By: Andreas Brenner, Fraunhofer-Institute for Laser Technology and Fabian Kurzidim, Volkswagen AG Increasing demand for surface functionality Surface functionality is an increasing and crucial factor for the success and acceptance of a product. Through structured surfaces products can gain additional functions. In the automotive industry for example microstructures enable friction reduction in combustion engines or optimize […]
Conferences
Discover the Benefits of Public-Private Partnerships in Additive Manufacturing with America Makes at LAM 2018
Our Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM®) Conference is less than 2 months away. This annual event features a series of presentations from industry leaders that highlight the latest advancements in additive manufacturing technology, applications, policy, standards and training for a variety of industries. LAM 2018 is in Schaumburg, Illinois, and will be co-located with the Lasers […]
ICALEO 2017: Accepting the Challenge
By: Jim Naugle Held in the Sheraton® Atlanta Hotel, the 36th International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics (ICALEO®) once again brought together many of the best and brightest of laser and optics professionals to network. Scientists and scholars reviewed the state-of-the-art in laser materials processing and predicted where the future will lead. With […]
3D Printing of Conductive CNT-polymer Composite
By: Ying Liu, Wei Xiong, Lijia Jiang, Yunshen Zhou, Yongfeng Lu Advanced three-dimensional (3D) micro/nanofabrication of functional devices represents a key research topic in modern nanoscience and technology and is critically important to numerous scientific and industrial applications. Among various existing 3D micro/nanofabrication methods, two-photon polymerization (TPP) based on laser direct writing is regarded as […]
High Speed Creation of Antireflective Nano Periodic Surfaces via Picosecond Laser Surface Treatment
By: Yung Shin With the growing need for renewable energy sources, there is an increasing demand for cheap and high-efficiency solar cells. Although high-efficiency silicon solar cells with overall efficiencies higher than 25% [1] have been fabricated in laboratories, the high cost involved in manufacturing these high-efficiency devices makes their commercial use not yet practical. […]