORLANDO, FL, Feb. 7, 2012 — A future in which vital consumer and medical products and parts are made virtually from thin air with just metal or plastic powders and lasers could thrust the U.S. into the forefront of 21st century manufacturing. Leading the charge in advocating such cutting-edge rapid manufacture and […]
Meet LIA’S 2012 President and Board of Directors
Reinhart Poprawe, LIA’s 2012 president, has worked in the laser industry and its related organizations for over 30 years. He received an M.A. in physics from California State University in Fresno in 1977. After completion of his Ph.D. in physics (Darmstadt, 1984) he joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology in Aachen, Germany where […]
Revised ANSI Z136.3 Improves User and Patient Safety
By: Geoff Giordano With more therapeutic procedures moving into private medical offices and homes, the standard regulating the safe use of lasers in health care has undergone a much-needed update to ensure users, as well as patients, are protected. The revised “ANSI Z136.3 Safe Use of Lasers in Health Care” publication defines the parameters […]
Cost-Effective Laser Cladding for Corrosion-Resistance
By: Dr. Andrew J Pinkerton, The University of Manchester The environment continuously attacks our infrastructure in a way that is less spectacular than, for example, earthquakes or hurricanes, but far more expensive. Corrosion affects most surfaces, but especially metallic ones, on a daily basis and costs around 3–6% of developed countries’ GDP to combat. In the US […]
Laser Glass Machining for Consumer Electronic Devices
By Haibin Zhang, ESI. Due to their excellent strength, chemical resistance, and optical transparency, glass materials are widely used in consumer electronics such as in flat panel TVs, laptops, and hand-held devices. Small to medium form factor glass panels (3 to 10 inch), in particular, are enjoying a very healthy annual growth of close to […]