Synrad Pulstar P100 Series, Руководство оператора, Страница: 50 / 110

technical reference
3
2 Synrad Pulstar p100 operator’s manual
Technical overview
The Technical overview section includes subsections:
■ Laser design
■ OEM p100 pulse performance
■ Optical setup
Laser design
The Pulstar p100 is a pulsed 100-watt laser based on SYNRAD’s popular ti-Series laser. While the average
power of the p100 is similar to the ti100 at 100 W, the p100’s pulsed output power can be as high as 400 W.
This high peak power in combination with a maximum duty cycle of 37.5% provides high-intensity, short
duration pulses that are excellent for minimizing the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) on many materials.
The p100 incorporates Pulstar’s patented “t” technology, based on a combination of free-space and wave-
guide resonator designs, which enables SYNRAD to economically produce a symmetrical laser beam from
a small but powerful laser capable of operating for many years with virtually no maintenance. Pulstar’s
unique extruded aluminum envelope offers excellent heat transfer, long gas life, and low operating costs in
contrast to other laser tube technologies. In addition to being the vessel that maintains the lasing environ-
ment, the aluminum tube is also the structural platform that integrates the laser’s optical, electrical, and
cooling components.
Optical resonator
The optical resonator, in conjunction with the electrodes and the gas mixture, generates the laser beam.
Pulstar p100 resonator is comprised of three optical elements: a front mirror, a rear mirror, and an output
window. These optical elements are fastened to the tube’s exterior and are exposed to its interior through
holes in the end caps. O-rings are sandwiched between optical elements and the end cap to form a gas seal
and to provide a flexible cushion that allows the slight movement necessary for alignment. All optical ele-
ments are aligned and locked into place by factory technicians before the laser is shipped.
The output beam, quite circular as it exits the resonator, transitions to a Gaussian-like mode in the far-field
region. The structure of the resonator and external beam conditioning optics combine to produce a near
Gaussian mode quality (M
2
factor) of < 1.2 with no side lobes. Beam waist diameter is approximately 5.6
mm at the output aperture and full-angle divergence due to diffraction is less than 3 milliradians (a 3 mrad
divergence means that beam diameter increases 3 mm over every one meter distance traveled).
RF and control circuitry
The p100 is driven by two compact radio frequency (RF) power supplies mounted internally in the laser
chassis. The 48 VDC input voltage is converted into a high-power RF signal using an RF power oscillator.
The output from the RF oscillator (nominally at 83.5 MHz) drives the laser directly by exciting carbon
dioxide (CO
2
) gas in the tube to produce lasing.
Control circuitry built into the laser interrupts operation if any critical parameter is violated. Switches
and sensors on the control board monitor various conditions and parameters that, if exceeded, pose a risk
of potential damage to the laser. Additionally, laser operation is interrupted in response to the following
conditions: (1) the
Shutter Open Request input signal is missing; (2) an over temperature condition oc-
curs; (3) the Remote Reset/Start Request input signal is enabled; (4) the Remote Interlock input signal
is missing; or (5) any fault is present.