The 2024 edition of the PLI Conférences, organized by CLP (Club Laser et Procédés), took place in Bordeaux this year. As co-organizers alongside Amplitude, Lasea and ALPHA-RLH, an exclusive visit was organized in the Institut d'Optique d'Aquitaine, ahead of the event.

DISCOVER REGIONAL EXPERTISE IN LASER TREATMENT

A not-to-be-missed event dedicated to laser processes, the PLI Conférences, organized by the Club Laser et Procédés, is an annual event renowned for its rich line-up of conferences featuring French and international experts.

It also gives the region in which the event takes place a high profile among participants and national and international industrialists. This year, the event took place in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, at the Palais de la Bourse in Bordeaux.

Indeed, the photonics sector is particularly dynamic in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. ALPhANOV co-organized the event and the traditional visit of local companies with other regional players, Amplitude Systèmes, LASEA and IRT Saint Exupéry.

"Visits to the laboratories and showrooms at the IOA and IRT highlighted the ongoing collaboration between several key players in the field of lasers, optics and photonics in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. ALPhANOV did a remarkable job of coordinating visits to various workshops, enabling visitors to learn about laser processes, and encouraging exchanges with visitors. Amplitude, for its part, was proud to welcome visitors to its showroom, offering a glimpse of its production site in Pessac and presenting their new flagship laser solutions." Anne-Laure Maddy, Events Manager - Amplitude Laser

A look back at the tour

Workshop n°1: Virtual reality The PYLA training center took participants into a virtual reality photonics laboratory to learn how to safely align a laser on an optical table.
Workshop n°2: AMPLITUDE showroom A virtual tour of the femtosecond laser production facility at Amplitude's Pessac site, and a look at the new Satsuma X laser, the fruit of over 20 years' experience.
Workshop n°3: LASEA showroom The LS-Precess precession module, developed and manufactured by LASEA France, focuses on production machines and right-angle cutting operations.
Workshop n°4: Laser processes - Agility Participants discovered a new generation of femtosecond fiber lasers for laser processes.
Workshop n°5: Laser processes - Productivity and precision Large-area laser processing with micron-precise energy deposition.
Workshop n°6: Amplitude Lab - Productivity and innovation Introduction to the GHz option available on femtosecond systems. Recent studies have revealed great interest in long GHz bursts, enabling high-quality micromachining with high ablation efficiency.
Workshop n°7: the SOFIA platform, functionalization of special fibers Thanks to its experience in the design of fiber lasers and fiber components, ALPhANOV has developed its know-how in the functionalization of special micro-structured fibers to the highest international level.
Workshop n°8: Visit to IRT Saint-Exupéry Focused on the development of innovative materials for lightweight, high-strength structures for the aerospace industry, and the development of laser-based surface preparation processes for their assembly.

Marc FAUCON, Head of ALPhANOV's Laser Processes Department, comments: "This year's PLIs went perfectly. We were lucky enough to hold the conference in the heart of Bordeaux, which enabled everyone to discover both the latest innovations in laser processes and our beautiful city, with its unique UNESCO-listed heritage.

The quality of the conferences increases every year. The international guests, all of whom are references in the field, are a real source of inspiration. The vitality of innovation at national level also creates real emulation between all the players, and it's a pleasure to discover the progress made year after year.
The format has been modified this year to leave more room for conferences. All the skills of the co-organizers were grouped together on the same site and shifted the day before, freeing up time for the conferences. This improved the quality and timing of exchanges between participants over the two days of the PLIs.
The tour was a resounding success, with over 40 international participants, all of whom came to discover our photonics activities in the region. The event itself brought together over 180 professionals at the Palais de la Bourse."

The region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine is constantly being revitalized to boost its attractiveness. A new event will be held in July: the TALENTS Photonique summer school.