Unfortunately, there is just not enough time in the day to do everything I want to do. This applies to attending conferences, especially those with a primarily laser-based theme.
During the week of April 25th, the AKL Laser Congress in Aachen (Germany) will be held for the 11th time—since the conference is only held every two years, this represents over 20 years of promoting laser technology! Over 600 participants will attend, with around 60 speakers and over 40 sponsors. I have the honor of giving an invited talk during the Business Session on Wednesday, April 27th, titled "Laser Markets in the Americas." This talk is co-authored with ILS editor-in-chief and industry expert David Belforte. Historically, Dave has given this perspective at the AKL conference, but this year I will be giving the talk. Why me?
Also during this week, the Laser Institute of America will hold their LME conference in Atlanta. This conference is only a few years old and has previously been held in the Chicago area in the fall, but this year the venue and timing have changed. Both Dave and I had initially planned to be at both conferences, but when the timing conflict arose, I volunteered to go to Germany (OK, tough job!) and Dave volunteered to go to Atlanta. So, I am presenting the talk in Aachen and Dave, as well as Henrikki Pantsar (UFP short course) and Neil Ball (industry expert table), are filling in for me in Atlanta.
Registration information for these conferences can be found at the following links:
AKL: www.lasercongress.org/de/startseite
LME: www.lia.org/conferences/laserevent/education/LTST
Speaking of conferences, the MedTech (UBM) conference in the Boston Convention Center was held this past week. This is another regional medical device conference that has been around for a few years. I have not attended for a couple of years, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the show was quite busy during the time that I was there. Several laser companies were exhibiting, including NH-based Resonetics—a laser job shop powerhouse, especially in the medical device industry. They now have facilities in New Hampshire, San Diego, Ohio, and Costa Rica. Funny, as this is what we were trying to achieve 20 years ago when I was one of the senior managers running the company, but we could never get the proper momentum at the time. I guess we will see if indeed "bigger is better!"
More conferences are coming up over the next few months, including CLEO and MD&M East in NYC. Stay tuned for more roving reports.
I am always interested in hearing your thoughts concerning laser micromachining, the laser industry, comments on entrepreneurial endeavors, etc. AND … we are always looking for fresh, publishable material. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Ron Schaeffer
Ron Schaeffer, Ph.D., is a blogger and contributing editor, and a member of the Laser Focus World Editorial Advisory Board. He is an industry expert in the field of laser micromachining and was formerly Chief Executive Officer of PhotoMachining, Inc. He has been involved in laser manufacturing and materials processing for over 25 years, working in and starting small companies. He is an advisor and past member of the Board of Directors of the Laser Institute of America. He has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Lehigh University and did graduate work at the University of Paris. His book, Fundamentals of Laser Micromachining, is available from CRC Press.