# 22 CLEAR SKIES AHEAD CHANGING THE WEATHER AND FIGHTING MALARIA: WHAT THE FUTURE OF LASERS HAS IN STORE FOR US 22 May 2016 PUBLISHER TRUMPF GmbH + Co. KG, Johann-Maus-Strasse 2, 71254 Ditzingen / Germany; www.trumpf.com RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT Dr.-Ing. E. h. Peter Leibinger EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Athanassios Kaliudis, Phone +49 7156 303 –31559,
[email protected] DISTRIBUTION Phone +49 7156 303 – 31559,
[email protected], www.trumpf-laser.com/laser-community EDITED BY pr+co GmbH, Stuttgart / Germany; Martin Reinhardt, Florian Burkhardt CONTRIBUTORS Florian Burkhardt, Norbert Hiller, Tina Hofmann, Athanassios Kaliudis, Martin Reinhardt, Julian Stutz, Anton Tsuji PHOTOGRAPHY DanD photography+Video, Erik Jacobs, Angelika Grossmann, Simon Koy DESIGN AND PRODUCTION pr+co GmbH, Stuttgart / Germany; Gernot Walter, Markus Weißenhorn, Martin Reinhardt TRANSLATION Burton van Iersel & Whitney GmbH, Munich / Germany REPRODUCTION Reprotechnik Herzog GmbH, Stuttgart / Germany PRINTED BY frechdruck GmbH, Stuttgart / Germany Cover picture: Masterfile picture: Royalty Free Cover Moro Cira EDITORIAL This issue features a range of laser applications that are at the more unusual end of the spectrum. These examples are meant to inspire and provide food for thought, not to mention entertain! As you’ll discover, these unusual applications are often found in niche segments—and sometimes they’re surprisingly off the wall! Although laser cutting has evolved into a standard process that has inevitably lost a little of its fascinating appeal, it’s also a major money-maker. And this business demands both aspects: standard applications in widespread use and captivating, exotic niche applications. The fact is that novelties emerge from niche environments, so some form of cross- subsidization from mass-market applications to niche products makes sense.