There is a lot of variety in photonics,
and the Laser World of Photonics trade fair and World of Photonics Congress, to
be held concurrently from May 23 to 26 at New Munich Trade Fair Centre, will cover
the full spectrum of technologies. Industry and science experts will present the
latest advances and applications, demonstrating key enabling technologies from all
sectors.
Laser Munich has been held every other year since 1973; the 2009
show attracted 1034 exhibitors and 25,365 visitors. Its sister event, Laser World
of Photonics China, takes place in Shanghai each March.
“Due to the close connection between industry and research
at an international level, and the fact that Laser World of Photonics covers the
entire spectrum of optical technologies from components and systems through to application
areas, we offer unique advantages,” said Claudia Sixl, project group leader
for Laser World of Photonics at Messe München. “These advantages have
become indispensable in a tough competitive environment, with which our customers
are now faced.”
Laser World of Photonics will be held this month at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. Photonics Media photo by Melinda Rose.
Traditionally, the focus of Laser Munich has been lasers and laser
systems for manufacturing, attracting visitors from industries ranging from automobile
manufacturing to mechanical engineering, from microproduction to toolmaking, from
the aerospace industry to the photovoltaics industry, and from the electronics industry
and beyond.
Lasers for manufacturing will still be a large part of the trade
fair and will be joined by focus areas in green photonics, biophotonics and the
life sciences, and security and defense.
Manufacturing
Conventional lasers will be on display this year as will new ultrashort
picosecond and femtosecond pulsed lasers. The performance and the robust design
of these lasers are broadening industry applications, from cutting wafers and composite
fiber materials to microstructuring of surfaces and precise drilling. Picosecond
lasers also are used in the printing industry to produce print cylinders, in toolmaking
and in glass processing to produce touch displays.
“Ultrashort-pulsed lasers have the potential to replace
traditional production processes for cutting, drilling and material removing in
many areas,” said Dr. Sascha Weiler, micromachining product manager at Trumpf
Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH of Ditzengen, Germany. “However, they also permit
entirely new applications which have not been conceivable to date. Ultrashort-pulsed
lasers are very efficient because the energy has an effect in exactly the place
where it should, without heat or any other influences on the surrounding area. The
process is therefore especially suitable for fine machining operations and sensitive
materials.”
Next-generation ultrashort femtosecond pulsed lasers are now reaching
market maturity. Beam output power up to 10 W is making possible applications such
as exact microstructuring and nanostructuring of thin-film solar cells. The Fraunhofer
Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) of Jena, Germany, will
demonstrate a femtosecond laser with an average output of 830 W and discuss its
application to materials processing, and many other companies and institutions will
offer insights into their picosecond and femtosecond lasers.
A special show called “Photons in Production,” presented
jointly by Bayerisches Laserzentrum GmbH of Erlangen and by the Institute for Machine
Tools and Industrial Management of the Technical University of Munich, will showcase
practical applications of photonics in manufacturing; Green Solutions will be another
part of this show and will feature manufacturing processes for modern power sources
and energy-storage devices. Other topics will include the newest laser applications
in automobile manufacturing and microtechnical applications in electronics.
A live demonstration will show how a pulsed beam source can be
used in laser welding of dissimilar materials; for example, in interconnecting battery
cells to make modern battery packs for electric vehicles. Another live demonstration
will show laser-assisted milling, in which a laser beam heats the workpiece at the
milling point, making material removal easier, reducing milling tool wear and tear,
and prolonging service life.
The Lasers in Manufacturing Conference, part of the World of Photonics
Congress technical program, will examine nano-, micro- and macro-process engineering,
process optimization and system technology. Practical talks called “Production
Optimization” will build bridges across the fields of industry, research and
science, presenting the latest techniques for lightweight construction and describing
new metal and plastic processing methods.
With its focus on applications, the trade fair aims to bring industry and science together. Courtesy of Messe München GmbH.
The laser portion of the trade fair will be rounded out by an
overview of the industrial laser technology markets in the 10th International Laser
Marketplace. This one-day seminar will address the global laser marketplace and
major regional markets and will feature the viewpoints of a range of international
experts on markets, trends, new applications and emerging technologies. More than
300 visitors participated in the Lasers in Manufacturing conference in 2009.
Security and defense
Lasers, sensors, imaging, optics and optomechanics are so important
to security products and developments – from terahertz technology to biometric
techniques, from thermal imaging cameras to night-vision equipment and warning systems
– and these will be on display at Laser Munich, along with the components
and processes that enable them. This year, for the first time, security and defense
applications will be presented at the trade fair as a separate focus topic, in recognition
of the sector’s ongoing expansion.
“The ‘asymmetric’ threat, which has been noticeable
for many years, is forcing security and defense firms to examine new scenarios,”
said Johannes Dumanski of security and space travel photonics component manufacturer
Qioptiq Photonics GmbH & Co. KG in Göttingen, Germany. “This is necessary
both in preventive and reactive terms. In order to cope more easily with the tasks,
greater use is being made of optical products and technologies both within the meaning
of cross-sectional improvement of equipment standards and in regard to technical
specialization.”
In the exhibition, manufacturers of civil and military security
systems – plus raw materials suppliers, and systems and plant manufacturers
– will show applications used for monitoring and recognizing objects and people,
detecting hazardous substances or optimizing production processes. New products
this year will include SWIR (short-wave infrared) cameras as well as the latest
night-vision and thermal imaging devices.
“The new laser night sight brighteners in Laser Class 1
give our police officers much more security during operations at night,” said
David Heckner of Laserluchs GmbH of Koblenz, Germany. “Based on the high wavelength
of around 1000 nm, the laser beam is completely invisible to the normal observer.
However, it illuminates a cone with a diameter of 26 meters for clear recognition
at a distance of 1000 meters.”
Fiber optic sensor systems for optical and photoacoustic motion
detectors – as well as the laser used in those systems – also will be
highlighted. “The present and future extent of these security-related markets
will produce additional growth potential for our industrial fiber laser products
in the sensing sector,” said Jakob Skov, managing director of NKT Photonics
A/S of Birkerød, Denmark.
Green photonics
Topics in the green sector will include photonics for energy and
the environment, from photovoltaics to lighting, and from the use of renewable energy
sources to increasing energy efficiency and environmental protection.
Innovative laser manufacturing methods for photovoltaics are on
the agenda. Laser technology has been incorporated into processes such as materials
removal, fusion, soldering, welding and drilling, and lasers have become indispensable
tools for thin-film solar cell manufacturing.
As with security and lasers in manufacturing, green photonics
will be a large focus of the exhibition; companies and research institutes will
complement the exhibition by offering detailed information on production and machining
methods and by presenting new findings from applied research.
Biophotonics
Another important focus topic will be biophotonics and life sciences.
A large number of innovations in medicine and life sciences would be impossible
without optical technologies. During the trade fair, research institutes and companies
will present the new applications, methods and processes in biophotonics. The Biophotonics
Forum and the European Conferences on Biomedical Optics (ECBO) also will show current
achievements and future possibilities.
World of Photonics Congress
The World of Photonics Congress, organized with the cooperation
of global photonics organizations, will begin May 22, a day ahead of the trade fair.
The World of Photonics Congress conferences include CLEO/Europe-EQEC, organized
by the European Physical Society (EPS); Optofluidics and Manufacturing of Optical
Components, organized by the European Optical Society (EOS); Lasers in Manufacturing,
organized by the Scientific Laser Society (WLT); European Conference on Biomedical
Optics, organized by SPIE and the Optical Society of America; Optical Metrology,
organized by SPIE Europe; and the Application Panels, forums on practical applications
of lasers and photonics, organized by Messe München.
The Application Panels will consist of practice-oriented user
presentations in the exhibition halls on the latest topics, challenges and solutions
in laser manufacturing. In 2009, some 1290 participants attended the application-oriented
lecture series. Sample topics this year include lasers for photovoltaics, rapid
manufacturing, and use of high-brilliance beam sources.
Other associated events will be the Talking Trends photonics forums,
featuring exhibitor presentations and application panels on biophotonics, optical
technologies and lasers for production engineering; the CEO Roundtable, a panel
discussion with company leaders; an exhibit offering an overview of new and innovative
companies from Germany; and a career center, at which Messe München and the
wirth + partner Consulting Group will provide free coaching sessions as well as
information about concrete job, training and apprenticeship openings.
Application Panels
Lasers and Laser Systems for Production Engineering
• Panel: Energy & Lightweight Construction: Laser Enables Productivity & Quality - Chairmen: Dipl.-Ing. Rüdiger Daub, the Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management of the Technical University of Munich, and Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Florian Albert, Bayerisches Laserzentrum GmbH.
• Panel: Photovoltaics and Lasers - Chairmen: Dr. Ulrich Hefter, Rofin-Sinar Laser
GmbH, and Dr.-Ing. Arnold Gillner, Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology.
• Panel: Latest Laser Applications in Automotive Industry - Chairmen: Dr. Rüdiger Brockmann, Trumpf Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH, and Dipl.-Ing. Michael Ruther, Daimler AG.
• Panel: Laser Applications in Microelectronics - Chairmen: Dr. Dietmar Kracht, Laser Zentrum
Hannover, and Dipl.-Ing. Rainer Pätzel, Coherent GmbH.
• Panel: Advanced Applications of High-Brightness and Ultra-Short Pulsed Laser Systems - Chairmen: Dr. Sascha Weiler and Christof Siebert, both of Trumpf Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH.
Optical Technologies
• Panel: Beam Shaping and Delivery: Optical Systems Between Laser Source and Workpiece - Chairmen: Dr. Lutz Aschke, Limo Lissotschenko Mikrooptik GmbH, and Dr. Herbert Gross, Carl Zeiss AG.
• Panel: Solid State Lasers – Novel Developments - Chairmen: Prof. Dr. Andreas Tünnermann, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF), and Dr.
Friedrich Bachmann, Lumera Laser GmbH.
• Panel: Solid State Lighting - Chairmen: Dr. Andreas Bräuer, Fraunhofer
Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF), and Dr. Berit Wessler,
Osram GmbH.
• Panel: Optical Aspects of Soldier Modernisation - Chairmen: David Marks and Dr. Mario Ledig, both of Qioptiq GmbH & Co. KG.
Biophotonics and Life Sciences
• Panel: Lasers for Analytical Bioinstrumentation and Bioimaging - Chairmen: Dr. Arnd Krueger, Newport Spectra-Physics, and Dr. Thomas Renner, Toptica Photonics AG.
• Panel: Biophotonic & Life Sciences, Diagnostic and Therapy in Medicine - Chairmen: Dr. Ronald Sroka, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Laboratoriumsmedizin (DGLM) & LFL, and Dr. med. Carsten M. Philipp, DGLM.
• Panel: Visions for Future Diagnostics: Oncology - Chairmen: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp, the Institute of Photonics Technology & Institute of Physical Chemistry, Jena University,
and Prof. Dr. Katarina Svanberg, Department of Oncology, Lund University.
• Panel: Visions for Future Diagnostics: Infectious Diseases - Chairmen: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp, the Institute of Photonics Technology & Institute of Physical Chemistry, Jena University,
and Prof. Dr. Michael Bauer, Clinic for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine,
Friedrich Schiller University, Jena.