By Geoff Giordano
With the US government running a full-court press to foster manufacturing innovation, the Laser Institute of America made the case for laser-based advanced manufacturing processes during a special presentation in the nation’s capital.
LIA representatives advocating laser-driven manufacturing joined four other subcommittees discussing the growing usage of lasers in health, defense, energy and communications during a daylong National Academies event Feb. 28. While the work of these five subcommittees was triggered by the National Research Council’s updated report Optics & Photonics: Essential Technologies for Our Nation, LIA’s efforts answer key goals of the Obama administration’s National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).