The drive for higher laser powers had led to higher processing efficiency from the laser, said Gary Wagner, President of Ophir-Spiricon, Inc. But powers over 5KW at high power densities have been a challenge to measure due to the lack of technologies available to handle the power density. Indirect measurement methods, such as beam samplers, depend on the calibration accuracy of the beam splitter, which can change when exposed to very high power densities. Systems that use a rise in water temperature to gauge laser power are bulky, complicated to use, and have a slow response time.
The 10KW power/energy sensor uses a reflective cone to deflect the laser beam over the peripheral circumference of the sensor, stated Ephraim Greenfield, CTO, Laser Measurement Group, Ophir-Spiricon, Inc. This increases the radiated area and reduces the power density to manageable levels. The end result is a fast and accurate measurement for what had previously been difficult to read, and therefore, control.
The 10KW Power/Energy Sensor features Ophir Smart Connector technology that automatically configures and calibrates connected displays, including the company’s Orion PE, Nova, Nova II, Vega, LaserStar, USBI, Pulsar, and Quasar.