Aachen, Germany – The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT will present a laser welding innovation, TransTWIST, at an upcoming trade fair. TransTWIST welds together two transparent joining parts without having to add any laser beam energy absorbers.

Minneapolis, Minn. – Productivity Inc., a machine tool distributor serving the upper Midwest, is now the exclusive U.S. distributor of Swiss Tec laser micromachining systems. Swiss Tec machines are high-end laser cutting machines, primarily focused on fine tube and sheet cutting with fiber laser, picosecond and femtosecond laser beam delivery.

Harderwijk, Netherlands – In a laser welding fixture, all welding seams should be clamped with a zero gap. To accomplish this, a hydraulic pusher is often used. Although this solution works well, the fact that it is hydraulic is a disadvantage in a laser welding fixture. Oil spills and the risk of fire due to sparks emitted during the welding process are always present.

Southampton, UK – SPI Lasers has announced that it will apply CE Marking on all redPOWER "R4" CW/M and redEnergy "G3" pulsed products after successfully completing a comprehensive program.

Leuven, Belgium – LayerWise is a company that focuses on selective laser melting (SLM), a powerful technology that shapes any desired metal part geometry by melting metal powder layer by layer. Using this digital approach, the optimum shape of complex circulation parts can be produced in a single manufacturing step. Such a part not only delivers better performance, but also is more reliable than the complicated assembly it replaces.

Milpitas, Calif. – JDSU has announced that it has collaborated with Amada, a manufacturer of machine tools for metal fabrication, to develop a new high-power 4 kW fiber laser. The fiber laser has been integrated into a new sheet metal cutting system that Amada plans to start selling to the Japanese market in May 2011, followed by a global market introduction in June 2011.

Fort Collins, Colo. – The demand for products and services from additive manufacturing technology has been strong over its 22-year history. The compound annual growth rate of revenues produced by all products and services over this period is 26.4%, according to Wohlers Report 2010.

East Granby, Conn. – Joining Technologies Inc. has announced that it has established the Thomas A. Edison Award for Technology Innovation, which will be awarded periodically to vested associates of Joining Technologies and affiliate companies. The award focuses on young engineers and inventors who develop technology that has a significant influence on the industry in which it is deployed.

Monrovia, Calif. – Miyachi Unitek Corporation, a leading manufacturer of welding equipment and systems, announces that it will sponsor an online webcast on fiber laser welding, covering the technology’s capability and application opportunities. The webcast will be hosted by Industrial Laser Solutions For Manufacturing® on August 24, 2010, at 1 p.m. CST.

Woodinville, Wash. –  Sportworks, a contract manufacturing and value engineering company, announced it will make its Mazak SpaceGear U44 3D laser cutter available to U.S. Pacific Northwest businesses.