Disk laser enables application advancements

Abstract

One of the newest laser technologies of note is the Yb:YAG disk laser, with commercial systems currently capable of delivering up to 1 kW of laser power through a 150-µm-diameter fiber. End users can expect to see 4-kW systems, such as the one shown by TRUMPF Inc. at IMTS 2004 in Chicago, by next year. The technology can offer both higher beam quality and improved electrical efficiency compared to lamp pumped rod Nd:YAG lasers. The higher beam quality allows higher energy densities, which in many applications translate directly into faster processing speeds and/or higher precision for both welding and cutting applications. As an example, cutting of 1-mm mild steel with the 1 kW disk laser was accomplished at nearly twice the speed achieved by a conventional 1 kW Nd:YAG lasers.One of the newest laser technologies of note is the Yb:YAG disk laser, with commercial systems currently capable of delivering up to 1 kW of laser power through a 150-µm-diameter fiber. End users can expect to see 4-kW systems, such as the one shown by TRUMPF Inc. at IMTS 2004 in Chicago, by next year. The technology can offer both higher beam quality and improved electrical efficiency compared to lamp pumped rod Nd:YAG lasers. The higher beam quality allows higher energy densities, which in many applications translate directly into faster processing speeds and/or higher precision for both welding and cutting applications. As an example, cutting of 1-mm mild steel with the 1 kW disk laser was accomplished at nearly twice the speed achieved by a conventional 1 kW Nd:YAG lasers.