When talking about advanced manufacturing, politicians seem to be thinking of some futuristic factories or half-understood new systems. Conversely, when the industrial laser community talks about advanced manufacturing, it’s talking about the tools it has been making and using for decades--the tools just keep getting better.
Just how much better is the subject of a new executive conference sponsored by the Laser Institute of America, working with PennWell's Industrial Laser Solutions magazine. This half-day summit takes place September 22, just before the start of the Lasers for Manufacturing Event (LME) in Schaumburg, IL.
The Laser for Manufacturing Summit includes a great lineup of speakers such as Terry Wohlers, of Wohlers Associates, on laser additive manufacturing; Mark Douglass of Longbow Research on market opportunities; Sasha Weiler from Trumpf on ultrafast lasers; and a special executive panel moderated by my colleague, David Belforte, chief editor of Industrial Laser Solutions, with Bill Shiner from IPG Photonics, Steve Capp from Laserage, Stan Ream from EWI, and Reinhardt Proprawe from Fraunhofer ILT.Next day, in the exhibition hall, the Lasers for Manufacturing Event (www.laserevent.org) focuses on industrial laser materials processing and runs from September 23-24. It features global manufacturers of industrial lasers and related equipment, and includes talks on the state of the industry and additive manufacturing, and tutorials on the properties of lasers, laser welding, laser safety, and the economic justification for laser applications.
The LME is in its fourth year and, to my mind, has established itself as the best place in North America for industrial laser customers and vendors to meet, learn, and do business.
For more information on the Summit, visit the website: http://www.lia.org/conferences/laserevent/summit