Presentation + Paper
22 February 2017 Concepts for laser beam parameter monitoring during industrial mass production
Nicholas J. Harrop, Otto Maerten, Stefan Wolf, Reinhard Kramer
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
In today’s industrial mass production, lasers have become an established tool for a variety of processes. As with any other tool, mechanical or otherwise, the laser and its ancillary components are prone to wear and ageing. Monitoring of these ageing processes at full operating power of an industrial laser is challenging for a range of reasons. Not only the damage threshold of the measurement device itself, but also cycle time constraints in industrial processing are just two of these challenges.

Power measurement, focus spot size or full beam caustic measurements are being implemented in industrial laser systems. The scope of the measurement and the amount of data collected is limited by the above mentioned cycle time, which in some cases can only be a few seconds.

For successful integration of these measurement systems into automated production lines, the devices must be equipped with standardized communication interfaces, enabling a feedback loop from the measurement device to the laser processing systems. If necessary these measurements can be performed before each cycle.

Power is determined with either static or dynamic calorimetry while camera and scanning systems are used for beam profile analysis. Power levels can be measured from 25W up to 20 kW, with focus spot sizes between 10μm and several millimeters. We will show, backed by relevant statistical data, that defects or contamination of the laser beam path can be detected with applied measurement systems, enabling a quality control chain to prevent process defects.
Conference Presentation
© (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Nicholas J. Harrop, Otto Maerten, Stefan Wolf, and Reinhard Kramer "Concepts for laser beam parameter monitoring during industrial mass production", Proc. SPIE 10097, High-Power Laser Materials Processing: Applications, Diagnostics, and Systems VI, 100970O (22 February 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2252173
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KEYWORDS
Calorimetry

Optical testing

Beam splitters

Head

Cameras

Imaging systems

Measurement devices

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