Tag Archives: High-Power Lasers

High Average Power, High Energy Fiber Delivery & Temporal Compression of Ultrafast Lasers

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By Eric Mottay

Technology breakthroughs can change the face of a whole industrial sector; in many cases unexpected discoveries drive unprecedented benefits for industrial applications. Let’s consider the adaptation of lasers into various industrial sectors and developments in laser technologies. The advent of solid-state lasers some 30 years ago, in a world dominated by gas lasers, brought unparalleled advantages, through the significant increase in efficiency gained by replacing flashlamps with semiconductor laser diodes and the development of high beam quality, high average power thin disk lasers.

The micro-manufacturing industry has experienced profound changes over the past decade, largely attributed to the increasing availability of industrial grade, high power ultrafast lasers. Another key contributing factor has been the heavy investment and development of associated beam delivery technologies. Many solid-state lasers used in industry today employ optical fiber beam delivery, enabling easy coupling to industrial robots, the ability to supply multiple workstation from a single high power laser source, and more generally, offering exceptional flexibility to production processes. Continue reading →

Advanced Laser Applications Presented at ICALEO 2014

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ORLANDO, FL, Nov. 10, 2014 — A new peer-review process for select presentations and a host of novel laser research expanded on the tradition and impact of 33rd installment of the Laser Institute of America’s flagship conference in San Diego on Oct. 19-23.

The International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (ICALEO®) featured 56 presentations given at least two reviews in a double-blind process, said returning General Chair Stefan Kaierle of Laser Zentrum Hanover. “We believe it was necessary… to change the way we present our work and especially to improve the quality.” About 35 to 40 papers will be published in a special edition of the Journal of Laser Applications, he said.

ICALEO featured another smorgasbord of laser research and experimentation spanning the traditional and the novel — from 3D printing of human cells and killing malaria-carrying mosquitoes to powering a small flying craft and improving the dyeing and patterning of textiles. Continue reading →

High-Power Laser Materials Processing

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By Eckhard Beyer and Achim Mahrle

The high power laser market has been remarkably influenced by the introduction of high-brightness lasers, i.e., laser sources offering a high optical output power in combination with a high beam quality or a low beam parameter product, respectively. These features are primarily exhibited by fiber and disk laser systems, but diode lasers are also increasingly available with improved beam quality and higher output levels. The development of new processes that make use of the advantages of high-brightness lasers was intensively pursued in recent years and some examples of innovative solutions were given in this paper.

On the other hand, the advent of high-brightness lasers also gave rise to some technical challenges, which still need a reliable solution. One point concerns the optical feedback due to back reflections during processing highly reflective materials. Another serious and often discussed topic, is the occurrence of unacceptable focus shifts when working with high-intensity laser beams. Continue reading →

Keynote Speaker David Belforte to Expand on the Rise of the Laser Market at LME 2013

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ORLANDO, FL, July 23, 2013 — Laser processing expert David Belforte will present another data-packed state-of-the-industry keynote address at the third annual Lasers for Manufacturing Event® (LME®) on Sept. 11 at the Renaissance Schaumburg (IL) Convention Center Hotel.

Belforte, past president of the Laser Institute of America and chief editor of Industrial Laser Solutions magazine, has been a popular speaker at LIA’s unique event. LME 2013 will bring together laser systems providers, systems integrators and representatives from many industries — aerospace, automotive, energy, medical — that use laser-based manufacturing to maximize production efficiency and profitability.

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Overview of Laser Additive Manufacturing in China

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By: Minlin Zhong

Tsinghua University

The booming Chinese economy has created a favorable environment for the research, development, application and market in the area of high-power lasers and especially laser additive manufacturing (LAM) in China. In a so-called “world manufacturing center,” laser additive manufacturing, as a modern advanced manufacturing technology, plays an important role in the manufacturing and re-manufacturing areas. There are great needs in China to fabricate high-value components or difficult-to-fabricate components by conventional methods. Continue reading →