SLI named partner in PLM consortium
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has named Semiconductor Laser International (SLI, Vestal, NY) as an associate member of the Precision Laser Machining (PLM) consortium. Over the next two years, the company will provide technology and expertise in developing high-power diode-laser arrays for manufacturing pump arrays suitable for applications such as automotive and jet-engine manufacturing. The firm holds an exclusive license from the US Air Force to develop and produce diode lasers using a patent-pending precision-growth-control process. Geoffrey Burnham, SLI president, says, "It is a ground-floor opportunity that should allow SLI to be involved in the future of automotive machining throughout the world."