ILAS has become an internationally recognised symposium which brings together industry and academia to share information, make new connections and keep abreast of the latest in laser material processing equipment and applications. The 9th Industrial Laser Applications Symposium takes place at Chesford Grange Hotel, just outside the historic town of Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England. At the event, AILU will also celebrate the 30 year anniversary of its founding.

In previous ILAS events, over 97 % of delegates who responded to the questionnaire said they would definitely invite a colleague to attend. There will be plenty of time for networking – over coffee breaks and lunch times – with other delegates and over thirty exhibitors in a friendly and informal atmosphere.  

In addition, there are three plenary speakers – from UK, Germany and Lithuania – who will present inspirational material from their experience.  A new development for ILAS will be an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Tutorial where delegates will be able to bring along their laptop and discover how neural networks work – no prior knowledge required.

Eighty additional speakers will present on topics covering a full range of laser applications and technology in three parallel sessions. As if these were not reasons enough there will be a drinks reception followed by a grand symposium dinner where the prestigious AILU Awards will be presented.

Why link industry and academia?

To many, the worlds of industry and academia are seen to be parallel universes where “never the twain shall meet”, however at ILAS in particular – as in AILU generally – the interface of these two communities enriches both significantly.  Industry delegates get to see the latest topics of research and find partners to collaborate with on areas of mutual interest. Academic delegates gain knowledge of industry needs and challenges and find practical applications that need to be addressed through applied research, and sources of funding and resources to undertake the work required. Many a project has been launched as a result of informal conversations at ILAS between delegates over a coffee or a glass of wine.