Tag Archives: laser

Livermore Scientist Wayne King to Deliver LAM 2017 Keynote

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In preparation for LAM® 2017, Lasers Today takes a closer look at the presenters and industry leaders at this year’s workshop.

The Laser Additive Manufacturing Workshop (LAM) is just around the corner, kicking off the next round of conferences and seminars designed for laser professionals. The Workshop is of importance in the ever-growing world of additive manufacturing; 3D printing and other additive manufacturing processes continue to reshape manufacturing as we know it, often creating revolutionary solutions to numerous challenges in a wide array of industries. Additive manufacturing is also creating jobs, and in some cases, reducing the environmental footprint of parts manufacturing.

At LAM, researchers and industry leaders come together to showcase research and developments in additive manufacturing. Sharing emerging technologies and concepts is how these experts aim to project the future of where additive manufacturing is headed to next. One of these presenters is Dr. Wayne King of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). King will deliver the Day Two keynote, “Modeling of Selective Laser Melting Process.”

About Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

For the most part, LLNL is closed to the public. However earlier this year, a few publications were welcomed into the facility for a small glimpse of the work being performed at the facility.

They are not just known for their 3D printing capabilities. The laboratory and its scientists, in association with University of California, have made more than a few key scientific discoveries and developments. To them, adding new elements to the periodic table and developing supercomputers are everyday tasks that are integral parts of their scholastic organizational culture.

Their 3D Printing Labs

LLNL is one of the largest additive manufacturing developers in the world. It is also home to the National Ignition Facility, which features the world’s largest laser. The facility’s primary focus is on metal parts, with two of the three 3D printing labs focusing on metal-based processes. In these labs, a jet engine was built in just eight days for approximately $10,000 dollars.

The laboratory is not just dedicated to its personal development of additive manufacturing. LLNL also launched the Accelerated Certification of Additively Manufactured Metals Initiative; a program which aims to improve metal 3D printing processes, while simultaneously increasing its adoption across industries. This initiative is directed by King.

Researchers at LLNL were the ones to discover what caused tiny, porous surfaces in 3D printed metal structures. They were also responsible for a breakthrough laser design using a powder bed select laser melting (SLM) 3D printer. That only scratches the surface of the progress underway at the laboratory, as LLNL also delves into 3D bioprinting, 3D printed foam and new state of the art 3D printing techniques.

With this much already under their belt at LLNL, one can only imagine what developments are in the near future. To learn more about the 3D Labs at the laboratory, check out this tour with 3ders.org before attending the Keynote Presentation by Wayne King at Day Two of LAM.

Laser Additive Manufacturing Workshop will take place February 21-22, 2017 in Houston, Texas. For more information, and to register, please visit www.lia.org/lam.

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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.

 

 

ILSC 2017: The Source for Laser Safety Updates

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

December 16, 2016 – Orlando, FL—The 2017 installment of LIA’s biennial International Laser Safety Conference (ILSC®) will take place March 20-23, in Atlanta, Georgia. Laser safety professionals from around the globe will gather to discuss all aspects of laser safety, from bioeffects research to control hazards to best practices for the Laser Safety Officer (LSO).

The conference will be chaired by John O’Hagan with Public Health England. Following the traditions of previous years, ILSC 2017 will feature presentations in three tracks: Laser Safety Scientific Sessions (LSSS), Medical Practical Applications Seminar (MPAS) and Technical Practical Applications Seminar (TPAS).

Karl Schulmeister, Chair for LSSS, assures that ILSC will continue to cover the subject matter that attendees have found most helpful over the years. The topics include laser product safety and bioeffects. The interactions between lasers and tissues as well as injury thresholds for the varying tissues of the eye and skin will be reviewed. Other sessions will focus on eyewear, outdoor lasers, high power lasers, materials processing and broadband incoherent radiation.

Certified Medical Laser Safety Officers (CMLSOs) Vangie Dennis, Patti Owens, Leslie Pollard, along with Kay Ball will lead the MPAS subtitled “Laser Safety: More than Smoke and Mirrors”.

“ILSC 2017 offers learning and networking opportunities to help healthcare professionals meet the challenges of laser technology,” said Ball. “Advancements and exciting new information will be highlighted, while experts will be able to share their knowledge and experiences.”

Owens includes “that day one would include pertinent information regarding the hazards of surgical smoke and plume.” “The latest research will be presented”, said Owens. “Analyzing the toxicity of surgical plume, the impact of chronic exposure to

“The latest research will be presented”, said Owens. “Analyzing the toxicity of surgical plume, the impact of chronic exposure to second hand smoke, recommended respiratory protection, new international initiatives and organizations, along with future legislation for management of this health hazard.”

“The second stimulating day will focus on management of collimated medical devices with exciting lectures addressing new applications of innovative laser technology, retinal and corneal injuries from exposure to lasers and Intense Pulsed Light, veterinary utilization of medical laser devices, Low Level Light therapy and PDT.  Also, the role of the laser safety officer and how to produce positive safety outcomes for both staff and patient will be explored.”

Not to be outdone by their counterparts, co-chairs Certified Laser Safety Officers (CLSOs) Eddie Ciprazo and Jamie King’s theme for the TPAS is “Back to the Basics – Laser Safety 101”.

With something at this event for everyone regardless of their experience level, King notes that both senior and novice Laser Safety Officers (LSOs) will leave with valuable knowledge because of the variety of material that will be covered.

“From basic optics to cutting edge technologies and everything in between,” said King. “It’s here.”

TPAS will provide a full toolbox of information for every LSO in attendance. Wednesday morning kicks off with “So you are the LSO, now what?” and closes Thursday with “Resources for the LSO, don’t reinvent the wheel”.  A first for the conference as well as TPAS, an open forum panel discussion with the FDA is sure to be of interest.

From LSOs and nurses, to safety product manufacturers and laser physicists, attendees will gain invaluable information from sessions and have the opportunity to network with others as a part of the laser safety experts community.

Registration for ILSC 2017 is open now. To learn more and register, please visit https://www.lia.org/conferences/ilsc.

About LIA

Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the professional society for laser applications and safety serving the industrial, educational, medical, research and government communities throughout the world since 1968. www.lia.org , 13501 Ingenuity Drive, Ste 128, Orlando, FL 32826, +1.407.380.1553

 

 

 

 

Unparalleled Laser Innovations Mark the 35th Edition of ICALEO

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Laser Institute of America’s annual meeting of academia and industry highlighted new developments in laser technology and provided a platform for global networking

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ORLANDO, FL, NOVEMBER 8, 2016 — Over 400 attendees from 20 countries gathered from October 16-20, 2016 at the Sheraton® San Diego in San Diego, CA, for the 2016 Laser Institute of America’s International Congress on Applications of Lasers & Electro-Optics (ICALEO®).

Gathering a highly engaged group of field veterans, new registrants and students, this year’s ICALEO featured more than 200 presentations, 59 peer-reviewed talks, comprehensive biophotonics coverage, and the introduction of the new ICALEO mobile app. Returning Congress General Chair Silke Pflueger was back at the helm helping compile the most highly-rated Opening Plenary presentations delivered at an ICALEO conference thus far.

“We worked so hard this year to ensure, ICALEO 2016 once again exceeded all expectations,” said Pflueger. “Our opening plenary session is a great example. From visiting Mars, to self-driving cars and a LIGO revisit, we inspired new outlooks and forged new relationships, which is what ICALEO is all about.”

Opening plenary speakers included Nina Lanza from Los Alamos National Laboratory, who linked humanity together in her discussion about the laser used aboard the Opportunity rover on Mars, and Jim McBride from Ford Motor Company, who talked about the challenges of sensing on fully autonomous vehicles. Albert Lazzarini, Deputy Director of LIGO Laboratory at California Institute of Technology, presented breaking results regarding black holes made from the first gravitational waves detected by LIGO.

This year’s ICALEO also featured a variety of laser research and experimentation revelations, from the use of lasers in emerging areas, like paint stripping and dairy, to microprocessing and several new opportunities in wearables and medicine.

Highlights of the roughly 200 presentations include:

  • The writing of skin by 3D printed cells with ultrafast lasers, and insight into how creating structures on the surface of a biomaterial with lasers may eventually be able to control cell spreading
  • How to improve processing speed and precision with new beam delivery and beam shaping techniques, and how to optimize later cutting processes through Time Resolved Analysis of Nanosecond Pulsed Laser Processing of CFRP
  • A laser technique to modify the surface of bulk glass, called Picosecond Laser Pulses for Spatially Resolved Gloss Reduction, which demonstrated glass with dramatic gloss reduction by direct laser structuring
  • A new laser-assisted doping process that allows high performance devices to be fabricated from ultra-thin films of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs).
  • The successful applications of laser ablation for next generation contactless payment cards and flexible wearable devices and the generation of flexible printed “batteries” for future bendable, wearable and portable devices

Other highlights include LIA Executive Director Peter Baker’s honor as the first recipient of the new LIA Leadership Award. Retiring next April, Baker commented on his meaningful career: “At LIA we’re saving eyesight, preventing skin damage, and helping create laser technologies, products, and services that make the world a better place.”

The 2016 Arthur L. Schawlow Award was awarded to Yongfeng Lu, the Lott Distinguished Professor of Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, LIA Board Member, Past President, Treasurer and Fellow. LIA also honored Silke Pflueger and Neil Ball by elevating them to the highest level of membership as LIA Fellows.

By unanimous decision, the first place ICALEO Poster Award went to Kohei Asano and his colleagues from Osaka University, the Industrial Research Institute of Ishikawa, and Yamazaki Mazak Corporation in Japan for their poster Copper Layer Formation Produced with 100W Blue Direct Diode Laser System, while the first place Student Paper Award winner was Christian Hagenlocher from IFSW in Stuttgart, Germany, for his paper Space and Time Resolved Determination of Thermomechanical Deformation Adjacent to the Solidification Zone during Hot Crack Formation in Laser Welding.

As the 35th ICALEO ended, Neil Ball, newly-honored LIA Fellow, called the breakthrough laser event, “bar none, the best networking opportunity and the best opportunity to look forward and see what applications are on the horizon.”

Ken Dzurko, General Manager of SPI Lasers said, “LIA does a great job creating a comfortable, relaxed mood right for exchanging ideas at this one-of-a-kind event that’s really the world’s premier gathering of scientists interested in laser applications.”

ICALEO 2016 proceedings are available for sale at www.lia.org/store. For more information on ICALEO 2017, held Oct 22-26 in Atlanta, GA, visit www.lia.org/conferences/icaleo.

About LIA

The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the professional society for laser applications and safety serving the industrial, educational, medical, research and government communities throughout the world since 1968. www.lia.org, 13501 Ingenuity Drive, Ste 128, Orlando, FL 32826, +1.407.380.1553.

Selective Laser Melting, Powder Metallurgy & Additive Manufacturing

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Additive Manufacturing processes like selective laser melting (SLM) and powder metallurgy are on the rise – and they continue to disrupt traditional manufacturing as we know it.

While the public eye continues to focus almost solely on 3D printing, these other laser additive manufacturing methods are quite literally shaping our manufacturing future.

In the weeks that follow LIA’s 35th International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics (ICALEO®), Lasers Today shifts its focus to innovative and critical additive manufacturing processes in preparation for our Laser Additive Manufacturing Workshop (LAM®). Our next LAM, which takes place February 21-22, in Houston, Texas, will cover all facets of additive manufacturing, including 3D printing, selective laser melting (SLM), powder metallurgy, and more.

A recent Fortune article, which discusses the urgency of 3D metal printing and additive manufacturing processes and the challenges faced by the rise of these methods, echoes the importance of laser applications in these areas succinctly. While 3D printing is a big part of the present and future of additive manufacturing, it is equally important to acknowledge other applications that are disrupting the marketplace and defining its future.

SLM and Powder Metallurgy Are Making Waves in the Industry

In its September issue, EuroPhotonics published an article discussing the changing landscape of Laser Materials Processing. Illustrating a shift from a handful of manufacturing operations to the rapid increase of additive methods, the change is happening worldwide. The piece discusses several additive processes outside of 3D printing. The use of selective laser melting (SLM) in rapid prototyping, for example, allows early versions or low volume creations to be created without the use of complicated, often time-consuming tooling.

This feature is just one of the many additive manufacturing processes described. Find the full article here.

The use of powder metallurgy to create high-quality parts only continues to rise. LPW Technology shared a blog post discussing the quality control process of determining if unexpected results are the doing of a machine, or the powders themselves. As manufacturing experts know, a machine’s output can be disrupted by even the slightest error or change. This power metallurgy article provides a unique, first-hand perspective on some of the challenges, and the subsequent solutions associated with additive manufacturing practices.

Read the full post here.

Interested in learning about these laser applications and more at LAM in February? Review the Lasers Today LAM 2016 recap and visit www.lia.org/conferences/lam to register today.

Weekly Lasers Wrap Up – Week of September 26, 2016

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Bringing you up to speed with the latest in laser industry news, LIA updates, and relevant conferences, the Weekly Wrap Up aggregates everything you may have missed this week, in the world of lasers.

Conference News and Updates

The scope of Photonics and Electro-Optics is constantly changing. What does this mean for conferences like ICALEO®, that foster the idea of conversation and collaboration between researchers, companies, and end users? Check out a few key industry disruptors and innovators, some of which will be in attendance at ICALEO this year, here.

ICALEO® is less than a month away and registration spots are still open! ICALEO® will take place October 16–20, 2016, in San Diego, California. Find everything you need to know about this premiere conference here. Already planning to attend? Get all the info you need in regards to transportation in the San Diego area here.

LIA News

Intrigued by the idea of taking LSO training, but not sure if it’s right for you? Check out this intriguing infographic illustrating the 8 biggest benefits of taking your Laser Safety Officer Training online. Find it here.

LIA will host a Laser Safety Chat on Twitter, featuring LIA education director, Gus Anibarro. Taking place October 12 from 12–1 PM EST, Gus will answer all of your questions regarding laser safety under #AskGusLIA. Be sure to follow @laserinstitute on Twitter, so you don’t miss a single tweet!

Laser Industry News

MedGadget reports that the market for femtosecond lasers for cataract surgery will reach $2.4 Billion dollars until 2019. The growth is due, in part, to an aging population worldwide, in need of cataract surgery. Femtosecond lasers are used in a more automated, and often times more accurate surgical process, compared to cataract surgery of the past. Learn more about this exciting industry growth here.

Could lasers help us predict natural disasters? Researchers at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas are determined to find out. Using a much smaller version of the laser interferometer, similar to LIGO, the researchers are looking into the potential to detect geophysical disruptions. Check out their progress here.

Don’t miss a single laser industry update! Subscribe to Lasers Today for the latest in lasers and LIA news, delivered straight to your inbox! Be sure to follow LIA (@laserinstitute) on Twitter for up-to-the-minute industry news and updates.

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. Visit us at www.lia.org