Machine-shop owner and author/columnist Dr. Ron Schaeffer will deliver the closing keynote address on the use of ultrafast lasers in manufacturing on Sept. 24, the second and final day of the Laser Institute of America’s fourth annual Lasers for Manufacturing Event® (LME®) in Schaumburg, IL.
Schaeffer, founder and CEO of PhotoMachining in Pelham, NH, is also a columnist for Industrial Laser Solutions magazine and author of the 2012 book Fundamentals of Laser Micromachining.
Schaeffer brings exactly the kind of real-world success stories that hit home for LME attendees. His job shop is particularly successful in the medical device market. “We had some of our best years in 2008/2009, because we were heavily entrenched” in that area, he has said.
And, since lasers are the only way to manufacture many complex medical devices and components like stents, catheters and diagnostic tools, profits can be generous. For example, diabetes test strips include a thin conductive layer of metal or ink patterned with lasers. “This has been a big area for us; we’ve got laser systems doing this in several of the top manufacturers of these devices.”
