Aresponsibility of the laser safetyofficer (LSO) is to perform laseraudits. The American National

Standard Z136.1 Safe Use of Lasers referencesthis requirement through several sections. Onesuch reference is Section 1.3.2.8, SafetyFeatures Audits, “The LSO shall ensure that thesafety features of the laser installation facilitiesand laser equipment are audited periodically toassure proper operation.” The composition, fre-quency and rigor of that inspection/audit restsin the hands of the LSO. A common practice forinstitutions is to develop laser audit checklistsor survey forms.

It is common for audit findings from oneinspector or inspection to the next to vary evenwhen reviewing the same material. How oftenhas one heard a comment, “Well this area hasbeen inspected several times over the years and

no one ever said this or that was a problembefore!”

A great number of audit items and thereforefindings are subjective because they are basedon the experience and interest of the auditor toparticular items on the checklist. Beam blockusage, to one set of eyes might be completelyadequate, while to another, inadequate. In orderto provide consistency, the Laser Safety Officeof the National Ignition Facility Directorate hasestablished criteria for a number of items foundon the typical laser safety audit form.

The criteria are distributed to laser users. Itserves two broad purposes; first, it gives theuser an expectation of what will be reviewed byan auditor. Second, it is an opportunity toexplain audit items to the laser user and thusthe reasons for some of these items, such as

July/August 2005

LIA TODAYLIA TODAYThe Official Newsletter of the Laser Institute of America

The professional society dedicated to fostering lasers, laser applications, and laser safety worldwide.

13501 Ingenuity Drive, Suite 128; Orlando, FL 32826 Phone: 407.380.1553 Fax: 407.380.5588http://www.laserinstitute.org

Volume 13, Number 4

(Cont. on pg. 6, see Inspection)

World’s First UV ‘Ruler’Sizes Up Atomic World

The world’s most accurate“ruler” made with extremeultraviolet light has been builtand demonstrated with ultra-fast laser pulses by scientistsat JILA, a joint institute of theNational Institute ofStandards and Technology(NIST) and the University ofColorado at Boulder. The newdevice consistently generatespulses of light lasting justfemtoseconds (quadrillionthsof a second, or millionths of abillionth of a second) in theultraviolet region of the elec-tromagnetic spectrum.

The device is expected tobecome an important tool forultra-precise measurements inmany fields of science,including chemistry, physicsand astronomy. A ruler madewith shorter wavelengths oflight makes it possible to“see” more precise differ-ences than ever before in theenergy levels of light emis-sions that identify specificatoms, in the timing of chem-ical reactions, or, if additionalapplications are developed, in

InThe News...

Laser Safety Inspection Criteria

(Cont. on pg. 10, see In The News…)

LIA Offers Laser Safety Auditing for Medical Facilities

The Laser Institute of America (LIA)is pleased to offerLaser Safety

Auditing for MedicalFacilities. This auditinghelps health care facilities bein compliance with the ANSIZ136.3-2005 Safe Use ofLasers in Health CareFacilities laser safety stan-dard, and can also help withbecoming compliant/ pre-pared for JCAHO andOSHA inspections.

According to the Z136.3, “A laser safety

audit of the facility and personnel safety fea-tures and equipment safety featuresshall be conducted and documentedunder the supervision of the LSO (lasersafety officer). The frequency shall bedetermined by the LSO (recommendedannual inspection).” LIA will reviewall aspects of a company’s laser pro-gram – current laser policies and proce-dures, laser documentation, preventa-tive maintenance procedures for laserequipment, training records, and more. Each facility that has an audit will

receive an ANSI Z136.1 (2000) Safe Use of

(Cont. on pg. 8 see Auditing)

by Ken Barat, CLSO

Editor-in-Chief..................Peter Baker

Managing Editor...................Kris Stell

Contributing Editor ..............Jack Dyer

Copy Editor ..................Barbara Sams

Copy Editor......................Anja Selnau

Editorial Staff

LIA TODAYLIA TODAY

July/August 2005 2

Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the professionalsociety dedicated to fostering lasers, laser applications and

laser safety worldwide. LIA is the secretariat and publisher ofthe ANSI Z136 series of laser safety standards, and is a leadingprovider of laser safety education.

LIA offers educational programs, conferences and sym-posia on the applications of lasers and electro-optics. LIA’sannual International Congress on Applications of Lasers &Electro-Optics (ICALEO®) features the world’s foremost meet-ing on laser materials processing. The biennial InternationalLaser Safety Conference (ILSC®) covers all aspects of lasersafety practice and hazard control.

If you would like more information about the LIA, call407.380.1553, 1.800.34.LASER or visit our home on the Web:www.laserinstitute.org.

LIALIA TTODAODAYYThe Official Newsletter of the Laser Institute of America

LIA TODAY is published bimonthly and strives to educateand inform laser professionals on laser safety and new trendsrelated to laser technology. LIA members receive a free sub-scription to LIA TODAY and the Journal of Laser Applications®,

in addition to discounts on all LIA products and services.The editors of LIA TODAY welcome input from their readers.

Please submit news-related releases, articles of general interest andletters to the editor. Mail us at LIA TODAY, 13501 Ingenuity Drive,Suite 128, Orlando, FL 32826, fax 407.380.5588, or send materialby e-mail to lia@laserinstitute.org.

If you are interested in affordable advertising space in thisnewsletter or a subscription, please contact Jim Naugle at407.380.1553 or 1.800.34.LASER.

Volume 13, Number 4 July/August 2005

IN THIS ISSUE...

Features

Depar tmentsIn The News..............................1

Calendar of Events....................2President’s Message..................5

Executive Director’s Message ....................................5

Welcome New Members........11

ASC Update ............................13

Members In Motion................13

Member Innovations ..............14

JLA Update ............................15

LIA Announces ......................15

For a complete list of LIA corporate members, visit our corporate directory online at www.laserinstitute.org.

Adver tisersFabTech ....................................9

Kentek........................................4

Laser Focus World ................13

ICALEO..................................16

Lee Laser ................................15

Photonics Spectra ..................11

Precitec ....................................10

Rockwell Industries................12

Spiricon....................................14

Trinity Technologies ................7

Wilson Industries ......................3

Contact LIA for information onany of the above advertisers.

President – William Clark,Clark-MXR, Inc.

President-Elect – Joseph O’Brien, Trinity Technologies, LLC

Past-President – Edward Metzbower, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Secretary – Nathaniel Quick,AppliCote Associates, LLC

Treasurer – Rajesh Patel, 3 R&MConsulting Services

2005 LIA Officers

LIA’s Calendar of EventsFor more information contact LIA at 1.800.34.LASER

or visit www.laserinstitute.org

Laser Safety Officer TrainingSept. 26-30, 2005 • Portland, OR

Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 2005 • Phoenix, AZDec. 5-9, 2005 • Orlando, FLFeb. 6-10, 2006 • Orlando, FL

Mar. 27-31, 2006 • St. Louis, MO

Medical Laser Safety Officer TrainingSept. 23-24, 2005 • St. Louis, MONov. 11-12, 2005 • Phoenix, AZJan. 27-28, 2006 • Tampa, FL

Feb. 10-11, 2006 • Portland, OR

Applied Laser SafetyAug. 16-17, 2005 • Orlando, FL

Fundamentals of Laser SafetyNov. 15-16, 2005 • San Francisco, CA

ICALEO® 2005Oct. 31-Nov. 3 • Miami, FL

PICALO 2006April 3-5 • Melbourne, Australia

Laser Safety Inspection Criteria ......................................1

LIA Offers Laser SafetyAuditing for Medical Facilities ..................................1

Wordie Parr Passes ..................8

LIA Executive Director VisitsCorporate Member SPI ..........10

LIA TODAY

July/August 20053

w w w . w i l s o n i n d u s t r i e s . c o m • E - m a i l : i n f o @ w i l s o n i n d u s t r i e s . c o m

123 Explorer Street, Pomona, CA 91768Tel: 909/468-3636 Tol l Free: 800/423-4277 Fax: 909/468-3640Q U A L I T Y S A F E T Y P R O D U C T S

WILSON’S COMPLETE LASER PROTECTION

Wilson offers One-Stop-Shopping for all your laser protection needs.

Of course, the Flagship of theWilson line is the Laz-R-Barrier(r)— superior to all other laser curtains.

That’s because Laz-R-Barrier(r)protection curtains contain reflectivelaser radiation and broadband opticalradiation from laser plumes. Thesecurtains protect against accidentaland chronic eye and skin irritation thatcan result from exposure to reflectivelaser beams.

Laz-R-Barrier is flexible, drapableand can be fabricated in most curtainsizes and shapes. When supported onWilson’s easy rolling track framework,the curtains are compatible with inter-locking circuits

Wilson also offers a variety ofLaser Eyewear, designed foradded protection for both operators

and those nearby. This fine qualityEyewear prevents eye injury fromerrant laser beams.

No matter what your needs may be, Wilson has the product line to fulfill your Industrial and Medical laser safety requirements.

Whether it’s Optical Table Barriers, Roller Shades, Window Shades, Beam Stops, Signs, Illuminated Signs or Door Stops,

Wilson has it all.

As everyone in the galaxy knows by now, the final StarWars movie “Revenge of the Sith” is in movie the-aters. My teenage son, Scott, was counting the days

and hours until the release, so May 18th found me attending themidnight show dressed as Count Dooku accompanied by a car fullof teenagers dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader and so on.This, in turn, led to my few moments of fame when I was a finalistin the best costume contest, people wanted their photo taken withme including the winner “Darth Maul” (below) who is a NASAengineer, and I was interviewed on the 10 p.m. news.

My fame was fleeting, however, as my character in the moviewas decapitated in the first reel!

So it is back to my day job. I went off to Laser 2005 inMunich to attend the LIM Conference chaired by LIA PastPresident Eckhard Beyer, then visited with ICALEO® EducationChair Bill O’Neill in Cambridge and ICALEO® LMP Chair TonyHoult and SPI’s Vice President of Sales John Tinson inSouthampton (see article page 10).

Very interesting, very educational and more endur-ing than my short career as a celebrity!

LIA TODAY

July/August 20055

Executive Director’s Message

Famous for a Moment

LIA Executive Director Peter Bakera.ka. Count Dooku with new friendDarth Maul.

Ihad the pleasure of traveling with 16other individuals from around theworld on a “Lasers in Manufacturing”

tour in Germany prior to the Laser ’05 Showin Munich. Prof. Dr. Eckhard Beyer, directorof the Fraunhofer-Institut IWS in Dresden,Germany, arranged the three-day tour. Itbegan with a tour of the IWS facility followedby a bus tour of Dresden and a very excellentdinner in a local restaurant ably hosted byProfessor Beyer. It was a truly excellent startto a very enjoyable tour of three of the mainlaser-based R&D facilities in Germanyincluding LZH in Hanover and IFSW inStuttgart.

For those readers (like myself) who haveonly a passing familiarity with the FraunhoferInstitute, there are 57 Fraunhofer Institutes –most located in Germany with a few in theU.S. Founded in 1949, the FraunhoferInstitutes are chartered to “bridge the gapbetween research and industry” – an almostDARPA-like philosophy except that the focus

is on what benefits industry rather than themilitary. Combined “turnover” exceeds onebillion euros a year. The work product is notsolely a report. Rather a project is consideredsuccessful when it results in a solution thatmakes money for the industrial partner.

I spent the week following this tour at theLaser ’05 Conference and Exhibit in Munich,Germany. I was astounded at the size andvibrancy of this event. The exhibit itselfseemed twice as big as Photonics West andthree times the size of CLEO. I have notexperienced as dynamic and positive a confer-ence/exhibit since the boon days of telecomand OFC.

I’m left to wonder if there is a connectionbetween the governmental foresight that leadto the creation of entities like the FraunhoferInstitutes and the excitement that per-meated Laser ’05.

LIA President Bill Clark

President’s Message

LIA TODAY

July/August 2005 6

Inspection , cont. from pg. 1

labeling of beam blocks.The following are some

examples from the audit crite-ria handout.

Safety DocumentationInterlock Log: Checks

need to be current; that is onecheck per quarter (no morethan 90 days between checksis the goal). These checks aregenerally an operational per-formance. For complex sys-tems a written procedure isrequired for the tester to fol-low and note problems. Thepreference is for all labs to fol-low a written procedure. Thisassures consistency betweenchecks regardless of who inthe lab performs the check. Ifproblems are noted, follow upaction and documentation ofresolution is required.

Alignment Procedure: Ata minimum, there should begeneral laser alignment guid-ance (contact the NIF LSO fora copy). Whenever possible,laser use specific alignmentprocedures should be devel-oped for the different laseractivities. System start up pro-cedures could be consideredpart of this.

Posting & Labeling Hazard Communication

poster: Laser hazards need tobe on the Hazard Communica-tion poster. Check the posterto see that it represents all haz-ards in the room, not just yourwork.

Laser sign: Laser useareas (Class 3B or Class 4lasers) are required to be post-ed with a laser warning sign.The sign should accuratelyconvey the wavelengths in useand any laser protective eye-wear requirements. The signneeds to be on all accessibleentrances to the laser use area.

Emergency Contact:Many lab doors have emer-gency contact information

posted. It must be readableand accurate.

Beam EnclosuresThe goal is to contain the

laser beam and any stray radi-ation to the optical table orintended use area. Enclosuresthat confine the beam are oneof the best methods to accom-plish this. This means individ-ual portions of the laser beamcan be contained as in a beamtube, or containment can be ofthe optical set up, by means ofa barrier around the entiretable or portions of it. Thisbarrier can be several incheshigher than the intended beampath, open or closed at the top,or panels several feet highenclosing the entire table.

Total enclosure: This isthe preferred but not alwayspossible method. Panels canbe labeled with an interlockedor non-interlocked warninglabel(s).

Totally open: While notpreferred, in some cases itmaybe the only workableoption. In such a case, use ofproperly placed beam blocks iscritical to safety. A check forstray reflections is requiredafter each alignment or beammanipulation.

Combination: In somecases beams will not be totallyopen or totally enclosed but attimes a combination of both. Acombination approach isacceptable.

Perimeter guard: It mustbe of sufficient height abovethe intended beam height toprevent a likely stray reflec-tion from rising above theguard. One concern is upwardangled beam splitters.

Beam tubes: For open dis-tances between optics over 2feet it is recommended beamtubes be employed. The tubeneed not be of a materialopaque to the laser radiation, itis preferred. Keeping hands out

of the beam is the major goal.

Protective EyewearLaser protective eyewear is

a critical part of laser safetyfor the individual. Chiefly, itrelies on the user to wear theproper eyewear and take carenot to abuse the eyewear. Alllaser users need to know theyhave an obligation to makesure all in the laser lab arewearing the proper eyewearwhen a laser radiation hazardis present.

Full Protection: This typeis designed so that the opticaldensity of the eyewear willabsorb all the laser radiationfrom a direct hit for a period ofup to 10 seconds. Intra beamor direct viewing of the laserbeam is strictly forbidden.

Alignment: Use of align-ment eyewear is allowed forvisualization of visible beamsfor alignment activities. TheNIF LSO grants approval ofsuch eyewear.

Labeled: The requiredlabeling is the optical density(OD) and wavelengths forwhich the eyewear designed toprovide protection from.Labeling on some commonstyles of eyewear can wear off.Unlabeled eyewear or eyewearwith unreadable labeling mustbe removed. Labeling can beself adhered.

Quantity: The quantity ofeyewear on hand must be suf-ficient for the expected num-ber of daily users and antici-pated visitors. Visitors shouldbe limited to full protectioneyewear only.

Condition: Laser eyewearmust be in good condition, freefrom scratches, abrasions orburns in critical vision areas.

Correct OD: The OD oneyewear must meet the levelsrequired for the laser applica-tions in the SOP.

Prescription Age: Due tothe cost of the prescription

laser eyewear, the user may beusing a pair with a prescriptionseveral years old. A consulta-tion with Health Services isrequired to determine if a newset of eyewear is required.

Storage: Eyewear must bestored in a manner that pre-serves its condition. Storagecan be outside the laser usearea or inside. Each approachhas advantages and disadvan-tages.

Holder: The storage oflaser protective eyewear willhave a direct effect on its life-time. The practice of eyewearbeing thrown in a drawer orleft on tables (at the end of theday) is considered unaccept-able. The NIF LSO provides awall pouch holder on request.

Beam ContainmentBeam Blocks: These

should be made of a materialthat will be non-combustiblefor the power output expectedto strike the block. It must nottransmit the wavelength in use.Cardboard maybe suitable forsome applications while metalwill be required for others. Theblock should not be reflectivefor the wavelengths being used.All active beam blocks must besecured to the optical table(unless the foot print stops tipover and must be approved byNIF LSO). The size of theblocks must be sufficient toblock the beam diameter andpotentially mis-aligned beams.A label on the block indicatingthat it is a beam block and notto be moved is recommendedbut not required. Such labelingis considered a good practice tohelp locate any beam blocksthat might be misplaced orknocked over.

HousekeepingOn laser work surfaces:

The area on the optical tableencompassing and directly

con’t on pg. 8

LIA TODAY

July/August 20057

adjacent to the beam path needs to befree of all non-essential reflectivesources. This includes optics, tools,foil, and storage containers. This doesnot include established alternate beampaths for related experiments.

Related Work Surfaces Adequate storage space: Space is

always a premium in any laboratory;the more organized the space is thesafer the work area will be. Divisionsand programs should make resourcesavailable to individual labs to aid inthis goal. Users have a dual responsi-bility here, first to remove unusedequipment, either to surplus or storageoutside the lab, and most importantly,to keep an on going effort to organizeand put away supplies.

Trip hazards: To protect cords andhoses from tears and prevent trippingover them a number of commercialdevices are available. The application

of these devices needs to be reviewedduring the audit.

Emergency lighting: The reviewershould see that the quantity and loca-tions are adequate, and that it is testedfor functionality.

SummaryThe goal of the criteria list is to aid

the laser user in understanding lasersafety. This hopefully leads to compli-ance of the items reviewed during alaser audit.

The goal of the explanation ofthese common items is that laser userswill develop and use safer laser workpractices. A complete laser audits crite-ria can be obtain by e-mailing KenBarat at barat1@llnl.gov.

Ken Barat (barat1@llnl.gov) is acertified laser safety officer with theNational Ignition Facility, LawrenceLivermore National Laboratory,Livermore, Calif.

LIA TODAY

July/August 2005 8

Lasers standard, an ANSI Z136.3, guidelinesfor establishing competency checklists, sam-ple policies and procedures, sample preven-tative maintenance guidelines, a skills vali-dation checklist, and one complimentary reg-istration to LIA’s Medical Laser SafetyOfficer Training Course (an $895 value).Each facility will also receive a writtenreport with recommendations based on theANSI Z136.3-2005 standard within twoweeks of the completed audit.

Additionally, adding customized lasersafety training for your staff can enhanceauditing. LIA’s one-day Medical LaserSafety Update Course will get all personnelupdated on the latest laser safety practicesand will help fulfill training obligationsaccording to the Z136.3.

For more information, call Rich Greeneat 800.34.LASER/407.380.1553, e-mailrgreene@laserinstitute.org, or visitwww.laserinstitute.org.

Auditing , cont. from pg. 1

Wordie H. Parr, Jr., Ph. D,beloved husband, lovingfather, devoted grandfather

and great grandfather, passed away onJune 16, 2005. He was a graduate of theUniversity of Louisville and a veteran ofWWII serving four years on a destroyerin the South Pacific.

During his career, Parr was a laserskin threshold investigator at the U.S.Army Medical Research Labs in FortKnox, Ky. in the 1960s and was the for-mer chair of the ANSI Z136 subcommit-tee on skin effects. In 1972 he went towork for NIOSH in Cincinnati, Ohio andfor 10 years was head of the Physical

Agents Branch. He retired in 1982. “We all remember many great times

with Wordie! He was always so jovial,”said David Sliney, a program manager forthe U.S. Army Center for HealthPromotion and Preventive MedicineLaser/Optical Radiation Program.

Parr was a member of the healthphysics society and servedas president and on theboard of directors of theBluegrass, Ky. chapter andthe Cincinnati, Ohio chap-ter. He was a member of thescientific ACGIH, AIHA,ANSI, and AWS. He was amember of the MasonicLodge 191 in Louisville,and was honored to be aKentucky Colonel.

LIA extends its deepestcondolences to Wordie’sfamily and friends.Memorials may be made tothe Crescent Springs Presby-terian Church, 710 WesternReserve Rd., CrescentSprings, KY 41017.

“As usual, Wordie (far left) is not distracted from his reflections of pleasant planswhile Mike Wolbarsht raises his hand to make a point,” said Sliney of this Z136 committee meeting from the ’70s. Also there from left, Dave Sliney, George Wilkening and Sid Charschan.

Our Condolences – Wordie Parr Passes

con’t from pg. 6

LIA TODAY

July/August 20059

Lia Today_FABTECH AD 6/23/05 4:11 PM Page 1

LIA TODAY

July/August 2005 10

the dimensions of certainnanometer-scale objects.

Doctor Sees Risks With Green Pointers

Commercially-availableclass 3A green laser pointerscan cause visible harm to theeye's retina after exposuretimes as short as 60 seconds,according to ophthalmologistDennis Robertson from theMayo Clinic, reported theMay 12 issue of Optics.org(Archives of Opthalmologyto be published).

Robertson performed his

tests on a patient whose eyewas due to be removedbecause of ring melanoma.He used a commercially-available class 3A greenpointer with an averagepower of less than 5mW.The tests involved pointingthe laser at the eye’s foveafor 60 seconds, then fiveminutes on a site fivedegrees below the fovea,followed by 15 minutes ona site five degrees above it.

Twenty-four hours afterexposure, Robertson foundretinal damage at the fovea

and the 15-minute exposuresite. The retina at both siteswas discolored, showingthat the retina’s pigmentlayer was damaged,although this did not causea measurable decrease inthe visual function of thepatient’s eye.

“This is a potential haz-ard to people's eyes, but it israrely going to be a practi-cal hazard because of theaversion reflex we have willnaturally cause a person toblink or turn away,” saidRobertson.

In The News, cont. from pg. 1

LIA Exec Director Visits Corporate Member SPI

In June I paid a visitto LIA CorporateMember

Southampton Photonics,Inc., (SPI) in Southampton,U.K., as part of a trip thatincluded attending Laser2005 in Munich. SPI devel-ops and manufactures CW,modulated and pulsed fiberlasers, components and sub-components for a variety ofindustrial applications.

John Tinson, SPI vicepresident of sales (picturedwith ICALEO® LMP ChairTony Hoult) gave me a veryinteresting tour and showedme the tower for drawingfiber and the manufacturingline for fiber lasers.

SPI was founded byProfessor David PayneF.R.S. of the OptoelectronicsResearch Centre, Universityof Southampton, who is theSPI chairman. In the 1980sa team led by David Paynedeveloped a means of ampli-fying light with a fiber thatbecame known as the EDFA(erbium doped fiber amplifi-er). The potential was wide-ly recognized by telecomcompanies as a means ofavoiding electronic repeatersin land-based and sub-sea

telecom networks.John Tinson and the other

key SPI executives workedfor a variety of corporationsin Europe, all connected insome way withEDFAs and withDavid Payne. AsTinson said, “All ofus were touched byProfessor Payne’sinvention in someway during our ear-lier careers. Thetechnology of theEDFA of coursewent on tobecome fiberlasers (creating acavity on anEDFA andincreasing thepower). So by theyear 2000 the tele-com bubble burstand one at a timeover three years we all endedup working under one roofusing an invention that hadsprung from the ORC but ina new market and applica-tion.”

After visiting SPI, Iwent on to the University ofSouthampton to visitProfessor Payne at theOptoelectronics Research

Centre. Professor Payne isco-author of a plenary paperfor ICALEO® 2005 “FibreLasers: The New Wave inMaterial Processing”.

One unusual item thatcaught my interest was thefact that Prof. Payne hasfounded 10 companies overthe years and all of themwere successful. I am hopingto lure him to ICALEO®

2006 to give a presentationin the business session toshare his secrets of successwith us.

Above: Tony Hoult, left, and JohnTinson. Below: LIA’s Peter Baker,right, with Prof. David Payne.

LIA TODAY

July/August 200511

published by:

Laurin PublishingBerkshire CommonPO Box 4949 Dept. LAPittsfield, MA 01202-4949Tel: (413) 499-0514Fax: (413) 442-3180E-mail: photonics@laurin.com

Read the Industry’s Leading MagazineGet The Information You Need To Stay Ahead.Photonics is a fast-paced technology, and keeping up with theday-to-day developments in optics, lasers, fiber optics, electro-optics, imaging and optical computing has never been so critical.

Photonics Spectra magazine will keep you on top of new devel-opments with complete news and information on this technologyeach month. The latest information on research and develop-ment, innovative applications and products, new ideas in design,business trends — all of these are in every issue of PhotonicsSpectra.

Today, more professionals in this industry read PhotonicsSpectra than any other photonics publication. The industry’s most experienced editorial staff presents feature arti-cles on timely subjects, vital news on the latest photonics technology and columns designed to give you thecomplete picture of the photonics industry.

To Get a Free Subscription on our Website, visit usat www.photonicsspectra.com and click on Subscriptionsor call (413) 499-0514.

Terry Wilson, Montgomery, ALBarbara Kuntz, Monrovia, CAGeoff Shannon, Monrovia, CAJorge J Montane, Fremont, CAAmanda Mueller, Glendale, CADavid Smith, East Glastonbury, CTJoseph Cossette, Windsor Locks, CTGene Thomas, New Castle, DERandy Ross, Boynton Beach, FLMari Grace Erwin, Orange City, FLKeith Hatfield, Tallahassee, FLRichard Bald, Iowa City, IAAdam Bryan, Cherry Valley, ILMichael L. Parrish, ranston, IL

Joe Crandall, Indianapolis, INChad Pawloski, Wichita, KSBillie Bero, Saginaw, MICarl Klein, Plymouth, MIJulie A, Quinn, Helena, MTBill Crocker, Raleigh, NCDarshan Pandya, Charlotte, NC Winn Henderson, RTP, NCChuck Crawford, Wilton, NHMartin C, Baker, Morristown, NJPaul S. Heipp, Blackwood, NJAshot Mesropyan, Circleville, OHSam Yerardi, Circleville, OHThelma Hoffman, Bernville, PA

Elizabeth Foster, Morristown, TNPatrick Hogan, Houston, TXEdward Bartlett, Camden, TXLuisa Dossi, Houston, TXAlisa Ellis, Summit Point, WVCathie Hilton, Virginia Beach, VADavid Ashkenasi, Berlin, GermanyMartin Ortiz, Aguascalientes, MexicoAzmat Ur Rehman, Lahore, PakistanAntonio Miguel, Morgado,

Coimbra, Portugal Haixia Qian, SingaporeJonathan Moh, SingaporeTong Tat Tan, Singapore

Welcome New LIA Members

• Pilgrim Associates, Lakeland, FL

For a complete list of corporate members, visit our corporate directory at www.laserinstitute.org.

Corporate Members

Individual Members

LIA TODAY

July/August 2005 12

LIA TODAY

July/August 200513

Catalog X ReleasedMelles Griot, Carlsbad,

Calif., has announced the releaseof Catalog X, the 10th in a land-mark series of product and tech-nology guides extending back 35years. With more than 25,000individual parts, 1,100 complete-ly new items, extensive tutorialsections, and a variety of fea-tures designed to simplify thecomponent selection process, the1,148-page Catalog X is theworld’s most comprehensivesource of photonics components.To obtain a copy, visit www.mellesgriot.com, call 800-835-2626, or e-mail sales@catalog.mellesgriot.com.

Miyachi Unitek CorporationUnitek Miyachi, Monrovia,

Calif., has announced a corpo-rate name change to MiyachiUnitek Corporation. The changewill take place over the summerand is part of a worldwide

branding strategy initiated bythe parent company, MiyachiCorporation, Tokyo, Japan.Miyachi’s goal is to unify thecompany’s many brands andconduct business with a com-mon identity on a global basis.

GSI Opens in ChinaGSI Lumonics, Farmington

Hill, Mich., and Rugby,England, has opened two region-al sales offices in mainlandChina – one in Shanghai, theother in Beijing – to more fullysupport the growing market forthe company’s laser productswithin the region. The regionaloffices are being managed byseasoned GSI Lumonicsemployees who will providesales and support activities aswell as strengthen the compa-ny’s existing distributor net-work. The offices will handlethe complete range of GSILumonics laser products.

Operating procedures forASC Z136 have once againbeen revised, receiving unan-imous committee approval inlate June. The Proceduresfor the Development of Z136American NationalStandards have been for-warded to the AmericanNational Standards Institute(ANSI) for its review. AfterANSI approval has beengranted, the document willbe available for downloadfrom the Z136 website(www.z136.org).

A meeting of the ANSIZ136 Ad-Hoc Committee onAdditional Standards isscheduled for Aug. 22-23,2005 in Edgewood, Md.hosted by Dr. David Sliney.The purpose of the commit-tee is to examine the poten-tial for added standards inthe ANSI Z136 Safe Use ofLasers series of standards. It

is emphasized that only aproposal to ASC Z136 is tobe formally produced.

In conjunction with theAd-Hoc meeting, technicalsubcommittee 4 (TSC-4)Control Measures will meetWednesday morning, Aug.24. This meeting is tenta-tively scheduled from 8:30a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with aworking lunch. FollowingTSC-4, Dr. Fred Seeber willhold a standards subcommit-tee 5 (SSC-5) meeting. SSC-5 is the subcommitteeresponsible for the develop-ment and maintenance ofANSI Z136.5 Safe Use ofLasers in EducationalInstitutions.

For information on com-mittee activities or member-ship, contact Barbara Samsat LIA, 407-380-1553 oremail bsams@laserinsti-tute.org.

Members In Motion ASC Z136 Update

LIA TODAY

July/August 2005 14

Coherent Introduces532nm OEM Laser

The new Compass 115Mfrom Coherent, Inc., SantaClara, Calif., is a low power,continuous wave, 532nm laseroptimized for OEM applica-tions in bioinstrumentation,graphic arts, and inspection.This new laser will enable anew generation of economicalinstrumentation at output powerlevels of 5 and 10mW. TheCompass 115M offers the sameperformance and reliability ashigher power Compass lasers,but with a 30% cost reductionover these earlier models. Thisnew laser follows the success-ful Compass 315 and Compass215. Compass 115M has beendeveloped to specificallyaddress the growing cost con-straints in bioinstrumentation.Typical applications in bioin-strumentation for the Compass115M include flow cytometry,confocal microscopy and spec-troscopy. It will also be usefulfor lower power graphic artsand inspection applications. Formore information, visitwww.Coherent.com.

New From Melles GriotMelles Griot, Carlsbad,

Calif., has announced the 56RCS series, a new family of

high-performance diode laserassemblies with output rangingfrom 408 to 830nm. The 56RCS-series platform isdesigned to satisfy the require-ments for both OEM and end-user applications. Based on theproven Melles Griot 56 ICStechnology, the new platformincorporates advanced beamconditioning optics for improv-ed output quality and a newuser interface that includes anhour meter, status LEDs, andoperator control of laser andthermoelectric cooler currents.The 56 RCS 002/HV, whichproduces 50mW of output at408nm, was designed specifi-cally for reprographics applica-tions, yet is an ideal choice forany application requiring a vio-let diode laser.

Melles Griot has also intro-duced three new OEM diodelaser families designed specifi-cally for patient-alignment,machine-vision, and flowcytometry applications. The 56ADX-, 56 BDX-, and 56CDX-series lasers are cylindri-cal with diameters of 9.5, 12.7,and 14.7mm, respectively. Allthree series are available withoutput wavelengths rangingfrom 634 to 830nm and guar-anteed output power up to30mW. Beam options include

round, elliptical, or line output.In addition to standard cwoperation, options are availablethat allow modulation with abandwidth up to 100kHz. Allthree products can be cus-tomized for specific OEMrequirements. For information,visit www.mellesgriot.com.

Lasers for IndustrialApplications

The DS40 diode pumpedsolid-state Q-switched lasersfrom Photonics IndustriesInternational, Inc., Bohemia,NY, produce up to 25 WattsUV, the highest power com-mercially available 355nm at50kHz for applications such ashole drilling, laser singulationand glass cutting. Equippedwith the patented pulse energycontrol feature, the DS40 pro-vides a large range of pulseenergies, and pulse repetitionrates (>150kHz). Using an endpump design, the DS40 deliv-ers superior TEM00 beam modequality with M2 < 1.2 with dif-fraction-limited mode. TheDS40 is available at 50 Wattsfor infrared (1064nm), green35 Watts (532nm), >20 WattsUV (355nm), and 5 Watts deepUV (266nm) wavelengths. Formore information visit

www.photonix.com.

GSI’s New LasersGSI Lumonics,Farmington Hill, Mich.,and Rugby, England,has introduced its sec-ond generation ofpulsed Nd:YAG lasersthat combine the com-pany’s patented TRtechnology for a highbeam quality withstate-of-the-art controland beam deliverytechnology. TheJK450HP andJK600HP, which utilize

a twin-rod oscillator design toincrease efficiency and beamquality, offer rates up to 1,000Hz and minimum pulselengths of 0.2ms for cutting,welding and drilling applica-tions. For more informationvisit www.gsilumonics.com.

New Concoa SoftwareConcoa, Virginia Beach,

Va., has introduced a new soft-ware package for monitoringConcoa’s line of automaticswitchovers and blenderequipment via the Advantium8 remote alarm. The softwareenables the user or distributorto remotely monitor gas sys-tems such as laser resonator,micro-bulk vessels, blendingsystems, gas analyzers andlaboratory sensors. It monitorsthe output of the Advantium 8remote alarm 8 RS232 com-munication port and works inthe background of a desktopcomputer. It flashes an iconwhen an alarm event occurs.For more information visitwww.concoa.com.

Ophir’s IntroductionsOphir Optronics, Inc.,

Wilmington, Mass., has intro-duced the 3A-FS thermal sur-face absorbing head for appli-cations that require very lowpower and/or energy mea-surements on lasers down totens of microwatts. It cansupply CW and pulsed mea-surements of 40mW to 3Wand 7mJ to 2J.

Ophir has also introducedthe PD300-3W photodiodelaser power head withincreased power density up to150W/cm2. The PD300-3Whas a spectral response from350nm-1,100nm. It offers awide power range fromnanowatts up to 3 Watts ofpower. For more information,visit www.ophiropt.com.

Member Innovations

LIA TODAY

July/August 200515

BLS Exam DatesThe Board of Laser Safety™ (BLS)

will be offering Certified Laser SafetyOfficer (CLSO) exams Aug. 19 in Denver,Colo., Sept. 24 in Orlando, Fla., and Sept.30 in Portland, Ore. The exams will beheld directly after LIA’s LSO trainingcourses.

BLS will also be offering CertifiedMedical Laser Safety Officer (CMLSO)exams Aug. 19 in Denver, Colo. and Sept.25 in St. Louis, Mo. after LIA’s MLSOcourses. Cost is $300 for either exam aswell as the application. For more informa-tion contact Rich Greene at bls@lasersafe-ty.org, 800-345-2737, or visit www.laser-safety.org.

LIA’s 1st Regional MeetingToday’s laser professionals are faced

with many challenges and often find them-selves disconnected. Cutting costs, safetyconcerns and global threats are just a fewof these challenges. LIA invites you to net-work with other laser professionals facingthe same challenges at its very first region-al meeting to be held in Sturbridge, Mass.on Aug. 18, 2005.

The subject being presented isIndustrial Lasers in China: A GlobalMarket Threat? The guest speaker will beDavid Belforte, publisher/editor-in-chief ofIndustrial Laser Solutions magazine and aninternational consultant on industrial lasermaterials processing. His annual marketsurvey on the global market for industriallasers is the most widely quoted report onthis subject. He is a past president of theLIA and a recipient of the ArthurSchawlow award for contributions to the

technology. An optional tour of IPG is also on the

agenda. IPG is a world leading developerand manufacturer of a unique line of highpower and high performance fiber lasersand fiber amplifiers for industrial, commu-nications, medical, scientific, test andmeasurement and other commercial appli-cations. IPG’s world headquarters is inOxford, Mass., just 30 minutes from themeeting. You will see a high power fiberlaser production area, applications lab withlive demo, diode manufacturing facility,low power fiber laser production area, anda demo on fiber splicing.

The meeting and tour are free for allLIA members, but you must register. Thenonmember price is $10. Visit www.laserin-stitute.org for more information.

CM Directory ChangeIt has come to LIA’s attention that the

listing in the printed and online directory forLIA Corporate Member Jue Hua LaserTech. Development Co. in Shanghai, Chinais incorrect. LIA apologizes for this over-sight and has made the proper corrections.The correct listing is as follows: Jue HuaLaser Tech. Development Co., Ltd., 4F, No.1, Lane 743, Tao Du Rd., Shanghai 20033,3Peoples Republic of China; Phone: +86-21-52788140, Fax: +86-21-52788143, webmas-ter@jhlaser.com, www.jhlaser.com.

LIA Announces

The Journal of Laser Applications®

offers the latest refereed papers by leadingresearchers in the laser community. Theupcoming August 2005 issue includespapers from materials processing, sensingand safety. Look for the online version atwww.laserinstitute. org/publications/jla/.To view the journal online, please makesure your membership is current.

The JLA® is published four times a

year by the Laser Institute of America inFebruary, May, August and November. Itis sent to all LIA members as a memberbenefit. For nonmembers of LIA, call theAmerican Institute of Physics at 1.800.344.6902 for subscription information.

Sign up at http://scitation.aip.org/jla/alert.jsp to receive your JLA tableof content e-mail alerts.

Journal of Laser Applications® Update

New from LIALIMITS for Industrial Safety &

Updated Laser Hazard Evaluator Software

Visit www.laserinstitute.org/bookstoreto order yours today!

LIA TODAY

July/August 2005 16

LIA TODAY NewsletterLaser Institute of America13501 Ingenuity Drive, Suite 128Orlando, FL 32826

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAID Orlando, FLPermit #2342

DDoowwnnllooaadd tthhee AAddvvaannccee PPrrooggrraamm iinn PPDDFF ffoorrmmaatt aatt wwwwww..iiccaalleeoo..oorrgg •• RReeggiisstteerr TTooddaayy!!

CCeelleebbrraattee IICCAALLEEOO®®!!

CCeelleebbrraattee 22000055 -- The World Year of Physics!

CCeelleebbrraattee AAllbbeerrtt EEiinnsstteeiinn –– whose Genius Gave Rise to our Multibillion Marketplace!

Conference General Chair: Andreas Ostendorf, Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Hannover, Germany

FFeeaattuurriinngg::• Laser Materials Processing Conference

• Laser Microfabrication Conference

• Poster Presentation Gallery

• Laser Solutions Short Courses

• Business Development Session

• Networking with Industry Leaders

• Laser Industry Vendor Table Top Display & Reception