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...
Background
When measuring average power using a photodiode detector such as PD300 or IS6-D-VIS, the maximum power or saturation power is determined by the maximal photocurrent that the photodiode can generate while still maintaining linearity. The saturation power is typically 3mW for a bare silicon photodiode. Adding attenuation in the form of a filter or through the use of an integrating sphere will naturally increase the saturation power of the sensor as a whole.
Recent...
Terahertz (THz) applications - till recently mainly still in the R&D phase - are beginning to emerge into the light of the commercial and industrial day. So is the need to measure these THz beams.
Ophir offers several solutions for THz measurement, including sensors for measuring low powers (down to nanowatts), high powers (up to 3W), as well as profiling THz beams. Let’s have a look at how we calibrate the 3A-P-THz and RM9-THz sensors
3A-P-THz
The...
Ophir BeamWatch Integrated - Surprisingly flexible
Does it make sense to use a laser measurement system with a laser that doesn’t fit the specification of the measurement device? Normally, we would answer this question with an emphatic “no”. Surprisingly, our customers, working with Ophir sales experts, discovered things are different with BeamWatch Integrated. At first, the goal of the Ophir BeamWatch non-contact measurement system was to measure Gaussian beam...
Measurement technology for lasers in medical applications
For any application, a focused laser beam should live up to previously defined specifications. But for medical technology, precise adherence to the parameters is of even greater importance. Both for regulatory and ethical reasons, the laser beam must be carefully tested throughout the entire value chain: from the development of the laser source to its application on the patient and/or production of medical products. Scrimping on...
In this Q&A with Mark Gitin, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Light & Motion Division of MKS Instruments, and Christian Dini, Director Global Business Development, Ophir, they discuss that, with lasers there will always be opportunities for improvement. Reliable technology for measuring the laser beam can really help with process optimization.
Q. This year, the Laser World of Photonics show will focus on lasers for industry 4.0. Where do you see the most...
Abstract
This document describes the inherent problems involved with measuring average power for low frequency pulsed laser sources, and describes the new “Low Freq. Power Mode” being offered on many Ophir devices and meters to solve these problems. It describes how to use the new mode and mentions some tips for obtaining best results.
Introduction:
VCSEL sources have become very popular in the last few years and are being used for many applications in...
Lasers are increasingly deployed in manufacturing applications, being pushed to higher and higher output powers and smaller and smaller beam sizes to work faster and with higher precision. Determining the beam profile at the beam focus of these lasers is critical to verify and improve manufacturing product quality. However, there are enormous challenges that must be overcome to capture the beam profiling data.
Consider profiling a 150 micron beam at focus from a 4 kW laser. The power per...
For many people, it isn't clear why there is a need for calibration of measurement equipment. These laser users are not fully aware what the calibration process entails and how it can save them money, time, and frustration.
Ophir's laser measurement products are used throughout the world in many different areas, from medical and scientific processes to defense and industrial applications. With each application there are different usage parameters. However, one thing that remains...
Interfaces for laser measurement technology
All the talk about digitization and ‘big data’ has made manufacturers aware of the increasing advantages of digitizing their production processes. Not only can it improve the quality of the products themselves, it can also significantly reduce downtimes and optimize production overall. At the heart of the matter is the collection and storage of measurement data during processing. As a producer of measurement technology for...
Messer Cutting Systems uses Ophir BeamWatch for non-contact measurement of the laser beam
Precise cuts, sophisticated component geometries, limited material melt – the advantages of laser cutting are numerous. And due to the steady increases in laser power, these advantages can now benefit a range of new applications: fusion cutting is more attractive for structural steel, and thinner materials can be cut significantly faster and more efficiently than ever. These advancements are...
Germany is said to be an automotive nation, but who can say whether e-mobility will ever establish a foothold here? Championed by politicians, contested by scientists – the future of the automobile is a subject of hot debate in Germany. In the meantime, China is leading the market for electric cars and US start-ups have completely changed the approach for building a car. Wherever the road will lead, one thing is for sure – the latest automotive manufacturing processes and e-mobility technologies are tightly linked to laser...
American author, engineer, entrepreneur, and consultant in performance improvement H. James Harrington has been credited as saying, “Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can't measure something, you can't understand it. If you can't understand it, you can't control it. If you can't control it, you can't improve it.”
Even though Harrington was speaking specifically of improving of the quality in a person’s work performance, the same is true for...
The Ophir Nova or Laserstar series power meters, along with the appropriate photodiode sensors, comprise optical instrumentation we use on a daily basis for technical support and calibration of police lidar devices.
With ever increasing frequency, police agencies throughout the world are enjoying the pinpoint accuracy and reliability of laser-equipped lidar instruments for vehicle speed enforcement. Crime scene and vehicle crash reconstruction can be more easily accomplished using these devices as accurate measuring tapes...
“The right tool for the right job” is a maxim many professionals use for selecting and using the correct tools for an exact application. Perhaps that is a good new year’s resolution if you do not already live by that rule. Ophir’s products are precision scientific instruments, with world-class acceptance, reliability, and accuracy. We seek to provide you the exact tool for your application and we help you maintain that tool for its lifetime. If you own a reliable sensor and meter that has lasted many years, we...
We recently came across an interesting customer problem, in which every time he disconnected the Fiber Optics connector from the adapter (that is mounted on the sensor) and then reconnected it, the power read about 50-100 uW higher than it did (nothing else changed). It then took about 10 minutes to slowly come back down to what it had been. After an investigation, we found that the increase in reading when disconnecting/reconnecting the fiber connector is a thermal effect, and not a technical flaw in the unit. If you experience something...
Recalibration and Repair is dedicated to improving processes and procedures to provide quality service to Ophir’s customers. The company is currently pursuing several objectives, including ISO 17025 international certification to signify competence in calibration laboratory techniques and certification documents.
Additionally, Recalibration and Repair has made great progress in cutting lead time, from a lead time of 25 days four years...
When we developed BeamWatch AM, we not only drew diagrams and thought about great features, we also talked to experienced manufacturers of selective laser melting (SLM) machines about issues they needed to address and parameters they were interested in. Bit by bit, we created a measuring device that is compact, fast, and delivers a precise view of the laser beam. During the final stage of development, the German Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies (IAPT), one of several beta sites, conducted a series of...
Lasers have been around for over 65 years. Since they were first conceived, many different industries and institutions have actively and routinely pursued ways of embedding these unique devices into various processes, systems, and end use applications. One of the greatest strengths that lasers have over standard processing tools and other light sources is their capability to accomplish exotic tasks that are beyond those of tradition tools.
Initially, lasers were somewhat simple devices...