Weekly Lasers Wrap Up – Week of December 12, 2016

Posted on December 16, 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

Mitsui Seiki USA, Inc. unveiled new machining technology at IMTS 2016, which successfully combines additive and subtractive manufacturing technology. The machining tool, known as Vertex 55X-HA, combines a traditional CNC vertical machining center with a laser direct energy deposition/ powder feed nozzle. For more on Vertex 55X-HA and what Mitsui Seiki has planned for hybrid manufacturing technology, check out the full post here.

Computer simulations in which lasers of varying wavelengths are aimed at bacterial colonies in gum tissue reveal a potential solution to dental health problems caused by these colonies. In the simulations, the photonic energy is absorbed by the pathogens, rather than the gum tissues. For more on this research, find the full article here.

LIA Updates

A new and improved Laser Institute of America website is under development and will launch in early 2017. New features will include a members-only access area, improved search capabilities for LIA’s technical archives, free downloadable educational resources, improved international support, and more! Find the official press release here.

This week, LIA formally announced the 2017 Elected Officers, Board, and Fellow Award Recipients. 2017’s Elected Officers are Secretary Dr. Minlin Zhong, Treasurer Gilbert Haas, and President-Elect Milan Brandt. The 2017-2018 board includes Eckhard Beyer, Robert Braunschweig, Corey Dunskey, Lucian Hand, Tracey Johnson, Dr. Markus Kogel-Hollacher, John Lopez, Reinhart Poprawe, Michael Schmidt, Bill Shiner, and Robert Thomas. LIA is also excited to announce that the recipients of the 2017 LIA Fellow Award are Neil Ball and Silke Pflueger. For more information, find the official press release here.

This week, LIA attended the 2016 Power Engineering Conference. Check the LIA Twitter page @laserinstitute for updates from the event.

Conference News

The Biennial International Laser Safety Conference (ILSC® 2017) will take place March 20-23 in Atlanta, Georgia. ILSC® unites laser safety professionals from around the world to discuss all aspects of laser safety. This year’s conference will be chaired by John O’ Hagan of Public Health England and will feature three tracks: Laser Safety Scientific Sessions (LSSS), Medical Practical Applications Sessions (MPAS), and Technical Practical Applications Sessions (TPAS). For more on ILSC® find the full press release here.

Registration for ILSC® 2017 is now open. For more information, please visit the ILSC® 2017 page.

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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 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.

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

2016 LIA Officers

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Steven Glover

Meet LIA’s New President & Board of Directors

By Betsy Marone

LIA’s 2016 President, Lin Li graduated from Dalian University with his B.Sc. in Automatic Control before earning his Ph.D. and DIC in Laser Engineering from London University’s Imperial College in 1989. With a research focus in high power laser engineering, Prof. Li worked as a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Liverpool until 1994, when he became a lecturer at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). In 2000, Prof. Li became a full-time professor at the University and founded UMIST’s Laser Processing Research Center. An esteemed member of the faculty, Prof. Li – who remains the director of the Center – has also served both as Director of Research and as Deputy Head of the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, in addition to his work as the Head of the Manufacturing Research Group.

As the author or co-author of nearly 600 publications in laser processing and more than 340 publications related to laser materials processing and photonic sciences in peer-reviewed journals, Prof. Li is an experienced contributor to the laser industry. In addition to the 47 patents he holds, Prof. Li also serves on the editorial board of 12 international journals, including Optics & Laser Technology, Lasers in Engineering, and CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology. Continue reading →

Meet LIA’s New Officers & 2015 Board of Directors

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Steven Glover

By Paul Hoffmann

LIA’s 2015 President Robert Thomas is an essential figure in research and publication throughout the many facets of the laser industry. He initially earned his B.S. degree in physics from Pittsburg State University in 1989, and worked to receive a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Missouri, Columbia, in 1994. His graduate studies focused on the fields of spectroscopy and numerical simulations for strained-layer semiconductor heterostructures. After obtaining his doctorate, Dr. Thomas joined the Air Force Research Laboratory in San Antonio, TX. Since then, he has established an impressive portfolio of publications covering topics including experimental and theoretical biomedical optics, laser-tissue interactions and laser safety exposure limit definitions. In addition to his memberships in SPIE, the American Physical Society (APS), the Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Dr. Thomas has used his role as Fellow of LIA to contribute to the development of the ANSI Z136 series of standards. For his efforts, he was appointed as the Chairman of the ASC Z136 in 2010. We wish Robert Thomas success in all of his endeavors as this year’s LIA president! Continue reading →

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