As RAPID 2014 wraps up today in Detroit, revisiting the journey of an SLM 280 powder-bed fusion machine purchased at last year’s event by Imperial Machine & Tool of Columbia, N.J., illustrates some of the motives driving U.S. manufacturers toward additive technology. Imperial is heavily involved in advanced manufacturing — particularly for the Department of […]
Sapphire Cutting with Pulsed Fiber Lasers
By Christoph Ruettimann, Noémie Dury and Markus Danner With almost 40 years of experience in precision processing of synthetic crystalline materials, Swiss laser manufacturer ROFIN-LASAG AG has developed a process for cutting sapphire glass, which is now increasingly used in mobile electronic devices and high-quality mechanical watches. Synthetic sapphire is a mono-crystalline aluminum oxide with […]
Non-Disruptive, Low Loss In-Line Laser Beam Monitoring System for Industrial Laser Processing
By Michael Scaggs and Gilbert Haas The BWA-MON (Beam Waist Analyzer MONitor) system is a “smart” focus head that provides “real-time” laser beam measurement, analysis and monitoring of low to very high power lasers in accordance with international standards ISO11146 and ISO13694 related to lasers without disrupting the laser beam in use and with minimal […]
LAM 2015 A Workshop for the Next Era of Manufacturing
ORLANDO, FL, June 4, 2014 — For the first time, the Laser Institute of America will hold its highly popular Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM®) Workshop in its home base of Orlando on Mar. 4-5, 2015. Award-winning AM expert and frequent LIA speaker Ingomar Kelbassa will serve his first stint as general chair of the seventh […]
LME 2014: A Focused Laser Event Like No Other
By Geoff Giordano ORLANDO, FL, May 12, 2014 – Some new names will join familiar faces teaching the basic and master courses at the Laser Institute of America’s fourth-annual Lasers for Manufacturing Event® (LME®) in Schaumburg, IL, in September. And four expert keynote speakers will again provide big-picture analysis of how and where lasers can […]