The Fabtech show was a bit slow on Tuesday, but this was understandable given that it was a national holiday—Veteran's Day. The Wounded Warriors program was active in promoting the hiring of veterans, especially wounded veterans, and in training those veterans for jobs in the manufacturing community. One of the really great things about the Society for Manufacturing Engineers (SME), one of the show’s organizing entities, is that they are very heavy on education (I personally have two local SME interns working for me). The seminar I gave on Laser Manufacturing was one of the best-attended talks at the SME forum, showing once again the strong interest in laser manufacturing in the fabrication community.
Speaking of "too many conferences," it seems that I am not the only one of this mindset. LIA's LME show, scheduled for next fall in Schaumburg, IL, has been canceled and the plan is to move it to the spring—possibly to a different venue. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. The location was fine, but the timing (September) simply conflicted with too many other shows in the Chicago area during this time frame. Attendance also suffered from the short time interval between LME and the flagship ICALEO event. So by moving the venue, the LIA hopes to bring more value to both attendees and vendors.
It has also been rumored that the Chicago MDM show, normally in September as well, will be canceled. This show suffered from the same malady as LME in that the September time frame in Chicago is full, but it also suffered from dilution as very local and regional MDM shows have sprung up around the country. The main shows are still West, East, and Minneapolis, with all other venues playing a very secondary nature—at least from the point of view of a national venue.
So, I personally am looking forward to NOT getting on an airplane until I take off for Photonics West next February. If you, like me, are starting to prepare for next year, think about attending the Marketplace Seminar held on Monday, February 9th. I am personally involved in a panel discussion at the event that day from 11-12 and then I will be rushing to teach my course on Laser MicroManufacturing from 1:30 to 5:30 (Course Number SC689).
Have a great holiday season, rest of 2014, and a great start to 2015!
I am always interested in hearing your thoughts concerning laser micromachining, the laser industry, comments on entrepreneurial endeavors, etc. AND … we are always looking for fresh, publishable material. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Ron Schaeffer
Ron Schaeffer, Ph.D., is a blogger and contributing editor, and a member of the Laser Focus World Editorial Advisory Board. He is an industry expert in the field of laser micromachining and was formerly Chief Executive Officer of PhotoMachining, Inc. He has been involved in laser manufacturing and materials processing for over 25 years, working in and starting small companies. He is an advisor and past member of the Board of Directors of the Laser Institute of America. He has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Lehigh University and did graduate work at the University of Paris. His book, Fundamentals of Laser Micromachining, is available from CRC Press.