4 kW Laser with Beam Quality for Cutting Steel

TeraDiode has shipped its first 4 kW high brightness TeraBlade laser, doubling the power density of the Direct Diode platform.

The TeraBlade 4 kW laser, with a 100 micron output fiber, has a beam-parameter-product (BPP) of 4 mm-mrad. According to the company, this value of BPP is needed for high throughput cutting of steel over the range of thicknesses cut by laser cutters. TeraDiode has already demonstrated cutting of 1/2" (12.7 mm) mild steel with cut quality and speed comparable to disk and fiber lasers.

"In the short time since our first industrial shipments, we doubled the power of our laser modules from 600 W to 1.2 kW," said Dr. Parviz Tayebati, CEO of TeraDiode. "These modules, which we use in our multi-kilowatt systems, reduce our production cost to just below that of the incumbents who have needed years of shipping in high volume to reach these levels. From here, increasing our production will accelerate further improvements to widen the gap in efficiency, reliability and cost of ownership over the incumbents."

According to the company, the TeraBlade platform benefits from a combination of economy of scale of semiconductor diode laser array chips and Wavelength Beam Combination (WBC), an MIT patented technology that enables the combination of energy from thousands of individual emitters into a single laser beam while preserving the beam quality needed for cutting and welding applications. "WBC is unique for its inherent capability to preserve the wall-plug efficiency of direct diode lasers while delivering the high brightness previously achieved only by lasers requiring more complicated gain/feedback architectures. The TeraBlade lasers shipped with wall-plug efficiencies of 40%, far surpassing first generation CO₂ and lamp pumped rod lasers that are approximately just 10% efficient as well as second generation diode pumped disk and fiber lasers that are roughly just three times more efficient than their predecessors," said a company spokesperson.

According to the company, the beam quality of the TeraBlade 4 kW laser is based on new 1.2 kW TeraBlade modules that are twice as powerful as earlier versions. These higher brightness modules are designed to enable the TeraBlade platform to scale up to 10 kW and serve a wide range of applications in the cutting and welding markets. The TeraBlade-4000 has a center wavelength of 970 nm and a 100-micron delivery fiber; versions are available with beam parameter products of under 4 mm-mrad for cutting and under 6 mm-mrad for remote welding. Its modular architecture is designed to make the TeraBlade platform field serviceable and scalable to higher powers.

For more information contact:

TeraDiode

30 Upton Drive

Wilmington, MA 01887

978-988-1040

www.teradiode.com