Hydrogels made of silk protein have emerged as a promising platform for tissue engineering thanks to their transparency, which allows laser patterning deep below the material's surface. Silk protein is a soft biomaterial that supports cell growth and allows cells to penetrate deep within it. Researchers at Tufts University have demonstrated that femtosecond laser pulses with energies <2 nJ can be used to create 3D structures as small as 10 μm that facilitate the flow of oxygen and nutrients through the material. "Because the femtosecond laser pulses allow us to target...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESTunable Photosensitive Metamaterials Could Improve Elastic Wave ControlAn international team from the Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics, and Nanotechnology (IEMN), the Polytechnic University of Turin, Empa, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology...EuroPhotonics Winter 2020 IssueInverse, Mie Scattering Techniques Advance 3D Metamaterial DesignUsing an inverse design approach, a team led by researchers at the University of Washington designed and tested a 3D-printed metamaterial that can manipulate light with nanoscale precision. Though...Photonics Spectra December 2019 Issue3D Printer Uses Different Wavelengths to Print with MultimaterialsA new 3D printer, developed by a team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is using different patterns of visible and UV light to provide it with the spatial control necessary to produce...Photonics.com 3/18/20193D Printer Dissipates Heat With UV Light, StereolithographyNorthwestern University researchers have developed a stereolithographic 3D printer that can print an object the size of an adult human in just a couple of hours. Called HARP for high-area rapid...Photonics Spectra December 2019 IssuePRODUCTSComputational Modeling SoftwareThe nTop Platform 2.0 computational modeling software from nTopology Inc. enables engineers to simultaneously consider geometry, performance, and manufacturability within a single, reusable workflow....Photonics.com 12/6/2019UV-LED IlluminatorThe Model 3300 series of UV-LED Illuminators from Innovations in Optics Inc. are designed for digital light processing by pairing high-power UV-LED illuminators with precision drivers/controllers. ...Photonics Spectra February 2020 IssueGantries for 3D Print & Photonics ApplicationsGantries typically provide motion in 2 or 3 linear degrees of freedom (X-Y and X-Y-Z) and are often used for pick and place applications, 3D printing, laser machining, and welding applications. PI...Promoted Content June 2019 IssueScan SystemThe excelliSCAN 20 scan system from SCANLAB GmbH targets demanding applications such as micromachining and additive manufacturing. SCANahead servo control technology enables extra speed and...Photonics Spectra August 2019 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESLaser Safety: Important Considerations: Laser safety is nothing to scoff at; lasers can be hazardous. Enter Class 1 laser products — lasers that are so safe that the user doesn’t require specific laser safety training or protective eyewear. Some precautions still exist, though.When purchasing an industrial laser system, the astute buyer will look for a Class 1 laser product — a system where the laser beam hazard is completely enclosed and there is no potential laser...Photonics HandbookAspheric Lenses: Design Considerations: This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools optics designers need to tailor their designs to the appropriate manufacturing process and to optimize the cost of component fabrication.Aspheric surfaces are powerful tools that combine the optical corrections of multiple lenses into a single element (Figure 1) and affect performance in ways that spherical optics cannot. For example,...Photonics HandbookIndustrial Lasers: An Introduction to Process Qualification: The step from successfully demonstrating a new laser process on a limited number of samples under laboratory conditions, to scaling that process up for high-volume industrial use is a big one. In particular, it’s necessary to determine how variations in process parameters affect end results, so that acceptable process input and operating ranges can be determined.Materials processing with lasers is actually a broad term for a diverse range of applications. The major categories of these uses, and the lasers that service them, are summarized Table 1. At one...Photonics HandbookFiber Lasers: New Types and Features Expand Applications: Since its inception, the fiber laser has attracted users because of its large gain and the ability to produce continuous lasing. The quasi-continuous wave for industrial applications further broadens fiber lasers’ appeal.The modern fiber laser is pumped by high-power, multimode single-emitter diodes or diode bars, typically through a cladding surrounding a single-mode core. This single-mode core is typically 5 to 12...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSLinear Stages and Piezo Flexure Mechanisms Engineered to Advance Precision Motion ControlPart I: What Machine Builders want in a Precision Linear Motor Stage: Precision automation engineers have different requirements than their colleagues in the instrumentation sector: robustness, size,...Photonics.com 4/1/2019Industrial Laser Measurement Systems: Best PracticesWhen discussing laser applications, regardless of how the laser is used, it is imperative to understand how the laser is interacting with the material being processed. This article will detail why a...Photonics.com 2/3/2020How to Select Optimal Positioning Equipment for Laser Direct-Write ProcessesThis paper explains how to select optimal positioning equipment for laser direct write processes. Advanced manufacturing techniques, such as laser direct write of waveguides in mobile phone displays,...Photonics.com 5/27/2020Multi-line Lasers Simplify Biomedical ImagingThe introduction of multi-line lasers to fluorescence instrumentation provides a compact, easy-to-use, and service-free solution for integrating up to four laser wavelengths with reliable, stable...Photonics.com 11/13/2019WEBINARSGoing the Extra Mile with Contrast Optimization: A Practical Comparison of Micro-Imaging System OptimizationDesigning micro-imaging systems commonly used in robotic surgery and precision small-scale imaging used in the defense, industrial, and commercial industries requires calculation of the modulation...Photonics.com 3/28/2019Good, Better, Best: Pushing the Limit in Optical SpectroscopyThis webinar will present instruments and their respective uses for UV-VIS-NIR and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, some of the most commonly used analytical techniques prevalent in...Photonics.com 12/8/2020High-Power Diode Laser Solutions for Manufacturing ApplicationsDiode laser technology offers a broad range of performance, with unmatched scaling of wavelength, power, and beam format. It is also available in a wide selection of formats, from single emitters to...Photonics.com 10/9/2019The Future of Lasers: Two PerspectivesThe Future of Lasers: Two Perspectives brings together two expert viewpoints on the future of quantum cascade lasers, fiber lasers and next-generation solid-state lasers. Our Expert Panel: ...Photonics.com 6/21/2011PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSPhotoreactive AgentPhotoreactive Agent: Participates in a reaction only in the presence of light and radiant energy. Besides 3D printing, photoreactive agents also have an application in light therapy. By absorbing...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018diode-pumped solid-state laserA compact solid-state laser, referred to as DPSSL, created when a laser diode pumps light into either the sides or end of gain crystal. Depending on where the pumping occurs, high-quality and stable...EDU.photonics.com 10/18/2016laser sinteringCommonly known as 3D printing, this process can create three-dimensional parts by fusing small particles of powder. A CO2 laser is used to fuse the particles into a solid material. The laser can...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018computer-generated holographic scanner (CGHS)A phase reflection scanner that eliminates the need for a complex translation device while maintaining a high-energy-density level during laser materials processing. These devices direct and focus...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009MEDIAPhotonics on the Showroom Floor and in the Lab - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you on a brief tour of the Higgins Laboratories at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Quinsigamond Community College and WPI received a $4M grant...Photonics.com 2/21/2018Optics and Photonics at the Hub of the Industry - LIGHT MATTERS 10.2017Tune into this month's edition of Light Matters for some of the highlights from Optifab 2017, as distributors and buyers from all over the world met in the photonics industry hub of Rochester, New...Photonics.com 10/26/2017Light Matters Extra: Weird and Strange: Quantum Photonics - 03.2018In this month's Light Matters Extra, we take you to the Quantum Photonics Laboratory at MIT run by Dr. Dirk Englund. Dr. Englund's group, the Quantum Photonics Group, is made up of postdocs and...Photonics.com 3/29/2018Binding Light in Optics and Photonics - LIGHT MATTERS 11.2017Tune into this month's edition of Light Matters for 'Part 1' of an exclusive interview with SPIE CEO, Eugene Arthurs, as he speaks about his upcoming retirement. We’ll also take you to Rochester,...Photonics.com 11/17/2017PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESInGaAs Lasers3D Printing SystemsStereolithography ServicesDoubled YAG LasersCOMPANIESFOCtek Photonics Inc.FOCtek provides customers with all types of custom manufactured lenses, Precision Optical Components, Polarizing Optics, Prisms, Filters, Coatings, Optical Systems, Crystals, Nonlinear Crystals,...Photonics Buyers' GuideOhara Corporation, Western OfficeOhara manufactures precision optical glasses: strip/slab, cut/molded blanks, pressings, high homogeneity blanks, fine gobs, polished ball lenses, near-UV transmitting i-Line glass, ceramic...Photonics Buyers' GuideOZ Optics LimitedEstablished in 1985, OZ Optics is a leading worldwide supplier of fiber optic components, test equipment and sensors. OZ Optics manufactures its products in three locations, Ottawa (Canada),...Photonics Buyers' GuideFrankfurt Laser CompanyFrankfurt Laser Company (FLC) is a world-leading supplier of Fabry-Perot (FP), distributed feedback (DFB) and distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser diodes, SM individually addressable and...Photonics Buyers' Guide