We are now in the second month of a new publishing year and many of us are glad 2021 is a thing of the past. Last year’s editorial contributions to this section in Laser Focus World were superb. Thanks to all the authors for delivering timely, interesting technical information that allowed Industrial Laser Solutions to maintain its 35-year reputation as a leader in presenting laser materials processing technology to the global manufacturing sector.
Then, the not-so-good—the impact of the pandemic on all aspects of global manufacturing. One major revelation about the ongoing impact of COVID-19 is that I’ve learned about all I want to know about supply chain problems. On the bright side, a new group of contributors promise a host of fresh ideas to carry industrial laser material processing technology to new highs.
The February issue of Industrial Laser Solutions (now a channel in Laser Focus World) is an example, as Björn Wedel and Sebastian Eilzer (PT Photonic Tools) posit the requirements for precision and security are substantially higher due to the high beam quality and energy density when guiding ultrafast laser sources that require special solutions when switching securely between different beam delivery paths (see article). We are going to present a lot on ultrashort-pulse (USP) laser processing this year, as this technology promises a more substantive share of market revenues.
Published in the March issue, Mark Boyle and Brennan DeCesar (Amada Weld Tech) describe the key medical applications for laser marking, welding, tube cutting, and micromachining, including some for USP and fiber lasers (see article). A big plus—they specify the optimal laser source for particular applications.
Also next month, we’ll look at a possible technology boost for revenue growth, beam shaping—this time in scanner-based applications at Blackbird Robotersysteme (see article).
David Belforte | Contributing Editor
David Belforte (1932-2023) was an internationally recognized authority on industrial laser materials processing and had been actively involved in this technology for more than 50 years. His consulting business, Belforte Associates, served clients interested in advanced manufacturing applications. David held degrees in Chemistry and Production Technology from Northeastern University (Boston, MA). As a researcher, he conducted basic studies in material synthesis for high-temperature applications and held increasingly important positions with companies involved with high-technology materials processing. He co-founded a company that introduced several firsts in advanced welding technology and equipment. David's career in lasers started with the commercialization of the first industrial solid-state laser and a compact CO2 laser for sheet-metal cutting. For several years, he led the development of very high power CO2 lasers for welding and surface treating applications. In addition to consulting, David was the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Industrial Laser Solutions magazine (1986-2022) and contributed to other laser publications, including Laser Focus World. He retired from Laser Focus World in late June 2022.