LASERSYSTEMS EUROPE News 4


Market for laser materials processing systems reaches $19.8bn l Laser machine triples structuring throughput l Trumpf establishes new business division l Additive manufacturing to be established for automotive series production


Show report: ILAS 2019


Matthew Dale shares three interesting applications of laser technology that were discussed recently at AILU’s Industrial Laser Application Symposium.


Cutting


Greg Blackman finds that new beam shaping technology is speeding up and improving the quality of thick plate laser cutting


Analysis: fibre lasers Aerospace


Tim Gillett investigates the process of laser machining composite materials for the aerospace industry


Copper processing for e-mobility


Matthew Dale explores the range of laser solutions available for copper welding in e-mobility


Event focus: Laser World of Photonics 26


The trends, topics and technology that will be discussed at this year’s conference in Munich, Germany


Analysis: large-scale additive manufacturing


30


Riccardo Tosi, of the MTC, identifies the barriers preventing the future adoption of large-scale directed energy deposition in industry


Supported by the LIA 22 16


Paul Harrison, of SPI Lasers, describes a new mode of operation for fibre lasers that enables beam quality to be varied on demand


18 12 8 Analysis: additive manufacturing 32


Ali Gökhan Demir, of the Politecnico di Milano, reports on the use of laser triangulation to address a current challenge faced in laser metal deposition


Analysis: ultrashort pulse lasers Analysis: industry qualifications 34


Fraunhofer ILT’s Dr Arnold Gillner, discusses the growing application range of ultrashort pulse lasers in industrial manufacturing


36


Luísa Coutinho, of the European Welding Federation, highlights the importance of an evolving qualification system when addressing new industry demands


AILU news LIA news Application focus: safety Products


Lasers and laser systems for materials processing


Suppliers’ directory Find the suppliers you need 46 38


Dave MacLellan on AILU’s upcoming workshop on laser applications in the nuclear industry


40


The Laser Institute of America reveals its new ICALEO format for 2019


42


BOFA International’s Joshua Evans on mitigating the fire and explosion risks associated with laser metal processing


44


The topic of e-mobility will be making its way to the Laser World of Photonics in full force this year. While having been discussed at the


show in previous years, this year the megatrend has been named as one of the main focus topics of the show and has had its own dedicated application panel ‘No-E-Mobility without Laser Technology’ added to the conference programme. More of what can be expected at the show can be found on page 26. It was two years ago at the show that


blue-diode lasers first came across my radar, which due to their high absorption in copper, have been identified as an ideal solution for welding the hairpins, foils, tabs and busbars used in electric vehicle motors and batteries. It’s not just blue lasers that have set their sights on copper processing, however, both fibre lasers and green lasers are also being used to process such components in electric vehicles, as is discussed on page 22. I found out at AILU’s ILAS 2019


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Cover: Trumpf


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conference in March that e-mobility is also a topic being explored by the aerospace sector. In the show report on page 8 you can read about the ongoing Rolls-Royce projects that intend to electrify aircraft – one of which will involve an attempt to break the current electric airspeed record in 2020. Until electric aircraft take to the skies however, lightweight composite materials will continue to be used to increase the fuel efficiency of traditional kerosene-powered aircraft, which are being processed using newly developed laser solutions, as Tim Gillet highlights on page 18.


With that and the numerous other


articles you’ll find authored by industry experts within the folds of our new, smartly-dressed pages, there should be plenty of content here to keep you busy and out of trouble over the coming summer months!


Start your electric motors!


Matthew Dale, editor


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SUMMER 2019 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE 3


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