‘Zirconia Ceramic Dental Restorations: Laser transport, and use. Lasers can be used to produce
Machining and Optical Testing’, presented by or aid in all four aspects of this lifecycle. Just
Duncan Hand describes one of those innovative consider LEDs for lighting, laser welding for Lion
uses. The process concept involves using lasers for battery case production and PV manufacturing.
high-speed profi le cutting and picosecond short Schaeffer concluded by announcing that the ‘Holy
pulse fine scale machining on ‘one-off’ dental Grail’ is grid parity where the cost and effi ciency
restoration billets composed of extremely brittle of PV energy production vs. oil, coal, and nuclear
Rajesh Patel, Valentin
ceramics. Conventional mechanical processes take
Gapontsev (Schawlow
energy production are on a par with each other.
hours to complete and may introduce cracking Award Winner) and ‘The major advancements will be from
Peter Baker.
that can weaken the structure. The new laser entrepreneurs,’ said Schaeffer.
process involves a novel mid-infrared transmission expounded on the impact on the industry by other
technique for fl aw detection. This non-destructive countries, including the potential negative effect Schawlow Award
method, combined with the laser ‘milling’, reduces of China’s explosive growth. For example, in 2007 This year’s Schawlow Award, named after 1981
the cost by taking advantage of shorter work times China consumed 23 per cent of the world’s total Nobel Prize Laureate Arthur L. Schawlow and
and less structural damage to the pieces. concrete production. founding father of LIA, was bestowed upon Dr
Dr Tony Hoult of IPG Photonics began his Valentin P Gapontsev, of IPG Photonics
Nanomanufacturing Conference presentation, ‘Can Industrial Lasers be a part of a Corporation. At the ceremony, Gapontsev was
The Nanomaufacturing Conference, now an Sustainable Economy?’ with a Friedrich recognised as ‘the father of the fi bre laser industry
integral part of ICALEO, began with an invited Schumacher quote: ‘Small is beautiful.’ He then as it is known today, who has pioneered the fi eld
paper by Liang Pan of the NSF Nano-scale Science covered a wide range of areas where lasers can save in five decades of academic work and as the
and Engineering Center, Berkley, California, ‘Flying energy by simplifying processes, making founder and CEO of a global technology company
Plasmonic Lens at Near Field for High Speed equipment smaller and increasing throughput. that continues to transform the laser industry’. Dr
Nano-lithography’. This presentation addressed Returning to the main theme of the Opening Gapontsev joins the world-renowned list of
one of the grand challenges confronting the Plenary Session, Dr Hoult reminded the audience recipients including Arthur Schawlow, Arthur
commercialisation of nanotechnology: developing about the 3Rs – recovery, recycling and reuse, and Guenther and Theodor Hänsch.
nanofabrication tools that allow quick and easy how lasers can help in the ‘greening’ of
design changes. The slow scanning nature of the manufacturing using laser cleaning techniques. About Dr Valentin Gapontsev
common maskless nanolithography methods Lasers can be used for engraving, de-painting, Valentin P Gapontsev PhD founded IPG in 1990
provide only limited throughput. To overcome this decommissioning nuclear facilities, CRT lead and has been chief executive offi cer and chairman
and other limitations, a ‘Flying Plasmonic Lens’ recovery and by adding value to waste, as is the of IPG’s Board of Directors since the company’s
riding on an air-bearing spindle is used to focus case in the European Union legislation. He inception. Prior to that time, he served as senior
the laser spot to a sub 100nm area of a photo-resist concluded with the thought that ‘effi ciency pays scientist in laser material physics and head of the
coated recording disk spinning at extremely high – or will soon’ and the challenge: ‘Let’s think about laboratory at the Soviet Academy of Science’s
speed. This allows for the exposure of sub- how we can expand this role further.’ Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics in
wavelength details on the target and throughputs Ron Schaeffer of PhotoMachining concluded Moscow. He has more than 30 years of academic
two to fi ve orders of magnitude higher than other the presentation part of the Business Forum with research experience in the fi elds of solid state laser
maskless techniques. ‘Jumping on the Bandwagon – Lasers and Green materials, laser spectroscopy and non-radiative
Energy’. He started by defi ning, ‘What is a boom?’ energy transfer between rare earth ions and is the
Business Forum & Panel and giving an overview of the energy/green basics. author of many scientifi c publications and several
Discussion The basic green energy lifecycle is: make, store, international patents. Dr Gapontsev holds a PhD ➤
This exciting half-day event provided valuable
insight from a business standpoint regarding the
timely subject of green energy. Expanding on the
topics first presented in the Opening Plenary
Session of ICALEO, Dave Clark expounded on the
PV marketspace including comparisons of market
expansion by the United States, China and India.
He also expanded on his Opening Plenary Session
and talked about the reduction of venture capital
investment to 2007 levels and how consolidation
has changed the face of laser manufacturing of PV
products. Those companies that remain in play are
beginning to dominate the market via takeovers
and vertical expansion.
Following Clark, Dr Magdi Azer continued his
previous discussion of wind energy and provided
a look at the scale involved with the utilisation of Congress Chair with Plenary
wind energy, including video presentations of
Speakers (from left to right –
Xinbing Liu, Magdi Azer, John
windmill construction and on-site visits of the pre- Turner, Dave Clark and
construction of windmill components. He also
Yongfeng Lu).
www.lasersystemseurope.com ISSUE 5 • LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE 29
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