User:The Heart of a Hero/Visotek

Visotek is an American company, located in Livonia, Michigan, which designs, develops and manufactures individual fiber coupled diode laser modules, complete turnkey systems and peripheral components used in commercial, military, medical and research applications. It also runs job order production for the automobile industry.

Company profile
The company was established in 2001 as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer USA, Plymouth, Michigan. Under a long term technology transfer agreement Visotek manufactures fiber coupled diode laser systems and special laser optics. Visotek started with three people and employs 10 today.

Since its inception Visotek has been working on addressing the new technology economy emerging in Michigan. It is concentrating on unique customized smart tools for laser cladding, laser cleaning, laser welding, laser ablation and laser soldering.

Visotek, a woman-owned business, has been working with its research and development partner, Fraunhofer USA, on various projects to create new laser applications, including automotive manufacturing and homeland security market.

Core products of Visotek, such as the DL Series lasers, have been utilized in advanced technology research performed at University of Kansas and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI for "laser-assisted milling of silicon nitride ceramics" and "micro-laser-assisted machining" respectively.

Visotek's DLF lasers and expertise are also incorporated into new TriboCoreLogic technology developments of a tool for laser assisted deposition of low-friction and corrosion protective coatings. The main advantage of the technology is its high level of protection, with no risk of delamination or failure, even for surfaces of dynamic, large and expensive equipment components, such as turbine, compressor and centrifuge shafts, WC seals and pump plungers, etc.

In 2003 Visotek was part of a team that helped Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. Inc. became the first U.S. shipyard to successfully laser weld a structural steel panel on the shipyard's production equipment. It was proven that laser welding is not only feasible in shipbuilding; it is the future of welding in shipbuilding. A proprietary special optic was developed for this application, which enables rapid two dimensional scanning and auto focus for lasers with an output power up to 15 kW. Welding of thick plates with variable weld seam width was achieved, successfully overcoming the gap and tight tolerance fit-up issues. This is a particular breakthrough as the barriers to effective laser welding implementation in shipbuilding are formidable. The same optic was also successfully applied in the automotive industry for robotic remote welding. The process achieved 250 welding spots per minute with a 6 kW laser power.

In its newest endeavor, Visotek is assisting surgeons in bringing lifesaving surgical techniques to patients in the operating suite and on the battlefield. Laser Tissue Welding, Inc. and Visotek have partnered on a joint effort that involves a laser-mediated method to stop bleeding and perform suture less surgical repair of livers. A custom DL series laser built by Visotek to optimize the optics and laser parameters is applying laser light energy to coagulate an albumin-ICG solder together with a solid transparent albumin scaffold that provides quick and accurate hemostasis and biliary sealing after liver resection surgery or hepatectomy for benign/primary/secondary liver neoplasms.

There are many considerable advantages of this method. It saves lives because it quickly repairs and controls hemorrhage in patients who cannot clot, and it conserves blood based on a lowered requirement for transfusions. Laser Tissue Welding Inc ‘s is able to repair without burning salvages organs and tissues. It shortens required operating times and the reduced trauma to tissue speeds healing and reduces required hospital stays. This technique simplifies split liver transplants, thereby doubling the liver transplantation pool. The system can be fibro-optically delivered being in this way minimally invasive.

More quick repairs can be dictated by those patients presenting with other critical injuries such as extensive trauma or injuries to numerous body sites.

A second stage start-up company, Visotek was nominated by the readers of Corp! Magazine as one of the best in Michigan (January/February 2010 print issue of Corp! Magazine and online).