Ophir Photonics Enhances Camera And Optics For BeamWatch, Industry's First Non-Contact Industrial Beam Monitoring System

Ophir Photonics, global leader in precision laser measurement equipment and a Newport Corporation brand, recently announced BeamWatch 1.2, the next version of the industry's first non-contact, focus spot size and position monitor for very high power YAG and fiber lasers. Designed for material processing applications, BeamWatch now features a new, higher sensitivity camera that allows for increased accuracy at lower power levels. In addition, a new telecentric lens provides a larger depth of field; this means the system provides the same accurate measurements while being more forgiving of beam position.

"BeamWatch leverages disruptive technology to characterize critical beam measurements in real-time, such as focus size and distance, M2, and beam propagation parameter," said Gary Wagner, General Manager (U.S.), Ophir Photonics. "Since measurements are being made in real-time, you can now measure and characterize focus shift during the critical start-up phase of your process. There is no contact with the laser beam because measurements are made of the Rayleigh scatter caused by the beam. Conventional measurement systems place a probe in the beam, causing potential damage and slowing the measurement process. It could take up to two minutes to gather data and characterize the beam versus instant focus spot size measurements in millisecond intervals with BeamWatch."

BeamWatch is the industry's first laser monitoring system to instantly and accurately measure laser parameters without requiring contact with the laser beam. Lasers can now be monitored at frequent intervals without having to shut down the process or remove tooling and fixtures to gain access. BeamWatch monitors high power YAG, disc, fiber, and diode lasers in the 980-1080nm range and measures focal spot location at 60ms intervals to indicate whether focal spot shifts are occurring during critical start-up moments.

BeamWatch includes the tools to implement an Automation Server written in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), C/C++, or ActiveX applications, such as LabVIEW or Microsoft Excel.

BeamWatch can be run in Technician Mode, where access is provided to the tools needed for start-up and advanced beam diagnostics, such as optimizing measurement parameters or establishing pass/fail criteria. In Operator Mode, the run-time interface displays measurements at video rates. Graphic displays help operators quickly understand the status of the laser's performance without having to interact with the laser or the monitoring system.

Availability & Pricing
BeamWatch is available now. Pricing is available on request. The BeamWatch data sheet can be viewed at:http://bit.ly/1afBdQF

About Ophir Photonics
With over 30 years of experience, Ophir Photonics, a Newport Corporation brand, provides a complete line of instrumentation including power and energy meters, beam profilers, spectrum analyzers, and goniometric radiometers. Dedicated to continuous innovation in laser measurement, the company holds a number of patents, including the R&D 100 award-winning BeamTrack power/position/size meters and Spiricon's Ultracal, the baseline correction algorithm that helped establish the ISO 11146-3 standard for beam measurement accuracy. The Photon family of products includesNanoScan scanning-slit technology, which is capable of measuring beam size and position to sub-micron resolution. The company is ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited for calibration of laser measurement instruments. Their modular, customizable solutions serve manufacturing, medical, military, and research industries throughout the world. For more information, visit http://www.ophiropt.com/photonics