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17 Jun 2002
Diode-pumped solid-state lasers with powers of several kilowatts are now being manufactured, for industry, following research by Dieter Hoffman and colleagues at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology in Aachen, Germany.
Hoffman predicts that improved efficiency and beam quality will lead to the development of a single solid-state laser for both cutting and welding. "These systems are the first that can deliver higher power along a 300 micrometre fibre," he said. The increased intensity compared with traditional solid state lasers means that they can cut more quickly. Unlike CO2 lasers, the beam can be delivered along optical fibres, allowing robot operation.
The main challenge for solid-state lasers is the light source used for pumping. Conventional lamps consume a great deal of power, so require expensive cooling systems. Hoffman said that the new solid-state lasers, pumped by diode lasers, are between three and five times more efficient. Diode-pumped lasers also have a much longer lifetime, typically up to ten or twenty thousand hours compared with a few hundred hours for lamps.
Rofin-Sinar Laser GmbH, which worked with Fraunhofer on this project, now markets diode-pumped solid-state lasers with power outputs of 2.2 and 4 kilowatts. Hoffman says that powers of 5 kilowatts and greater have been achieved in the laboratory.
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