Wilmington, MA –TeraDiode, a leader in commercializing high-brightness direct-diode laser technology, has shipped the first 4kW high-brightness TeraBlade laser, doubling the power density of the direct-diode platform. This shipment ushers in the third generation of industrial lasers, opening applications that were cost-prohibitive for previous generations.
This TeraBlade 4kW direct-diode laser, with a 100µm output fiber, has a beam-parameter-product (BPP) of 4mm-mrad, with superior beam quality being developed. This value of BPP is needed for high-throughput cutting of steel over the range of thicknesses cut by laser cutters in job shops around the world. TeraDiode has already demonstrated cutting of 12.7mm mild steel with cut quality and speed comparable to disk and fiber lasers.
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 outstanding beam quality of this laser is based on new 1.2kW TeraBlade modules that are twice as powerful as earlier versions, with superior beam quality. These higher-brightness modules enable the platform to scale up to 10kW and serve a wide range of applications in the cutting and welding markets; such higher-brightness direct-diode lasers will be introduced in the coming quarters. The TeraBlade-4000 has a center wavelength of 970nm and a 100µm delivery fiber; versions are available with BPPs of under 4mm-mrad for cutting and under 6mm-mrad for remote welding.
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