Product Code: ICAL07_502

High Power Diode Lasers for Industrial Applications
Authors:
Wolfgang Horn, DILAS Diodenlaser GmbH; Mainz Germany
Presented at ICALEO 2007

New wavelengths, high brightness and increasing reliability are breaking new ground for diode lasers. The higher brightness allows direct fibre coupling of several 100 W in 200 μm and 400 μm fibres and therefore the pumping of fibre lasers. Such high power fibre coupled laser diodes combined with fast beam deflection units (Galvo Scanners) have been implemented in industrial processes and used for quasi-simultaneous welding of polymers, heat treatment in the sub millimetre range or selective soldering in solar cell production. Available as modules or as turn-key systems, featuring the laser module and all its supply and control units in a 19 rack mountable chassis, such devices become more compact and easy to integrate. The usage of conduction cooled laser diodes increases the typical lifetimes significantly. Life tests in pulsed and cw mode show over 20 Mega shots respectively over 15.000 h with minimal degradation. Depending on the operating conditions, such diode lasers have proven to run for several years in production nearly free of maintenance. Besides pumping of solid state lasers high power diode lasers become more and more a competitive tool for many applications in material processing.