OPTICS | LIMO Wide Angle Diffuser
Designed for automotive lidar and 3D sensing applications, the LIMO wide-angle diffuser is a glass refractive optical element that combines complex refractive surface geometries and polished surface quality to disperse laser light in one direction. With a second functional surface, light can also be shaped at any angle in the other direction. The wide-angle diffuser is suitable for a variety of laser sources, including collimated, less collimated, diverging, or laser array, which could generate a precise top-hat or gradient farfield intensity profile, even up to 160° FOV angle. Non-symmetric farfield distribution is also possible. Focuslight Technologies (Xi'an, China; focuslight.com)
TEST & MEASUREMENT | HP-BLU series wireless detectors for high-power lasers
The HP-BLU series wireless detectors for high-power lasers for laser power measurement up to 15 kW integrate a wireless data-transfer module that allows for remote monitoring at up to 30 m from the detector and is battery-operated to reduce cabling. They are available off-the-shelf in three power levels: 4 kW, 12 kW, and 15 kW, with custom models available up to 100 kW. With wireless output, high-power measurements in enclosures or hard-to-reach areas are less cumbersome. Proprietary optical absorbers have very high damage thresholds, allowing for continuous operation at maximum power, even for long-term monitoring. Gentec-EO (Québec City, QC, Canada; gentec-eo.com)
LASERS & SOURCES | Colibri Hi-power 1.5 µm Laser
The Colibri HP 1.5 µm (Q-switched) laser has a low repetition rate of 100 Hz, but high pulse energy of 300 µJ with excellent beam quality. Proprietary technology enables an entirely new level of performance at 1.5 µm wavelength within an ultra-miniature size of 16 × 25 mm. The balance between size, performance, and cost has allowed companies to create completely unique designs for long-distance range finding and mapping. Furthermore, the extremely low cost at high-volume production allows the Colibri HP to fill a gap in the marketplace for these special applications. Hitronics Technologies (Milpitas, CA; hi-tronics.com)
APPLICATIONS & CASE STUDIES | Super-fast Ultra-strong Laser Welding Process and System for Aluminum Alloys
This newly developed laser welding solution enables new products and cost efficiencies in existing aluminum-based products by producing porosity- and oxidation-free aluminum welds at ambient temperature without a shield gas. Not only does the process achieve higher joint strength than joints made using self-piercing rivets and flow-drilling screws, it also suppresses the formation of porosity and cracking in aluminum welds and significantly improves the surface quality. This newly developed laser welding technique has improved manufacturing flexibility and reduced costs in Cadillac CT-6’s door fabrication. Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (Shanghai, China; english.siom.cas.cn)
TEST & MEASUREMENT | Laserlux G7 Vision Mobile Retroreflectometer
The Laserlux G7 Vision bridges the gap between automotive and infrastructure industries, expanding photonics to new emerging markets by providing numerical values to stripe performance, and improving the quality of the roadway and airfield infrastructure, making them safer for all users. Through a small investment that pays for itself very quickly, and with the speed and efficiency at which it can collect data over an entire roadway or airfield network, this product helps create and maintain high-quality transportation infrastructure with well defined, visible road stripes. Gamma Scientific (San Diego, CA; gamma-sci.com)