Laser Matters 2025

Santonu Ghosh is a technologist with over 15 years of experience in materials science, product development, and technology commercialization. Currently serving as Lead Technologist at Element Six UK Ltd., he specializes in introducing innovative products and processes across sectors including automotive, aerospace, and semiconductors. Santonu has successfully led large R&D programs, built strategic ecosystems, and led pioneering technologies launch such as PureCut™. With a strong background in ceramics and metallurgy. He is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, a member of ISO standards committees, and passionate about mentoring and collaborative innovation.

Ian Bell is a seasoned Sales Engineer at OpTek Systems, with over 35 years of experience in the industrial laser industry. His career spans high-tech sales, product development, and customer success across Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions. Ian brings a wealth of practical insight and strategic vision to the field, making him a compelling speaker on topics such as laser applications in manufacturing, sales strategy in technical markets, and innovation in laser product development. His passion for advancing industrial laser systems and fostering collaborative partnerships continues to drive his work today.
 

Business Development Manager for Loop Technology focussing on the range of CleanLASER cleaning systems. Gary has been involved with laser cleaning for the last 15 years. Loop Technology is the UK Distributor for CleanLASER and supply and support both manual hand-held CleanLASER systems, as well as the design and build of bespoke automated laser cleaning solutions

Bethan Smith is a Chartered and Degree-level engineer with over 10 years’ experience in the high value manufacturing industry. As a Technology Manager at MTC she is responsible for leading the Laser Processing Centre of Excellence, driving laser adoption into a variety of sectors such as Aerospace, Automotive and Defence. Before taking on this leadership role she had experience leading complex engineering projects in fields such additive manufacturing, non-conventional machining and laser processing. She is an active member of the steering board for the Association of Industrial Laser Users (AILU), leads the Laser Community of Practice group across the HVMC, and is currently Deputy Chair of the Technical Special Purpose Group for Joining across HVMC.

Clive Grafton-Reed is a laser industry veteran, having been involved with Laser technology since the late 1980s. Over a career his career he has led a broad range of technology and application developments and is now the Rolls-Royce Associate Fellow and Global Process Lead for Laser Material Processing, responsible for overseeing Rolls-Royce Plc research & investments in laser material processing.

After completing a Master's in Physics from the University of Manchester, I've built a career at the intersection of photonics, precision engineering, and advanced manufacturing. My journey began at Teledyne's Space Imaging division, where I spent five years testing and image sensors for satellites and ground-based telescopes — sparking a passion for optical systems.
I then spent six years at Renishaw as a Laser Systems Engineer, testing interferometry-based projects for precise machine calibration tools. This role honed my understanding of laser metrology and system integration. Currently, I'm part of the team at Q5D, developing a 5-axis, 100W laser platform for robotic printed electronics manufacture.