Terahertz (=THz) radiation is electromagnetic radiation located between the low-frequency far-infrared and the high-frequency microwave parts of the spectrum (from 0.3 to 3 x 1012 Hz, with a wavelength from 10 micrometers to 1 mm). THz radiation is unique because it combines useful properties of both radio waves and infrared waves. THz radiation can be…
2021 presented us with many challenges; now it is time for us to say – “Thank you” .Many of you participated in our online webinars, read our content, and stayed connected with us in many ways. With this Best of Laser Measurement 2021 blog post, we have collected the content that attracted the most interest from our…
The Focal Length Divergence measurement method is based upon the beam width of a focused beam’s spot size and the focal length of the focusing optic. The Focal Length Divergence method provides a means for finding the far-field beam divergence at any point in the beam propagation path. As shown below, the calculation performed by the BeamGage® software…
Additive manufacturing (AM), including selective laser melting (SLM) and 3D printing, relies on its laser source to properly manufacture 3D-printed parts. The laser is at once the most essential element of the system, and the most vulnerable to degradation. Here are some of the malfunctions that can occur with an unmonitored laser system: Optical pass…
A year ago, Ophir introduced a new product for wide and divergent beams, the Wide Beam Imager. Now Ophir is releasing evolutionary product a new version, designated for SWIR range of 900-1700nm, especially for the popular Eye Safe 1550 nm used in: Data Telecommunication Automotive Remote sensing Face and gesture recognition The new WB-I accessory…
When measuring your laser beam profile, you expect the measurement to be accurate, so it can be frustrating to see artifacts that are clearly not right. Before discussing how to fix it, or even when and why it happens, let’s explain what exactly bloom and smear are. What do blooming and smearing look like? Bloom…
High pressure vessels (over 100 PSI) have high quality standards for their structural integrity, for obvious reasons. Weld points can often pose a critical failure, so these especially must be tested to withstand the high pressure of gas that the container will be used for. Remote laser welding stations typically use multimode, multi-kilowatt fiber lasers…
Is your laser’s focal spot where you think it is? The following video shows the focal shift of a 100Kw laser during the first four seconds of startup using BeamWatch, Ophir’s non-contact high power beam analyzer. Contact us
The development of remote material processing techniques requires increasing the accuracy of the process to permit creating smaller features. Laser systems, used for various industrial applications like material processing and micromachining, require small focal spots and at the same time, greater focal lengths. Small focal spots and greater focal lengths at the same time To…
Ophir’s BeamSquared Beam Propagation Analyzer is a compact tool that can scan a laser beam and give you the main beam parameters, for both continuous-wave and pulsed lasers. You can select whether to make the measurements manually or automatically. In Automatic mode, it can give you the beam’s characteristics for the minimal 11 points, as…
The R&D lab of a large jet engine manufacturer uses a laser welding cell in order to test and develop new laser processes. They needed a solution to ensure the laser remained stable and of the best possible quality. Their lab has two main lasers, both in the near-IR (1 μm). One is a multimode…
The following video describes the basics of laser beam profiling. Learn how to measure your laser beam, find out which different shapes of “beam profile” or spatial energy distribution are required for different laser applications, such as welding and cutting and check out the impact that laser beam diameter has on laser power density. The…