AILU Event - Early Careers Group Seminar & Tour
2025-11-19 10:00 - 14:30 (Europe/London)
AILU’s Early Careers Group Seminar & JET Fusion Tour
Wednesday 19th November
UKAEA, Culham, Oxfordshire

Founded in 2017, AILU’s Early Careers Group (ECG) represents the next generation of laser industry and academic professionals. Members of the Group are from a variety of laser backgrounds including universities & research centres, and industrial manufacturers, suppliers and subcontractors.
On Wednesday 19th November the Group will host a seminar followed by a tour of the JET fusion facility.
The seminar and tour are open to AILU members and non-members, and would be of interest to those who might like to join this group or would benefit from networking with this enthusiastic and talented pool of individuals.
IMPORTANT: Attendees must bring photo ID.

Programme
10:00 – 10:30 Registration & Refreshments
10:30 – 10:50 Welcome and Introduction to Fusion Energy Research at UKAEA
Chris Peters, UKAEA
10:50 – 11:05 Laser Repair Processes for Remote In-Situ Operations in Future Fusion Power Plants
Sean Roche-Watson, University of Manchester
11:05 – 11:20 Exploring Microstructural Evolution Induced by Dynamic Beam Shaping in Autogenous Laser Beam Welding of AA6082
Reshad Bakhtari , Warwick University
11:20 – 11:35 Commercial Thinking for Technical People: Understanding Value, Not Just Specs
Tom Kerrigan, TLM Laser
11:35 – 11:55 Cutting Edge Laser Processing and Micro-Machining Tools
Mike O’Key, OpTek Systems
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
13:00 – 14:30 Tour
14:30 – 16:00 ECG Members’ Meeting

Tour
Joint European Torus (JET) was the world’s largest and most powerful fusion machine – it operated for over 40 years, setting a series of fusion performance records until closing in late 2023. The project was hosted by UKAEA for labs around Europe and laid the foundation for many of the advances we see in fusion research today.
Now JET is becoming a pioneer in the decommissioning of large fusion facilities. The techniques and knowledge from UKAEA’s JET Decommissioning & Repurposing (JDR) programme will help to develop future fusion plants that are sustainable from both an environmental and financial perspective.
The tour will allow individuals to gain an appreciation of the scale and complexity of this large device and the systems required to operate and maintain it.

Venue
UK Atomic Energy Authority
Culham Campus
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 3DB
Click on the links below for:
Travel details – Visitor-travel-information-UKAEA.pdf
Site map – Site-map-UKAEA.pdf
Tour information – Tour-information-UKAEA.pdf

AILU 2025 Annual Job Shop Business Meeting
2025-11-27 10:00 - 16:00 | TRUMPF, Luton, President Way, Airport Executive Park, Luton, LU2 9NL, United Kingdom
Sponsored by Laser Trader

Introduction
The laser manufacturing sector contains over 150 subcontractors in the UK. If you are a member of this community or in the supply chain, this meeting is for you!
Not a member of AILU? No problem! Non-members are welcome too. Talk to us about special offer tickets for non-members in the laser subcontract industry – especially if you have never experienced this meeting before.
After this event, you will take away vital information which can make a real difference to your business. By mixing with industry peers, the AILU Job Shop Members can benchmark their performance in a number of business areas. This meeting will focus on Carbon Footprint reduction, Cyber Security, Cost of Metals and Scrap, Micromachining, Welding and much more – so that participants have the information to determine the future directions of their business. Plenty of time is set aside in the programme for networking and discussion with delegates and presenters.
As well as the above there will be the usual opportunities to catch up with the latest new technology on the market, the results of the Prime and Scrap Metal Survey and the Open Discussion Forum which allows people to ask any question that may be answered by our panel of experts or participants in the audience.
Programme
09:30 – 10:00 Registration & refreshments
10:00 – 10:05 Welcome & Introduction
Chris Waters (Chair of AILU Job Shop Group)
10:05 – 10:20 Introduction to TRUMPF
Lee Moakes (TRUMPF UK)
10:20 – 10:40 Reducing Carbon and Costs with Real Solutions
Matthew Roberts (Energise)
10:40 – 11:00 Buying Energy in 2026
Liam Conway (Greenfields Energy Group)
11:00 – 11:30 Refreshments
11.30 – 11.50 Drivers and Challenges in the UK Steel Market 2026
Kaye Ayub (MEPS International)
11:50 – 12:10 How Cyber-secure is Your Business?
Paul Crumpton (IASME)
12:10-12:30 Laser & Ultrasonic Welding
Phil Carr (Carrs Welding)
12:30 – 12:40 AILU Prime & Scrap Metal Survey Results
Dave MacLellan (AILU)
12:40 – 13:40 Lunch
13:40 – 14:40 What’s new – short commercial presentations
Short company pitches (10 mins each): Bystronic, Ficep, SS Laser Solutions, Mate Tooling Solutions, World Machinery, TRUMPF
14:40-15:20 Open Discussion Forum
15:20 Close

Directions:
Directions to venue on Google Maps
PLEASE PARK IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING AND ENTER VIA THE MAIN ENTRANCE

AILU Workshop: Optics & Beam Delivery
2026-02-12 09:00 - 16:00 | MTC, Ansty Park, Coventry, CV7 9JU, United Kingdom
Sponsored by Laser Trader

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 Single-Step AI Control of Coherent Beam Combination for Agile Beam Shaping
Ben Mills, University of Southampton
11.10 – 11.40 Tea & Coffee Break
11:40 – 12:00 A stable beam for a stable process
Fabrice Meier, 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 Keyhole stabilisation and spatter-free welding with Adjustable Mode Beam fibre lasers
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.

Venue

Manufacturing Technology Centre
MTC Events
AMTC Building
Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre
Airfield Drive
Ansty Business Park
Coventry
CV7 9JU
What3Words: encodes.backed.balancing
Go to Google Maps

Travelling by car
The MTC in Coventry is located minutes away from Junction 2 of the M6.
Head into the Ansty Business Park through a set of traffic lights. Go straight over the next two roundabouts and then take the first exit at the third roundabout. From here, take the first right for the AMTC Building car park.
Parking at the AMTC building
Located within our beautiful grounds, the parking facilities at our AMTC building in Coventry have 275 complimentary car parking spaces and 10 large disabled parking bays. The parking is secure with barrier control, and we have dedicated EV parking for electric vehicles.
Please only use dedicated car parking when travelling by car. Stopping and parking on the roundabout in front of the venue is prohibited at all times, including for dropping off and picking up. Please be aware that regular law enforcement patrol the area and issue fines in accordance with the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Travelling by train
Just 20 minutes from Coventry Railway Station, rail is a popular transport option for our delegates. The X30 bus travels from Coventry railway station to the Ansty Business Park every 20 minutes. Alternatively, there’s a taxi rank situated just outside the station.
Travelling by air
Birmingham Airport is less than a 30-minute drive from Ansty Business Park. If you’d like us to arrange Taxis or Ubers from the airport, please let the MTC know.

Travelling by bus
There’s a dedicated bus service that runs frequently between Ansty Park and the centre of Coventry.
The X30 stops at Pool Meadow Bus Station in Coventry, and travels via Coventry train station.
From the city centre, the bus route follows the main artery roads past the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, before arriving at Ansty Park.

AILU Event: Early Careers Group Seminar & Tour
2026-06-08 10:00 - 14:00 | Micrometric, Doddington Road, Lincoln, LN6 3RX, United Kingdom
Early Careers Group Seminar & Tour
Monday 8th June 2026
Founded in 2017, AILU’s Early Careers Group (ECG) represents the next generation of laser industry and academic professionals. Members of the group are from a variety of laser backgrounds including universities & research centres, industrial manufacturers, suppliers and subcontractors.
On Wednesday 19th November the Group will host a seminar followed by a tour of Micrometric Ltd, a laser subcontractor (Job Shop) based in Lincoln. Micrometric specialises in the laser material processing of metals to produce fine parts and precision components for small prototypes through to large scale production. The company’s laser processing capabilities include cutting, welding, etching and drilling.
The seminar and tour are open to AILU members and non-members, and would be of interest to those who might like to join this group or would benefit from networking with this enthusiastic and talented pool of individuals.

Programme
10:00 – 10:30 Registration & Refreshments
10:30 – 10:50 Introduction to Micrometric. TBC, Micrometric
10:50 – 11:05 An Overview of Laser Processing at TWI, Cambridge. Laurence Glaister, TWI
11:05 – 11:20 Recent Advances in Glass Processing at Oxford Lasers. Toby Barnard, Oxford Lasers
11:20 – 11:35 Deep Learning in Coherent Beam Combination. Fedor Chernikov, University of Southampton
11:35 – 11:55 Automated Alignment of Laser Systems. Donald Risbridger, Heriot-Watt University
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
13:00 – 14:00 Tour

Venue
Micrometric Ltd,
Doddington Road,
Lincoln,
LN6 3RX

AILU's Industrial Laser Applications Symposium (ILAS) 2027
2027-03-24 08:00 - 2027-03-25 17:00 | Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth, CV8 2LD, United Kingdom
ILAS 2027 is a unique 2-day event, attracting international delegates, speakers and exhibitors from around the world to share the latest in laser material processing technology and applications.
Enjoy plenary presentations from renowned international speakers, keynote speakers on a range of topics covering the whole of industrial laser technology, and around 80 high-calibre presentations from industry and academia. On top of this, 30 exhibitors will represent the latest in laser technology and the complete supply chain. Whether you’re a researcher, engineer, business owner, student or technology supplier, the programme is built to inform and inspire across the full breadth of laser applications.
Make new contacts, expand your network, find business or collaboration opportunities, meet potential employers and employees to develop your organisation or career.
2027 marks the tenth Industrial Laser Applications Symposium
It’s where academia meets industry for all things industrial laser related, so don’t miss out.

See the dedicated ILAS 2027 webpage here: https://ilas2027.co.uk
