Measuring high power lasers in industrial automation

1st June 2016

Nat Bowers

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Datasheet

Designed for measuring high power lasers in industrial processing applications, a compact laser power meter has been announced by Ophir Photonics Group. The Helios measures high power solid state lasers, such as diode, fibre and Nd:YAG lasers, with powers from 100W to 12kW and energies from 10J to 10kJ.

For ease of integration into industrial automation networks, the power meter includes easy-to-use PC software and communicates via PROFINET industrial Ethernet and RS232 serial communications.

The Helios operates by measuring the power, energy and exposure time of a short 0.1 to 10s exposure to the high power laser and then calculating power. By keeping the pulse energy under 10kJ, there is no need for water or fan cooling. This results in a convenient, compact design. The Helios has a high damage threshold of over 6kW/cm², a fast 2s response time and short 10s wait between pulse measurements.

Ephraim Greenfield, CTO, Ophir Photonics, commented: "It's challenging to work with high power lasers, from juggling many parameters to finding ways to handle the varying quality of the focal spot due to excessive heat generation. The Helios delivers unrivalled technical features, including high accuracy, high repeatability and a fast response time, all without water or fan cooling."

The Helios is housed in a dust-resistant industrial enclosure to keep the power meter in clean working order, even under harsh factory conditions. The sensor's cover can be opened and closed remotely, protecting the optics and electronics when not in use.