For over 30 years Industrial laser systems have been commonplace in manufacturing and R&D facilities all over the world, providing clean and efficient ways of improving manufacturing processes. Such applications include replacing labelling by direct marking onto components or replacing cutting systems with state-of-the-art laser converting processes, a digital technology that enables manufacturers to produce features that otherwise would be problematic or impossible to cut without the need of tooling. A Need for Change Dynamic market conditions and fluctuating demands necessitate the need ..read more

In the context of intensified climate and environmental protection efforts, the reduction of particulate matter pollution plays an important role alongside the reduction of CO2 emissions. A relevant share of this pollution is due to abrasion from brakes. The friction between the brake disc and pad, not only generates heat, but also countless fine dust particles that settle on the vehicle rims and on roads. Due to the permanent swirling of particles in road traffic, a large part ends up dispersed in the air. The main sources of this particulate matter are the industry standard cast iron brake d ..read more

Established over 75 years ago, TWI is a not-for-profit research and technology organisation that provides advanced contract research and development solutions to its 700+ members. TWI’s mission is to help businesses and organisations with independent and authoritative innovation and expertise. With this, TWI aids a business’ development with the latest research practices and equipment to solve industrial challenges. With over 20 years of history in laser metal deposition, TWI has recently invested in developing one of the newest coating technologies, Extreme High-speed Laser Application (EHLA ..read more

As anyone who watched Clarkson’s Farm knows, farming is a costly business, and the profits can be slim. If Britain’s farmers are to thrive at a time of shrinking subsidies and increased competition, they need to minimise their capital outlay and ongoing costs. The more they can do to keep existing machinery running, and performing as well as it should, the better. Precise cladding for longer-lasting parts Whether tilling or bailing, harvesting or mixing, agricultural knives are among the most hard-working tools in any agricultural setting. Frequently coming up against hard earth or rocks, and ..read more

Today sees the first face to face exhibition for Laser Lines this year at Southern Manufacturing at FIVE Farnborough. On its stand (E150), Laser Lines will be exhibiting several of its 3D printers including the Stratasys F370 and J35 and the Xact Metal XM200C. It will also be showcasing some of its industrial laser solutions, including the Sisma LMD Laser Welder and the Datalogic Ulxye Laser Marker. Mark Tyrtania, Sales director at Laser Lines, adds: “We are really looking forward to the show. It’s great to be able to showcase a few of our solutions from both sides of the business and show how ..read more

Gentec-EO has followed up its recent launch of integrating sphere laser power detector series, with another model of fast laser power detectors, the IS50A-1KW-RSI. This detector offers an impressive typical rise time of just 0.2 second – which means you get your high-accuracy measurement extremely fast compared to any other high-power detectors available on the market. Measure up to 1000 W of continuous power 50 mm aperture 0.01 mW noise level Ideal for collimated beams Equally suitable for beam divergence (full angle) up to 20º Simply plug it into a computer with an INT ..read more

This year’s return of TCT 3Sixty at the NEC sees Laser Lines, the UK’s most established reseller of 3D printers and materials, with several stands at the exhibition. Across the two stands, printers representing a variety of 3D printing technologies will be running demonstrations showcasing the company’s expertise in different applications and highlighting the solutions available. The stands will have product specialists available to answer questions on the printers supplied by all the companies Laser Lines represents in the UK, which include Stratasys, Makerbot and Xact Metal. Mark Tyrtania, s ..read more

Laserline LDM Blue in action So, what is a diode laser? Maybe we should start by taking a step back and ask: What is a laser in general? The answer begins with Albert Einstein who first defined the principle of stimulated emission in 1917. It states that an excited electron or molecule can deliver energy in the form of light. This stimulated emission is triggered by supplying energy to an ideally light amplifying material (the so-called laser-active material or medium) and thus bring it to a higher energy level (an energetically excited state). This energy supply is called ‘pumping’ in laser t ..read more

Photonics Industries’ (PI) has announced the release of their newly updated water-cooled DX Series Q-switched UV and Green Lasers.   The DX Series 355nm UV Lasers  delivers the shortest Short Pulses for more peak power and the highest High Pulse energy with up to 3x more pulse energy (>1mJ/pulse).  Offering among the highest output power (15W to 50W), this laser has a wide repetition rate for <20kHz to >500kHz and better beam pointing stability < 25 μrad.  The DX Series UV Laser is the highest DPSS laser wall plug efficiency laser available (~10% for UV) Photoni ..read more

What do you need to consider when selecting the best CO2 laser for your application? Lauren Knollmeyer, Synrad’s Market Analyst, goes through the important aspects including laser performance specifications, cooling methods, and beam delivery. Click link to find out more about the Synrad range of CO2 lasers… Here is a very interesting and informative overview of CO2 Lasers, written by Synrad: More About CO2 Lasers Lasers are precision tools that generate light efficiently focused to a very fine spot. There are different types of lasers based on various materials or laser generating techn ..read more