In my last blog, I mentioned the new resource put out by SME titled Design for Advanced Manufacturing – Technologies and Processes, but I neglected to give an address where this book can be purchased. I have had a number of inquiries and I want to rectify that mistake—the book can be purchased through the Society for Manufacturing Engineers (SME) at www.sme.org/store. I also had a few of my numbers incorrect, so if anyone wants complete information on the SME, it can be found at www.sme.org.
I traveled around the Connecticut area last week, and it seems everyone I talked to is flat out. Friends tell me Sikorski (and/or some of their suppliers) is working mandatory overtime and recently received a very large order. I also heard that Textron is going gangbusters (helicopters and tanks, hmm...). In addition, ASML is adding a lot of additional capacity and opening a new building to handle all of the incoming business.
Orders in the semiconductor industry appear to be robust and I expect that unless there is a major event in the meantime, the SEMICON West 2017 show in July should be quite vibrant. This week, there is the SPIE Defense & Commercial Sensing show in Anaheim, CA, that I unfortunately did not attend, but I expect that it was quite successful with the expected increase in defense funding.
On a personal note, I have agreed to represent a German Company, LightFab, in the US to promote their products and services related to selective laser etching (SLE). I have written about this method of manufacturing before—it involves exposure of material like quartz and fused silica using femtosecond lasers, and then chemically etching the exposed areas. We will be presenting much more information on this topic in upcoming months.
Finally, TRUMPF is having a complimentary Lasers in Manufacturing Symposium on April 27, 2017, in Farmington, CT, where I will be giving a talk on femtosecond lasers and especially the SLE process. You can register for this seminar, which will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET, by contacting Stacey Mancarella at [email protected].
Also, be sure to remember these upcoming conferences: BIOMEDevice Boston on May 3-4, 2017, as well as Eastec (West Springfield, MA) and CLEO (San Jose, CA), both occurring during the week of May 15, 2017.
I am always interested in hearing your thoughts concerning laser micromachining, the laser industry, comments on entrepreneurial endeavors, etc. AND … we are always looking for fresh, publishable material. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
