Low-power fiber lasers rule at Dresden conference

The meeting featured many papers about micromachining and ultrafast pulse cutting (ns and ps) for solar cell layers. One might say that, of the three dozen presentations, low-power fiber lasers ruled at this conference.

The interest in composites has grown greatly over the past decade. Their unique properties offer increasingly important advantages in manufacturing; but cutting, drilling, and other forms of materials processing can present a major challenge. Lasers offer a unique solution; they are finding a growing number of industrial applications, and developments in both laser and material technologies have recently led to a further expansion in this area.