President’s Message


and ICALEO. LIA now offers five classroom courses on laser safety and seven online courses. LIA


has published nine ANSI laser safety standards and an established journal, the JLA.


The current annual revenue of LIA has reached around $3 m. On behalf of LIA and the laser community, I would like to say a big “Thank You” to Peter for his leadership, dedication and lifetime contribution to the LIA and the world laser community. My task now is to ensure a smooth transition and recruit a good successor to lead the LIA for the next 10-30 years. A job description for the LIA Executive Director has been prepared and a call for applications will be issued shortly. Members of the laser community are welcome to apply for the post.


I chaired the LIA Executive Committee meeting on June 30 at Orlando in the LIA office, which gave me an opportunity to meet all the LIA staff. I was very pleasantly surprised to see the up-beat atmosphere within LIA offices, and enthusiasm and dedication of all the LIA staff for the services to our laser community. A focus of the discussion at the Executive Committee meeting was on the LIA internationalization plan with new initiatives for collaboration with Asian and European colleagues and partner associations. Education and outreach dominated the near future LIA business/expansion plan. Developing the LIA ANSI online courses into


international IEC


standard based courses and tailoring them to the local safety directives in Asia and Europe and offering them in local languages would be a way forward. Another opportunity is the development of STEM courses for the local community with substantial government grants.


This LIA TODAY’s issue is focused on additive manufacturing – a field that has around 35 percent annual growth rate. Laser based technologies are dominating the metal component printing. Many scientific and technological issues including controlling material properties, residual stresses, thermal distortions, surface finishes and component geometry as well as production rate and costs are still dominating the scientific and technological R&D. New design tools, high volume production machines, hybrid production machines and new applications are expected to boost the innovation and industrial usages of the technology.


After 28 years of excellent service for the LIA, our Executive Director, Mr. Peter Baker, is to retire on April 1, 2017. With Peter’s leadership and LIA staff’s effort, the LIA has grown into a leading international association with a high reputation in laser materials processing and laser safety. The LIA conferences and workshops have grown from a single ICALEO® ILSC®


to now include LME® , LAM® ,


Now we are coming to a more rare transition, one which hasn’t taken place for 28 years. I am retiring early next year.


I started with LIA in November 1988, taking over from LIA’s original General Manager Haynes Lee. Thanks to the combined efforts of our Presidents, Officers, Board Members, Members and LIA staff, we have added conferences, workshops, standards, publications and courses to our portfolio to carry out our mission to foster lasers, laser applications and laser safety worldwide.


Now it is time for me to retire and for LIA to bring in a fresh leader who will build on the base we have established. To adapt to changing times and to build LIA’s strength and reach as we approach our 50th


Anniversary in 2018.


For me, it will be tough to leave the best job I ever had. It has been a privilege and pleasure to work with each of the LIA Presidents,


to admire their achievements, their


work ethic and their amazing level of commitment to our society. Our officers and board members are a great resource who have worked with our LIA staff members to build our achievements.


For now let me just say please come to ICALEO® Diego so I can thank each of you as I say my farewell.


in San


Executive Director’s


Message Transitions II


Earlier this year I wrote about our society’s annual transition of leadership, where we elect a new President, Officers and a third of Board Members.


Peter Baker, Executive Director Laser Institute of America


Lin Li, President Laser Institute of America www.lia.org 1.800.34.LASER 5


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