Laser World of Photonics India, the sole trade fair for the laser and photonics industry in the country, is to be held in Bangalore from September 21-23.

Recognising the growing demand for industrial laser and optical systems as also new materials and processes in production, the three-day expo will also showcase solutions for various applications of lasers in the automotive sector. These include applications in areas like hot forming, plastics welding of highlights, 3D laser cutting of ABC pillars, welding of powertrain components, marking of day/night switches and speedometers, and roof brazing.

The automotive industry has been a driving force behind innovative laser applications which offer improved flexibility and ease of automation. They are now used to process almost the entire vehicle body including roof seam and door welding applications, annealing of door springs, and marking of day and night panels.

Some of the leading automotive exhibitors in this year’s show include TRUMPF, Sahajanand Laser Technology, Scantech Laser and Star Laser. According to Maulik Patel, executive director of Sahajanand Laser Technology, “Laser has been one of the most sophisticated tools for any manufacturing process. In the automotive industry, conventional approaches have increased by up to 30 percent. The Indian market for lasers is continuously growing, but there are still areas that need favorable policies to grow, like the markets for semiconductors and photonics.”

Additive manufacturing in the automotive industry will be one of the topics in a seminar on 3D printing and additive manufacturing applications’ to be held on September 21 in association with the Additive Manufacturing Society of India, and focusing on laser-based plastic and metal 3D printing technologies and its industrial applications.

This year, Laser World of Photonics India has around 160 exhibitors including IPG Photonics, Laser Science, Advanced Photonics, Dynotech Instruments, Jenoptik, Merck, OptoTech, Schneider GmbH & Co.KG and Toptica Photonics. Country pavilions would include Germany, China, Japan, Lithuania, Singapore and Great Britain.

With Bangalore being a hub for many industries and R&D centres, the show organisers expect a strong visitor turnout from several industries such as automotive, machine tools, electronics, defence and aerospace, research institutes, engineering schools and polytechnic universities.

‘‘We are constantly on the lookout for a platform to demonstrate our technology and Laser World of Photonics India has been that particular platform for us. With the government talking about innovative policies, the scope for the laser industry is widening. The Make in India initiative is creating ripples across the manufacturing world and advanced technology, and quality is becoming the need of the hour provoking local manufacturers to innovate more and produce more,” said Indrajit Rana, national sales manager, Laser Technology India, TRUMPF India.

“We are delighted to bring to the garden city our niche trade fair in high-tech applications, the Laser World Of Photonics India once again, which will showcase specific applications of lasers in almost every sector, specifically the automobile sector,” said Bhupinder Singh, chief executive officer of MMI India.