5X FASTER LASER MEASUREMENTS
The new Coherent PM10K+ laser sensor dramatically speeds up power measurements of industrial lasers up to 10 kW.
April 26, 2024 by Coherent
High-power laser technology is constantly evolving, with average powers significantly increasing for welding, cutting, and cladding applications to expand the envelope of capabilities. At these high-power levels, verifying that a laser has delivered the expected power is critical to avoid scrap and improve yield. Enter the Coherent PM10K+ high-power laser sensor, a revolutionary new tool designed to tackle the challenges of measuring CW lasers up to 10kW, and intermittently to 12kW.
Fast, Accurate, and Flexible
The Coherent PM10K+ laser power sensor solves many of the challenges facing high-power measurement, including:
- High-speed measurements that maximize laser uptime.
Laser interlocks that shut the laser down if excess power is used, the supply water is overheating, or there is a low-flow condition. The benefit: Preventing damage and, more importantly, avoiding potentially lengthy repairs.
A large active area -- 65 x 65 mm (2.5” x 2.5”) -- that avoids clipping
Easy secure fixturing for consistent beam centering.
Compatibility with various flow rates and supply diameters.
CO2, disk, and fiber laser compatibility.
A full range of support for data connectivity protocols and options.
New Technology Enables High-Speed Measurement
The Coherent PM10K+ laser power sensor overcomes the limitations of previous sensors by employing our own novel technology. This speeds up the measurement process by 5X. Now, power measurements that required 15 seconds can be completed in under 3 seconds.
Modern laser power meters, like the Coherent LabMax Touch Pro, extend functionality to data logging and sophisticated analysis functions.
How did we achieve this breakthrough? Like all thermopile and calorimeter sensors traditionally used for multi-kW lasers, the PM10K+ relies on detecting temperature changes caused by absorbing the laser light, and then converting this signal into a calibrated power reading.
The heart of the detector is its heatsink that must dissipate the heat generated by the laser beam to the cooling water as quickly, efficiently, and predictably as possible.
We leveraged our extensive expertise in thermal management to essentially reinvent the detector heat sink. Our innovative design integrates highly responsive temperature sensors, and its effectiveness is amplified by our proprietary algorithms for thermal modeling, fluid dynamics, and data processing.
We’ve mated this inherently faster detector architecture with a sensor that utilizes our own ultra-broadband absorptive coating. This coating has proven itself accurate and reliable on generations of Coherent high-power laser sensors in the past.
The result is a sensor that covers a spectral range from 190 nm to 11 µm. This makes it suitable for a wide array of high-power sources including fiber, diode, and CO₂ lasers. And this broad spectrum is further enhanced by spectral compensation for each laser type and optical calibration at 1070 nm, ensuring NIST traceability and unparalleled accuracy across its operating range.
Advances in understanding the thermal dynamics of water flowing through curved channels were key to creating a faster high-power laser sensor.
The Next Generation of Laser Sensors
The Coherent PM10K+ is the next-generation power sensor that offers fast, accurate, and reliable measurements of multi-kW lasers across a wide spectral range, alongside user-friendly features and robust safety mechanisms, the PM10K+ sets a new standard in high-power laser power sensing technology.
Learn more about the Coherent PM10K+ laser sensor.
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