Bank notes opening with laser display

Feb. 1, 1997
A powerful green-emitting solid-state laser was the light source for a display that marked the official opening of the Co-operative Bank?s new phone banking center in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The center is housed in a 120-ft-high blue-glass pyramid.

A powerful green-emitting solid-state laser was the light source for a display that marked the official opening of the Co-operative Banks new phone banking center in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The center is housed in a 120-ft-high blue-glass pyramid.

The laser display system, which was on the pyramid until early January 1997, was supplied by the Definitive Laser Co. (Hatfield, England) and is based on the 40-W green output of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Supplied to the systems company by a US manufacturer, the laser is claimed to be the most powerful display laser currently in the UK. The display is visible for up to 12 miles.

Installation of this system required safety clearances from many local regulatory bodies. Because of the proximity of the motorway and the airport we had to clear this with the police, the motorway police, the highways agencies and the Civil Aviation Authority, said Definitives Julie Davies.

Co-operative Bank managing director Terry Thomas said, The pyramid is a very special building so we wanted to do something different to mark the official opening. We hope the laser, which is an unusual Christmas illumination, will be seen as our gift to the people of Stockport for their support in helping us set up our second call center.

About the Author

Bridget Marx | Contributing Editor, UK

Bridget Marx was Contributing Editor, UK for Laser Focus World.

Sponsored Recommendations

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) electrode manufacturing

Jan. 31, 2025
Learn how an industry-leading Brain Computer Interface Electrode (BCI) manufacturer used precision laser micromachining to produce high-density neural microelectrode arrays.

Electro-Optic Sensor and System Performance Verification with Motion Systems

Jan. 31, 2025
To learn how to use motion control equipment for electro-optic sensor testing, click here to read our whitepaper!

How nanopositioning helped achieve fusion ignition

Jan. 31, 2025
In December 2022, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved fusion ignition. Learn how Aerotech nanopositioning contributed to this...

Nanometer Scale Industrial Automation for Optical Device Manufacturing

Jan. 31, 2025
In optical device manufacturing, choosing automation technologies at the R&D level that are also suitable for production environments is critical to bringing new devices to market...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!