Advances in processing, lower costs and improved performance could soon move 3D printing from prototyping to commercial production of aerospace and medical components.HANK HOGAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, [email protected]For additive manufacturing, aka 3D printing, 2016 could be a very good year. Some big names are entering the field, advances promise better processing and signs point to movement into the mainstream. At the same time, the industry is working on developing standards while continuing to lower cost and improve performance — thereby addressing issues that have hindered adoption of additive manufacturing. Nine parts additively manufactured on a single sub plate, ready for final subtractive manufacturing via traditional milling, grinding and so on. Photo courtesy of Georg Fisher Machine...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESContinuous-Wave Diodes Shrink Size, Cost of 3D Laser PrintersCompact desktop printers could soon take the place of big, expensive laser printers for printing 3D micro- and nanostructures. A two-step 3D-printing process, invented by researchers at Karlsruhe...Photonics Spectra March 2022 IssueLasers and LEDs Layer on New Capabilities for Additive ManufacturingAdditive manufacturing, aka 3D printing, offers an alternative to conventional manufacturing and assembly methods by building products layer by layer. In addition to enabling heretofore impossible...Photonics Spectra February 2021 IssueLaser Process Prints Defect-free Custom Alloy PartsA study from a Texas A&M University research team could make it easier to print uniform, defect-free parts using the laser bed powder fusion 3D-printing technique with metal alloys. The...Photonics Spectra December 2021 IssueFraunhofer ILT Begins Work to Standardize 3D PrintingIn cooperation with ASTM International (a nongovernmental standardization organization), the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (Fraunhofer ILT) has begun work to standardize the monitoring of...Photonics.com 7/23/2021PRODUCTSLaser-based Specimen PreparationmicroPREP™ PRO is 3D-Micromac‘s laser-based sample preparation system, that provides smart sample preparation processes for a variety of specimen preparation applications. With its...Promoted Content July 2021 IssueLinear Positioning StageThe LMS-XY linear positioning stage from Bold Laser Automation Inc. is an industrialized aluminum device suited for high-volume, high-speed precision ablation and cutting applications. The...Photonics.com 12/2/2021Handheld Barcode ReadersThe DataMan® 8700 series of handheld barcode readers from Cognex Corp. does not require tuning or operator training. With advanced image formation and quick processing, the 8700 series can...Photonics.com 5/6/2021HDMI to SDI ConverterThe NA1012B-ET HDMI to SDI converter from AIVION features a board-to-board connector. With an extended temperature range from -40° to +85 °C, the device is designed for applications...Photonics.com 4/1/2021PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESFiber Lasers Continuing to Power Growth: Powerful, reliable, and compact, fiber lasers further offer the versatility to address a multitude of applications spanning a broad array of industries, and their potential continues to grow.Early fiber lasers were inefficient and limited to low powers, until more effective methods emerged to deliver the pump light into the cladding. Valentin Gapontsev, founder and CEO of IPG Photonics,...Photonics HandbookBeam Diagnostics: Meeting the Need for High Quality: Whether the application is scientific, commercial, industrial or medical, beam diagnostics has become an integral tool for users and manufacturers of lasers and laser-based systems. There is an increasing need to achieve, monitor and maintain higher quality beam characteristics to meet the demands of more sophisticated laser designs and tighter laser process tolerances.For any discussion of laser beam diagnostics, it is first necessary to define some terms that characterize beam properties. Broad definitions can include measurements of laser energy or power,...Photonics HandbookIntegrating Spheres: Collecting and Uniformly Distributing Light: The integrating sphere is a simple, yet often misunderstood, device for measuring optical radiation.An integrating sphere’s function is to spatially integrate radiant flux (light). However, before one can optimize a sphere design for a particular application, it is important to understand how...Photonics HandbookPolarization-Based Imaging: Basics and Benefits: With spatial correction, line scan polarization cameras detect birefringence, stress, surface roughness, and physical properties that cannot be detected with conventional imaging.There are three fundamental properties of light: intensity, wavelength, and polarization. Almost all cameras today are designed for monochrome or color imaging. A monochrome camera is used to measure...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSPreparing TEM Specimens and Atom Probe Tips by Laser MachiningPreparation of electron-transparent thin specimens can be costly in terms of time and is often challenging. Laser processing is an effective method for rapidly removing significant volumes of...Photonics.com 7/1/2021Manufacturing Equipment for Photonics ComponentsAs products get smaller, the impact on manufacturing is significant, increasing the challenge to stay efficient and cost effective. Micro molding and lithography add multiple steps, long wait times...Photonics.com 4/6/2021OE Products for Pharmaceutical & Medical IndustriesWe offer imaging components tailored for a wide variety of pharmaceutical quality control needs: standard and special lenses, lighting, cameras, controllers, and machine vision software.Photonics.com 2/26/2021SWIR Application - MicroscopyExplore how SWIR cameras, particularly NIT HiPe SenS, bring benefits for low light and long exposure time. Applications include Microscopy, Biomedical Imaging, and Semiconductor Inspection.Photonics.com 9/21/2020WEBINARSEuropean Photonics Manufacturing Services Funded by ECThis event is supported by the European initiatives presented and is moderated by EPIC, the European Photonics Industry Consortium. The European Commission is helping companies access the...Photonics.com 6/30/2021Next Generation 3D Printing: The Emergence of Enabling MaterialsThree-dimensional printing technology has the potential to eventually dissolve the boundaries between traditional manufacturing and the end user, who until now has only used objects generated by...Photonics.com 11/15/2017Veterinary Applications of OCT for Cancer Surgery in Dogs and CatsSurgery is a common cancer treatment performed in dogs and cats. Complete tumor removal results in lower recurrence rates and increased survival. The tumor is assessed after surgery using...Photonics.com 1/22/2021Biophotonic Imaging for Medicine: A Digital ConferenceResearchers from around the world presented their latest work at “Biophotonic Imaging for Medicine: A Digital Conference.” Presentations focused on a range of light-based imaging and...Photonics.com 6/11/2015PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMStwo-photon polymerizationAn additive fabrication technique, referred to as TPP, used to make 3D microstructures with submicron feature sizes by using a near-infrared (NIR) emission that excites a photosensitive resin,...EDU.photonics.com 6/30/2017holographic crystal growth analysisThe study of crystal growth from the molten stage utilizing a holographic system wherein interferometric techniques record detailed and measurable elements of crystal microstructure. In this way, the...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS)The investigation of microstructures by an instrument that generates a narrow, highly collimated beam of x-rays.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009distortionA general term referring to the situation in which an image is not a true-to-scale reproduction of an object. The term also is used to connote the temporal alteration of the signal's waveform shape....EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIAVirtual tour at SCANLAB - Home of high-performance scan systems 'Made in Germany'Visit SCANLAB virtually and see how high precision scan systems are manufactured - from research and development until shipment. SCANLAB has been developing and producing galvanometer scanners and...Photonics.com 9/25/2018Light Tomorrow with TodayLuminate NY, the only optics, photonics and imaging (OPI) accelerator and investment fund in the world, announced the final winners at the Light Tomorrow with Today event in Rochester, NY. For the...Photonics.com 7/2/2018Fluosil® Fused Silica – High Performance for your Industrial Applications - Heraeus QuarzglasEnabling New Laser Applications with Fused Silica Fibers: Fused silica is the material of choice due to its low absorption (low loss) and high damage threshold, enabling new applications like surface...Photonics.com 5/4/2022Directed Energy Arrays — And Nematodes in Space Part II — With Philip Lubin and Joel RothmanBuilding on the first episode of the season, University of California, Santa Barbara scientists Philip Lubin and Joel Rothman discuss Project Starlight, a NASA project that intends to send...Photonics.com 3/1/2022PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESMicroscopy NanotechnologyNanotechnology Imaging SystemsOptical Thin-Film Analysis ServicesOptical Thin-Film Design ServicesCOMPANIESIncom Inc.Incom is known as the world’s largest supplier of fused fiber optics solutions. We enable innovation in the medical, scientific, display, and defense industries. Combining the most progressive...Photonics Buyers' GuideLaCroix Precision OpticsOptics that Defend, Build, Cure and Discover The LaCroix name is synonymous with quality precision optics. Since 1947, three generations of family leadership have placed LaCroix Precision Optics...Photonics Buyers' GuideAccess OpticsPhotonics Buyers' GuideDiverse Optics Inc.Diverse Optics transforms optical systems from expensive, heavy, and complicated to commercially viable, lightweight, and simple. We manufacture custom precision polymer optic components and...Photonics Buyers' Guide