A schematic of Coherent's adjustable ring mode fibre and the five basic power patterns possible within the focused laser spot. (Image: Coherent)
Greg Blackman finds that being able to adjust the shape of the laser beam brings big benefits to both cutting and welding
This Lasea system uses two processing heads to direct two halves of a more powerful, single ultrafast pulse to the workpiece in order to increase processing throughput.
Matthew Dale explores the advantages of increasing the average power of ultrafast lasers, and discovers how this higher power can be delivered to the workpiece
Matthew Dale explores some of the latest technology for manipulating and measuring the beam, including a multi-spot optical module for laser brazing and a contactless beam analysis device
With new fibre delivery options now available, along with advances in scanning solutions, ultrafast lasers are becoming a much more practical tool for industrial machining, as Rachel Berkowitz discovers
Can beam focusing and scanning systems keep pace with new laser technologies such as ultrashot pulsed lasers, asks Beth Harlen
Now that more ultrafast lasers are entering the market with pulse durations as short as pico- or femtoseconds, can the scanning technology to deliver the beam to the workpiece keep up? Tom Eddershaw finds out
