Know Your Laser Beam – Achieve Reproducibility
Laser-based additive manufacturing has transformed many industrial processes. But still, one of the most challenging tasks associated with the technology is to ensure reproducibility from one layer to another, between multiple laser sources within the same machine, and from one machine to the next.
The good news is that MKS Instruments has developed a variety of devices especially for additive manufacturing,...
As the development of new UV LED sources continues at an ever-growing pace, so do the industrial applications that utilize them. UV LEDs are being put to work in various industrial processes, medical applications, and – especially due to COVID-19 – increasingly used to develop solutions for disinfection purposes. Efficient utilization of the UV radiation requires good measurement tools. However, accurate light measurement in this spectral range presents challenges, such as how to accurately measure the irradiance if the...
The Concept:
Ophir customers often need to connect different optical components together to create an optimal setup to best meet their needs. In order to do this, Ophir provides mutual interconnections between different Ophir products via adapters with various threads, designed to exactly fit required optical path distances for each device. This is an integrated solution, prealigned and ready to use.
Our line of Beam Profiler cameras and sensors of various formats can be...
Thermal sensors can be used over many years without any repair if they are used in a correct laser optical setup. However, this is exactly where the challenge begins. Experienced service technicians from Ophir's calibration laboratories around the globe repeatedly see sensors where incorrect usage had lead to early wear. The experts have briefly summarized the four most common causes that significantly influence the measurement accuracy of thermal sensors, as well as corresponding preventive measures.
...Since Columbia University graduate student Gordon Gould and Bell Laboratories scientists Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow (among others) coined the term LASER in the 1950's, applications of the laser have seemed limitless. Working with these new discoveries had to be exciting, but applying hundreds of kilowatts of laser power, like the ones being used in directed energy laser systems, wasn't even something that could be fathomed at the time.
The application of massive amounts...
VCSELs, LEDs, edge emitting, and fiber lasers are used in many sensitive applications within fast-growing markets. To guarantee the high quality of the devices, it is essential to analyze the beam profile, but those wide, divergent beams place specific requirements on the measurement system. On the one hand, the apertures of conventional beam profilers are too small to collect the entire spot of large or divergent light sources. On the other hand, diverging beams cannot be accurately measured with regular detectors because the quantum...
The Ophir® BeamSquared system measures the propagation characteristics of CW and pulsed laser completely automated. It’s compact design and its flexibility in terms of wavelength – it is suited for measuring UV to NIR to Telecom wavelength – makes it a powerful measurement tool in many laser applications. As with every highly precise laser measurement device its biggest enemy is Optics contamination due to dust and debris. Also, to ensure optimal measurement conditions an accurate offset correction is essential. Here...
Pulsed lasers are as popular as continuous wave (CW) lasers. The physics of many lasers lends itself to pulsed operation, and just as important, so do many applications. Pulse widths are becoming very short, reaching femto-seconds. When concentrating the laser energy into such short pulses and onto a small spot, even low pulse energy - in the μJ range - is sufficient to melt, cut, ablate, and weld materials without the effect of slowly heating and damaging adjacent areas. While pulsed lasers exist in many wavelengths from UV to IR, UV lasers...
Ophir's line of fast photodetectors expands your measurement capability to high speed temporal characterizations of laser pulses. Let us explain how.
Figure 1. The new Ophir Fast Photodiode Detectors series.
The vast majority of lasers used today in industrial applications are pulsed...
Beam attenuation is critical because lasers designed for cutting sheet steel will have no trouble cutting through a beam profiler if the beam power isn't attenuated.
Beam profiling characterizes the size, shape, quality, and focal position of a laser beam. Whether the application is a few milliWatts in power or several kWatts, beam profiling is used to test optical designs, verify laser performance, or monitor the performance of laser systems.
...Introduction
Since cavemen first figured out how to throw rocks and shoot arrows, our ability to precisely deliver power has come a long way.
High-power laser beams, by delivering a lot of power into a small and precisely controlled space, now help us manufacture components that would have been difficult - if not impossible - using purely mechanical means. Automotive and aircraft manufacture, shipbuilding, and similar heavy-industry applications have been dramatically changed...
When purchasing a laser, learning how to apply, troubleshoot, and evaluate that device is very important.
Given the pace at which technology advances, there always seems to be a learning curve. With the abundance of consumer electronics available, there typically is no right or wrong way to use these devices — the choice usually comes down to the method that best suits the end user. However, when purchasing a highly advanced device for use in the workplace, such as a laser,...
The importance of precisely measuring LiDAR parameters and its impact on the performance and construction of LiDAR systems
Many experts believe LiDAR is one of the pivotal sensing technologies required to make partial to full autonomous vehicles possible. The most promising way seems to be combining LiDAR with other detection/ranging systems like cameras and radar products into a suite of detection & ranging systems allowing autonomous vehicles to use at least two independent...
Measurement considerations of disinfection methods based on UV radiation for fighting COVID-19 in the current pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on disinfection technology. UV radiation is a promising approach to prevent airborne infections and infections caused by exposure to contaminated surfaces. It has long been known as an option to inactivate pathogenic microorganisms, especially for water disinfection. Today, it is increasingly used in surface disinfection...
The laser seam welding of sheets of zinc-coated steel – a combination of metals with disparate melting and evaporation properties – used to be a major challenge for the automotive industry. But Volkswagen AG is pursuing a promising approach with multi-focal laser welding: A newly developed process enables significantly higher welding speeds than is otherwise possible with conventional mono-focal laser beam welding systems. After a development period of just three years, the process was registered for a patent. The development of...
Ophir's new IS1.5-VIS-FPD800 offers several advantages for measuring VCSEL's in a single instrument:
Ophir's Centauri display can be used to log and analyze measurements at 10KHz either as a standalone meter, or using the StarLab PC software...
Five crucial questions to ask when developing a measurement strategy
Is additive manufacturing ready for mass-production? The answer really boils down to reproducibility. When it comes to selective laser melting, both the manufacturers of the laser systems and the users thereof have recognized that the constancy of the laser parameters is of great importance in the production process. But is it possible to test this quickly and cost-effectively during operation? Learn how measuring the laser power is a good indicator of changes...
IR laser technology from Scanovis revolutionizes forensics; Ophir measurement technology simplifies adjustment of the optics.
According to the developers at Scanovis – a start-up company based in Koblenz – brushes, powder and chemicals will soon be tools of the past for securing evidence at crime scenes. The company has developed a laser-based solution that, among other things, uses IR laser radiation to detect fingerprints at the scene of a crime, quickly making them visible...
Optimizing and controlling laser processes right from the start
Automakers are investing heavily in electric cars: major investments that come with major challenges. But those who plan strategically and integrate the latest technologies directly into their production processes will not only save in the long term but also ensure both battery quality and safe vehicle operation. New manufacturing concepts and the technologies of e-...
There is little debate about how Additive Manufacturing is adding benefits and changing the face of manufacturing in our modern age. Additive Manufacturing allows for the manufacturing of more customized parts, using more specialized materials, and will eventually create a more localized, rapid, and agile distribution network than what have been used to.
But use of the technology associated with Additive Manufacturing does not come without challenges. The investment into Additive...
Background
High power laser application has significantly increased in recent years due to new production techniques that enable cheaper manufacturing and operating costs. Applications of high-power lasers that seemed exotic a few years ago are now considered routine in material processing and micromachining.
Such material processing applications as welding, cutting, additive manufacturing, marking, and engraving are now performed using lasers, enabling higher precision, faster rates, and increased variability....
Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT relies on BeamWatch AM in laser beam melting (LBM) processes
The Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT has set a goal for itself to automate additive production and use this technology to manufacture the products of tomorrow in a resource-efficient manner. A consistently high level of quality in the manufactured components is decisive for whether the laser-based...