CONTENTS LASERSYSTEMS EUROPE CONTENTS Lasers in action
Fujikura enters fibre laser market l shareholder continues l
l
Laser sintering improves mould cooling for car part maker
Opinion: Steel industry 12
Greg Blackman assesses the impact of low steel prices on UK laser sub-contractors
Feature: Additive manufacturing 14
Beth Harlen on how racing cars are going faster thanks to additively made parts
Feature: Safety 18
Greg Blackman looks at the safety precautions needed for high-power lasers
Feature: Energy industry 22
From repairing wind turbines to nuclear decommissioning, Gemma Church investigates the role of laser technology in the energy sector
Products 28
Lasers and laser systems for industrial processing LIA news
34
The Laser Institute of America’s regular section, including a preview of the upcoming Laser Additive Manufacturing workshop and details about the LIA’s new laser safety software
Suppliers’ directory Find the suppliers you need, quickly and easily 38 22 18 4 Rofin row with Scanlab buys Next Scan
ISSUE 30 • SPRING 2016 14
SAFE AND SECURE
Te figure dressed in what looks like a spacesuit on the front cover is holding a 5kW fibre laser developed by TWI for nuclear decommissioning. Five kilowatts of laser power outside of an enclosed system goes against most current wisdom on laser safety, but Lasermet has developed active laser clothing and facemask (although probably not what the person is wearing on the cover) that will shut the laser down as soon as any intense light hits it. Tere is more on laser safety in general and the active clothing from Lasermet in the article on page 18. Gemma Church also discusses the laser technology TWI has been working on for nuclear decommissioning, along with many other uses of lasers in the energy sector, on page 22. Laser cladding of wind turbines is one application
Church writes about. It is an additive method, whereby a laser fuses powdered material onto the surface of turbine blades to protect against wear and corrosion. Tere are numerous additive manufacturing techniques, and the technology is now reaching a stage where it can produce functional parts rather than a tool purely for prototyping. Motorsport has embraced AM, as Beth Harlen reports in her article on page 14. Te Laser Institute of America’s regular news section on page 34 also previews the Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM) workshop, to take place from 2 to 3 March in Orlando, USA, which will showcase the breadth of laser additive technologies.
Greg Blackman, editor
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