Ophir Photonics has released the 100K-W laser power meter, the newest addition to the company's line of very high power laser sensors. The first commercial sensor for measuring very high power 100kW lasers, the 100K-W meter is designed for fibre lasers used in industrial material processing, such as thermal ablation, heavy-section welding, and metal forming, as well as military directed-energy applications.
Nadex Laser R&D Center recently successfully tested the 100K-W at up to 100kW on a fibre laser mounted on a robot arm.
The power meter measures high power beams at a distance past the focal spot of the laser or, alternatively, at a distance from the diverging fibre output where the beam has expanded to about 100mm diameter.
A reflective cone in the meter deflects the laser beam onto the inner circumference of the sensor. This increases the radiated area and reduces the power density to manageable levels. As the cone dissipates the beam, it captures more than 99 per cent of the radiation, minimising safety hazards. The response time of the 100K-W is less than 1 minute, a fraction of the time required by custom, non-commercial systems.
The meter is a compact, portable unit. It consists of a beam dump with overall dimensions of about 50 x 50cm, and a water flow power measurement unit of 11 x 15 x 34cm. The meter connects to a PC via RS-232 and is provided with software that displays and graphs the power and water flow rate. A smart connector output displays power readings on any of Ophir's smart displays.