July 26--Who needs another conference--even about lasers? But that is exactly what ALAC 2005 is--a conference dedicated exclusively to lasers, specifically, their applications.
The driving force behind ALAC (Advanced Laser Applications Conference & Exposition) is the desire to make laser processing an everyday, integral part of manufacturing or other industrial operations.
The program consists of a three-day event, September 19-21, at the Four Points Sheraton in Ann Arbor--about 15 miles west of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The first day of the conference is devoted to tutorials and the first afternoon also offers attendees the opportunity to visit some nearby laser facilities--one owned by TRUMPF and the other a laser research facility at the University of Michigan.
The conference organizer, Nasim Udin, notes that the conference is more than just a forum for presenters of technical papers to give their talks. Its whole point is to emphasize that the laser is not an end in itself but that it can accomplish truly remarkable things, whether or not the user has any idea of how a laser works. ALAC 2005 is far more interested in what the laser can do than in how it works. Udin says a good analogy might be the fact that only a small percentage of those owning a home or office computer
have much idea of how they work, but that doesn't stop them from using them.
ALAC 2005 shows the extraordinary opportunities that lasers are giving us in transforming everyday--and not so everyday--activities. In talk after talk, attendees will learn how different individuals in different types of work are finding or creating solutions to their challenges by using lasers.
For more detailed information, visit www.alac-iluc.org.