TruDiode: Highest efficiency and brilliance for keyhole welding

Abstract

Emerging high brightness laser diode emitter make the realization of industrial high power Direct diode laser systems possible where the power from the diode is used directly for materials processing instead of pumping an intermediate media.A significant increase in system wall-plug efficiency with outstanding beam quality distinguishes these systems from conventional laser systems. Deployable power levels are reaching > 10 W per broad area emitter resulting in brightness levels of > 60 MW/cm2str on the emitter level. Advanced fiber coupling techniques at TRUMPF have allowed 100 watts of power out of an optical fiber with a diameter of 100 µm, a divergence less than 120 mrad and a beam parameter product, BPP, of less than 6 mm*mrad. Furthermore, as reliability is always considered to be a primary design focus, the high brightness diodes are mounted with hard-solders and are passively cooled. The passively cooled modules form the basic building block for the series of direct diode lasers, the TruDiode, which allow achievements in the kilowatt arena with a high beam quality. Results of the fiber coupled diodes are discussed as well as system architecture for power scaling.Emerging high brightness laser diode emitter make the realization of industrial high power Direct diode laser systems possible where the power from the diode is used directly for materials processing instead of pumping an intermediate media.A significant increase in system wall-plug efficiency with outstanding beam quality distinguishes these systems from conventional laser systems. Deployable power levels are reaching > 10 W per broad area emitter resulting in brightness levels of > 60 MW/cm2str on the emitter level. Advanced fiber coupling techniques at TRUMPF have allowed 100 watts of power out of an optical fiber with a diameter of 100 µm, a divergence less than 120 mrad and a beam parameter product, BPP, of less than 6 mm*mrad. Furthermore, as reliability is always considered to be a primary design focus, the high brightness diodes are mounted with hard-solders and are passively cooled. The passively cooled modules form the basic building block for the series of direct diode lasers, the TruDiode, whi...