- News
19 March 2018
II-VI launches 1kW direct-diode laser engine
© Semiconductor Today Magazine / Juno PublishiPicture: Disco’s DAL7440 KABRA laser saw.
Engineered materials and optoelectronic component maker II-VI Inc of Saxonburg, PA, USA says that its DirectProcess 900 direct-diode laser engine is now available with 1kW continuous output power and network interfaces for Industry 4.0.
The growing number of applications in industrial materials processing (such as joining, cutting and hardening) is driving the demand for industrial lasers that are more energy and process efficient, says II-VI. The firm’s DirectProcess 900 leverages its in-house design and manufacturing expertise in diode lasers, high-power laser optics and laser light cables to achieve high wall-plug efficiency. Its beam uniformity and top-hat intensity profile, with a beam parameter product (BPP) of less than 8mm x mrad, enable cutting with smooth edges and welding with clean seams, greatly reducing or eliminating post-process steps on metals such as aluminum, copper and steel, the firm claims.
“The ability of the DirectProcess 900 to operate at an output power of 1kW while maintaining low BPP enables a broad range of processing applications on materials such as aluminum and steel, and on mixed materials such as copper-aluminum used in car batteries,” says Haro Fritsche, product line manager, II-VI DirectPhotonics. “The state-of-the-art management interface to our laser engines greatly simplifies system integration and control of key laser parameters, enabling our customers to leverage the full benefits of direct-diode laser processing.”
The DirectProcess 900 product platform can be programmed to perform precisely timed processes, and can be managed and diagnosed remotely through its TCP/IP or EtherCAT interfaces. II-VI says that its 1kW direct-diode laser engines are small, lightweight and only 2 RU (rack units) high, and can be deployed along with II-VI’s laser processing heads and laser light cables.