Your Map to Laser Beam Profiling Accessories:Which Cameras Do They Work With?
Few lasers can be profiled directly with a camera. Attenuation is almost always a must. Sometimes you might need additional optics as well. I discussed how to determine what accessories you need and how to use them in a couple of other posts: ND filters Expanding optics Reducing optics But there’s another consideration I haven’t…
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What’s Harder to Measure:A Short Pulsed Laser or a CW Laser?
On the one hand, CW lasers will almost always have a higher average power. That means it’s harder for the power sensor head to cool down. This is not an issue with most short pulsed lasers. However, Contact us
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A Quick Guide to Profiling Small Laser Beams
When using a camera to profile your laser, it’s important to keep the ratio of laser size / pixel size higher than 20. Not only does this increase the resolution of your profile image, but it also makes your measurements more accurate. (If you have fewer than 20 pixels in your beam, the measurement accuracy…
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Cooling of OEM Sensors: Heat Sinking
Many of Ophir’s OEM power sensors have a maximum average power specification of “XX watts free standing, YY watts heat sinked.” In this video, you will learn some guidelines for making sure that a sensor has been provided with proper heat sinking so it does not get damaged. Contact us
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Do You Use a High Average Power Pulsed Laser?
The average powers of pulsed lasers are getting higher and higher these days. With IPG Photonics’ fiber lasers, Trumpf’s solid state lasers, and others, pulsed lasers can have average powers higher than 100 W. This can pose a challenge when you try to measure and monitor your laser beam, as very few pyroelectric energy sensors can…
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Laser Beam Profiler Attenuation: The Right Way and the Wrong Way
When you want to profile your laser, you’ll notice that CCD cameras are generally way too sensitive to use as is. I mean, try directing your laser at an unprotected CCD and see what happens. Contact us
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Effects of Incidence Angle on Measurements
Are you measuring a laser beam coming at an angle correctly? Ever wonder how your laser power measurements are affected by your beam’s angle of incidence? In this video, you will learn to what degree a beam’s incidence angle matters, and for which sensor types this should be taken into account. Contact us
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Laser Beam Too Big to Profile? Reduce It!
Ok, so obviously if your laser beam is too big you can just use a beam reducer to get it to fit into your camera. End of story, right? Well, not exactly. Contact us
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Laser Beam Dumps
Beam Dumps are used to safely absorb the unused part of a laser beam, protecting nearby personnel and equipment. In this video you will learn about Ophir’s range of Beam Dump solutions for various power levels. Contact us
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Laser Energy Sensor Specs: Step by Step
Finding the right sensor to measure your laser pulse energy can be daunting. It doesn’t help that measuring energy tends to be more complicated than measuring power. There are more parameters that need to be considered and this leads to more lines in the datasheet for each energy sensor. In this slideshow, I explain what…
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StarLite USB: Overview of Ophir’s newest meter
The new StarLite power/energy meter is an economical instrument that supports all our newest lines of standard sensors. This video shows you how easy it is to use. Contact us
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How to Profile Large, Small, and High Power Laser Beams
Don’t you wish there was a one size fits all beam profiler? I know I do. Problem is that the very thing that makes a beam profiler so perfect for one laser renders it useless for a different laser. At risk of overcomplicating matters, we like to provide our customers with maximum flexibility. So you…
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