CONTENTS LASERSYSTEMS EUROPE CONTENTS Lasers in action


European Appolo project concludes l acquires Laser Depth Dynamics l €0.5bn in additive manufacturing l


IPG


Trumpf aims for Laser


‘blacksmith’ treats aerospace metals Professor Bryan Tozer remembered


Paul Tozer of Lasermet on his father’s work with lasers stretching back 50 years


Laser cladding Shipbuilding


Lasers are adding value to welding ship hulls, as Rachel Berkowitz discovers


Fibre lasers Show: SPIE Photonics West 2018


Industrial laser equipment at the US photonics show, which takes place from 27 January to 1 February 2018 in San Francisco


AILU news


Dave MacLellan on the applications driving laser technology


Products


Systems and other equipment for material processing


LIA news 31


Rahul Patwa and Craig Bratt from the Fraunhofer Center for Laser Applications on process monitoring, and a team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on 3D printing polymers


Suppliers’ directory Find the suppliers you need


SUBSCRIPTIONS: Free registrations available to qualifying individuals. Subscriptions £120 per year for 4 issues to readers outside registration requirements. Enquiries to Europa Science, 4 Signet Court, Cambridge CB5 8LA, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1223 211170. Fax: +44 (0)1223 213385. ©2017 Europa Science Ltd. Whilst every care has been taken in the compilation of this magazine, errors or omissions are not the responsibility of the publishers or of the editorial staff. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers or editorial staff. All rights reserved. Unless specifically stated, goods or services mentioned are not formally endorsed by Europa Science Ltd, which does not guarantee or endorse or accept any liability for any goods and/or services featured in this publication. US copies: Laser Systems Europe is published by Europa Science Ltd and distributed in the US by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville PA. POSTMASTER: Send US address changes to Laser Systems Europe, PO Box 437, Emigsville PA 17318-0437.


34 26 24 18


Greg Blackman explores advances being made in fibre lasers, now the dominant technology for material processing


22 18 12


Matthew Dale explores a high-speed laser cladding method that’s competitive with traditional surface coating techniques


16 12 8 4


ISSUE 37 • WINTER 2017 8


TOUGH AND DURABLE


Laser cladding is a proven process, but it suffers from slow deposition rates compared to more established techniques. Now, a new method developed by Fraunhofer ILT hopes to change this. With a tenfold improvement in speed, the technology is much more competitive with older coating processes, especially for large parts like hydraulic drills. Matthew Dale’s article on page 12 explores the new laser metal deposition method, along with other advances in laser sources for cladding. Tis issue also has feature articles on shipbuilding


(page 16), where hybrid laser-arc welding is used to join thick sheets of steel, and fibre lasers (page 18), which are reaching power levels of 15kW. Te Laser Institute of America’s regular editorial (page 31) has articles on process monitoring from the Fraunhofer Center for Laser Applications, and 3D printing of polymers from a team at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, while Dave MacLellan, executive director of the UK’s Association of Industrial Laser Users, gives his opinion on the applications that will drive laser processing in the future (page 24). One of the first shows of the New Year is SPIE


Photonics West in San Francisco at the end of January, and there is a preview of some of the industrial laser processing equipment that will be on display on page 22. If you are visiting the event, Laser Systems Europe will be on booth 2133. I look forward to seeing you there!


Greg Blackman, editor @lasersystemsmag


Editorial and administrative team


Editor: Greg Blackman greg.blackman@europascience.com Tel: +44 (0)1223 221042


Deputy editor: Jessica Rowbury jessica.rowbury@europascience.com Tel: +44 (0)1223 221043 Technical writer: Matthew Dale matthew.dale@europascience.com Tel: +44 (0)1223 221047


Supported by the LIA


Circulation/readership enquiries: Sarah Sharpe sarah.sharpe@europascience.com Tel: +44 (0)1223 221036 Advertising team


Advertising manager: Stephen Russell stephen.russell@europascience.com Tel: +44 (0)1223 221044


Production manager: David Houghton production@europascience.com Tel: +44 (0)1223 221034


Cover: Fraunhofer ILT/Shutterstock.com


Corporate team Managing director: Warren Clark warren.clark@europascience.com


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Laser Systems Europe is published by Europa Science Ltd, 4 Signet Court, Cambridge, CB5 8LA, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1223 221035 Fax: +44 (0)1223 213385 Web: www.europascience.com ISSN: 1759-0752


ISSUE 37 • WINTER 2017 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE 3


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