AILU Workshop: Optics & Beam Delivery

Introduction

Chair: Bethan Smith (MTC)

Material processing applications such as cutting, drilling, welding, and surface structuring rely heavily on advanced beam delivery and control to achieve high productivity and consistent quality across metals, plastics, ceramics, glass, and other industrial materials. Innovations in optics for beam shaping, fiber-optic delivery, articulated arms, scanning heads, and welding and cutting heads have played a central role in enabling higher throughput, easier integration, improved reliability, and greater overall efficiency.

This workshop will feature presenters discussing recent developments in optical components, beam-shaping methods, and beam-delivery hardware—including galvo scanning heads, articulated arms, and processing heads for welding and cutting. These insights will be valuable to beam-delivery manufacturers, optics suppliers, system integrators, and end users of laser material processing, as well as researchers working to advance the field.

As well as listening to the presenters, there is plenty of time for networking with the other delegates and a handful of exhibitors. The meeting includes tea/coffee breaks and a buffet lunch.

Programme:

9:30 – 10:00 am Registration and Coffee

10:00 – 10:10  Welcome
Bethan Smith, MTC

10:10 – 10:30  Novel Optical Coating Techniques for High Power Laser Material Processing Applications
Samuel Thienel, Laser Components

10:30 – 10:50  Flexible mechanisms for free-space delivery of laser energy
Nick Clark, Alban Laser Systems

10:50 – 11:10  Title TBC
Ben Mills, University of Southampton

11.10 – 11.40  Tea & Coffee Break

11:40 – 12:00  Robust fiber launching to bring femtosecond laser to the next level
Gwenn Pallier, Cailabs

12:00 – 12:20  Agile Femtosecond Lasers for Precision Multi-Material Manufacturing
Nicolas Valero, Amplitude Laser: 

12:20 – 12:40  Innovative hollow core fibre beam delivery solutions for Ultrashort Pulsed Lasers
Benoît Beaudou, GLOphotonics

12.40 – 1.50 pm Lunch, Exhibitors and Networking

1:50 – 2:10  Beam Shaping for Advanced Laser Manufacturing
Andrea Geltrude, PowerPhotonic

2:10 – 2:30  Example applications in laser beam manipulation for micro-structuring of materials
Olivier Allegre, University of Manchester

2:30 – 2:50  Title TBC
Mustafa Coskun, IPG Photonics

2:50 – 3:20 Tea & Coffee Break

3:20 – 3:40  UK Laser Damage Assessment and IBD Coatings for High-Power Applications
Andrew Ritchie, BRL Laser Damage Ltd.

More speakers to be confirmed……