Raymax would like to wish all of our clients a very happy Christmas. After a tough year many of us will be pleased to see 2021 come to an end! But the year has not been without significant developments amongst our suppliers. SLM Solutions have successfully installed lasers for systems production in Europe and the USA. Laserline has expanded its blog providing end users with a great resource, that is very helpful for all our Australian clients. Lasea bought Optec and opened great new headquarters in Belgium while continuing to produce quality femtosecond lasers. These are just a few of the great outcomes of 2021.
We are all looking forward to 2022, appearing at, and attending, conferences and exhibitions and finally meeting up with people on a face-to-face basis (even if we are still required to wear a mask)! Meanwhile, for the latest news join us on Linkedin.
We wish you the very best for the coming year. Have a happy, safe Merry Christmas and New Years’ celebration, from all of us at Raymax!
Raymax will be closed over the Christmas and New Year period starting Friday 24 December 2021 and will be re-opening Monday 10 January 2022
Lasea Laser Solutions
Lasea empowers innovation through the most accurate versatile and enabling micro-machining solutions. Expanding in 2021 Optec has now joined Lasea in Belgium and opened a new headquarters to grow their more than 1,000 installations worldwide. You can read more about it on the Lasea website.
Known for femtosecond laser machining, Lasea lasers make it possible to reproducibly make very complex structures, with a high aspect ratio in three dimensions. The micrometric and even nanometric dimensions that can be achieved is driving the miniaturisation of electronic, photonic or mechanical components. Laser texturing will also enable a surface to be made functional by making it diffractive, hyperhydrophobic or absorbent (intense black).
The applications of laser structuring or texturing are thus the “lab on chip”, microfluidics, integrated optics, information storage, micromechanics and microelectronics. Biomimicry is also made possible by these techniques. For example, the structure of the skin of a shark can be reproduced to minimise water friction, likewise the surface of a lotus leaf to make it hydrophobic or even the skin of gecko toe pads that make them adhesive.
Recycling our plastic waste
Since the research in Norway on applying hyperspectral imaging for identifying different types of plastic waste undertaken by HySpex NEO, not just in Europe, but in Australia, interest in recycling our garbage has really grown. This year, CSIRO released a report raising the importance of plastic recycling to be part of a circular economy, and not used for landfill. In other words, to turn what was oil then plastic, back into oil or bio-oil. One recycling company on the Central Coast of NSW is leading the way using technological innovation with advanced recycling processes. In the latest news, food packaging and supermarkets have set targets to reduce, recycle and keep our planet clean! So here’s looking forward to a cleaner, greener country in 2022!
A test of teamwork and technology
Raymax is excited to assist the UNSW Sunswift Racing team by providing 3D printed parts – the struts for the suspension both front and back, for use in their latest car. The team of students lead by Richard Hopkins, Professor of Practice UNSW Engineering, is Australia’s top team. Recently the team set a Guinness World Record for the lowest energy consumption while driving across the country in a solar-electric car. Combining innovative research with hands-on skills the team are developing a new solar-powered car to compete in the biennial Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, a 3,000km race from Darwin to Adelaide.
