Whether cutting, welding, or converting glass, laser technology continues to expand its materials-processing capabilities.JAMES SCHLETT, CONTRIBUTING EDITOROn Feb. 6, 2016, researchers from the University of Southampton Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) presented UNESCO with a small glass disc during the closing ceremony of the Year of Light. At the center of the disc was a dot measuring 1 mm in diameter. Within that dot was a nanostructure, created with ultrashort light pulses, that stored the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Laser processing tools are carving out a bigger role in cutting and welding glass in a variety of applications, including consumer electronics and automotive interiors. 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