Ophir BeamWatch Plus
MKS Instruments has unveiled its new non-contact beam profiling system, the BeamWatch Plus, which the company claims is one of few industrial beam profilers that can accurately and quickly measure laser parameters without needing contact with the laser beam.
Key information:
- MKS Instruments has launched its non-contact beam profiling system, the BeamWatch Plus.
- The new system provides continuous measurements of laser parameters without touching the laser beam, providing beam position, focus spot size, and full beam caustic readings.
- BeamWatch Plus is said to be ideal for cutting and welding operations in automotive applications and material processing.
MKS Instruments' latest launch will provide measurements for focus shift, focus spot size, and position of high-power industrial lasers that operate in the NIR and VIS ranges. The system can measure high-power lasers in VIS wavelengths (420-635nm), NIR region (950-1100nm), as well as primarily blue and green lasers. BeamWatch Plus is designed for high-power diode, fibre, and YAG lasers, and said to be ideal for cutting and welding operations in automotive applications and material processing. For example, copper welding of battery cells and hairpin welding.
The technology provider’s latest product works by taking continuous measurements using the Rayleigh scatter caused by the beam. This provides readings of the beam position, focus spot size, and full beam caustic, with measurements of the beam taken at frequent intervals with no interruptions or removal of tools needed. Additionally, dynamic measurements of the focal plane location can also be made during the start-up process.
"The measurement in BeamWatch Plus is not of the laser beam itself, but the Rayleigh scatter created by the beam as it travels through the instrument," said Reuven Silverman, General Manager of Ophir Photonics. "Because there is no contact with the laser beam, BeamWatch Plus has no power restrictions. It has been successfully used on high-power lasers with no upper power limit and tested up to 100kW. Conventional beam measurement systems place a probe in the beam, causing potential damage and slowing the measurement process to as long as two minutes to gather data and characterise the beam. BeamWatch Plus provides instant readings of focus spot size and beam position, as well as dynamic measurements of focal plane location during process start-up."
The BeamWatch Plus is also said to promote reduced waste as it can make smaller, more precise cuts as it features high magnification optics that can measure beams with spot sizes down to 45µm. Focal spot locations can also be measured several times per second, and the system provides a dual-axis measurement which allows the user to view the laser beam from two orthogonal axes. The focal shift can be tracked along both axes, with measurements calculated on each of them providing more information on how the laser is operating.
Finally, the software can go on to analyse the images taken by the laser’s Rayleigh scatter in real-time, with the software also including Automation Control Interface for system integration. According to MKS Instruments, BeamWatch Plus software makes calculations of the beam waist position and size, divergence, focal shift, M2, and other quality parameters, that can be compared to pre-set ranges to provide Go/No-Go readouts. Which can lead to the laser user making accurate corrective actions.