LIA NEWS During a session on selecting the correct


additive process, the main focus centred on the aerospace industry. Brian Tompson from GKN Aerospace presented ‘Additive process evaluation for aerospace applications’, during which he reviewed the industry’s adoption of additive manufacturing, including what he sees as today’s method – the net shape production of prismatic shapes – and next generation optimised structures, which he considers tomorrow’s method. Explaining that the aerospace industry has seen an increase in AM over the years, Tompson also acknowledged the qualification barrier for certain materials and processes, and discussed the use of powder bed methods for


smaller parts and directed energy deposition for larger parts. Overall, the wide array of presentations offered


attendees an informative and helpful workshop. Alex Zappasodi from Polymet remarked: ‘[LAM is] a great show! Valuable information, great attendees, and meticulously organised.’ James Tomic, a fourth-year attendee, agreed, saying: ‘If you’re using lasers for AM, you don’t want to miss LAM.’ In addition to the educational sessions that


made up the majority of the event, attendees were also given the chance to network with key individuals in the industry during the exhibitor reception. Tis opportunity ensured that


attendees not only had the chance to expand their knowledge of the latest advances in additive manufacturing at LAM, but were also encouraged to make connections with people who can help them make the most of the process. ‘We’re looking forward to LAM 2017, when we


return to Houston, TX,’ said Denney. ‘While the oil and gas industry is suffering from lower oil prices, we feel that there will still be a strong interest in laser cladding – a form of laser additive manufacturing – because it can lower production costs.’l


Visit www.lia.org/lam for updates on LAM 2017


Ultrafast lasers: Powering the Photon Factory in New Zealand By Michelle Stock


I


f you have ever been to Auckland, New Zealand, you know the natural beauty of its surroundings and the vibrancy of the city. What you may not know is that the campus of


the University of Auckland is home to a unique facility, one that uses the power of intense pulses of light to manipulate, measure and machine matter – it uses photons as its ‘machinery’.


THE PHOTON FACTORY Tis unexpected find is the result of the efforts of Dr Cather Simpson, who joined the faculty of the University of Auckland in 2007. Soon aſter arriving, Dr Simpson challenged herself to ‘bring the rich versatility of high-tech ultrashort laser pulses to New Zealand academic and industry innovators’. Tis challenge resulted in the creation of a facility dubbed the ‘Photon Factory’. Te Photon Factory fulfils multiple functions: it is a laboratory for education, research, innovation and even economic development. Dr Simpson became familiar with ultrafast


lasers and their extremely short pulses (on the order of 100fs, or 100 x 1015


seconds) while


pursuing research in ultrafast energy conversion in molecules. She used them as a tool in her lab when she started her career as a professor at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Light can be converted by molecules into other forms of energy; by studying the dynamics of molecular complexes excited by light on femtosecond to microsecond timescales through both experiments and modelling, it is possible to learn how molecules direct the energy acquired in light absorption. Te ultimate goal of these


52 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE ISSUE 31 • SUMMER 2016


Cell-sorting prototype developed within the Photon Factory


investigations is to understand how the structure and environment influence molecular functions so that photochemical and photophysical behaviour can be both predicted and tailored. Having achieved tenure at CWRU, she found


the opportunity to move to New Zealand compelling, and there, her research has flourished to span from fundamental spectroscopy to applied device development. Te Photon Factory is the facility and resource she has developed to accomplish her research goals and to bring the power of laser light to New Zealand, and beyond.


A FACTORY OF IDEAS AND PEOPLE, POWERED BY LIGHT How did the Photon Factory come into being? When Dr Simpson moved to New Zealand, the country was undergoing a transformation in how academic research was being funded. A newly- formed government was in the process of making structural changes, closing the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology and moving some of its functions to a newly created agency, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. Tis signalled the new government’s stance that science and technology were to be viewed as


@lasersystemsmag | www.lasersystemseurope.com


Photon Factory


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