Coherent has introduced a fibre-to-fibre coupler and RQB fibre optic cables. The fibre optic cables are air-cooled with a standard QBH interface, for use with fibre lasers operating at CW power levels up to 1.5kW, and pulsed lasers as high as 1MW.
The cables are an attractive option for cost sensitive applications, and also enhance system simplicity when used with air-cooled fibre lasers.
RQB fibre optic cables incorporate quartz block technology, which enables the use of anti-reflection coatings to reduce overall losses to less than 3 per cent. Additionally, these cables feature a mode stripper to prevent unwanted back reflections or pump light from propagating in the cladding, as well as an integrated thermoswitch in the connector to protect against overheating. They also include a safety interlock that monitors the status of the fibre.
RQB cables are available with core diameters from 50µm to 1,000µm, a 0.20 numerical aperture, in lengths of 5m to 200m.
The new fibre-to-fibre (FFC) coupler enables the use of replaceable, process fibre optic cables so that integral components of the fibre laser – most notably the feeding fibre – are not exposed to opto-mechanical damage, even in harsh industrial processes.
The FFC is an eye-safe, stand-alone, water-cooled photonic component that handles laser power levels of 12kW. A range of options enables coupling between fibres of different core diameters, as well as commonly used connector interfaces (QB, QD and Q5).
Coherent has also introduced the Avia LX 355-20, a q-switched, diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser delivering 20W, at 50kHz repetition rate, at 355nm. The laser has an expected lifetime of 20,000 hours.