The 17th International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication (LPM2016) was successfully held from May 23-27, 2016 in Xi’an, China. LPM is an annual event, and held in Japan in every odd-numbered year and outside of Japan in every even-numbered year. LPM now comes to China for the first time, where business of lasers and laser applications is rapidly growing. It was organized by Japan Laser Processing Society, Japan (JLPS), and co-organized by Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM), CAS and Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics (XIOPM), CAS. The symposium general chair is Dr. Koji Sugioka (RIKEN, Japan), and Co-Chairs are Prof. Ya Cheng (SIOM, CAS), Prof. Guanghua Cheng (XIOPM, CAS), Dr. Hiroyuki Niino (AIST, Japan), Prof. Yongfeng Lu (University of Nebrasska-Lincoln, USA), and Dr. Michael Schmidt (Friedrich-Alexander-Universit？t Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany).

LPM is recognized as one of the most important international events on laser-based micro and nano technology, in which the most advanced developments and recent trends in laser applications for fine and precise fabrication of diverse materials are discussed among people coming from both academia and industry. LPM 2016 continues the tradition inherited from past symposia and covers wide areas of the related field. LPM2016 aims to provide a forum to stimulate the international exchange of knowledge and discuss a broad range of subjects, from the fundamental aspects of laser-matter interaction and the state of the art of laser materials processing to the industrial applications of laser materials processing, and in addition aims to foster next-generation concepts by collaboration among participants including scientists, end users and laser manufacturers.

LPM2016 consists of a plenary session, regular sessions, special sessions dealing with three topical issues, poster sessions with short presentations, and social events. More than 300 experts and young researchers attended this symposium. There are 3 plenary talks, 24 invited talks, 124 oral presentations, and 64 poster presentations involving participants from seventeen countries. LPM2016 plays an important role not only for understanding fundamental knowledge of laser precision microfabrication but also forecasting future technologies to be developed and the future laser market.