The new DPSS laser provides continuous wave (CW) output at 266nm. Christened the VERVE this laser utilises the company’s next generation laser technology which provides for significant second harmonic conversion efficiency improvements over traditional architectures. The technology works by employing a dual cavity impedance matched design to ensure that fundamental wavelength generation is maximised at all times resulting in a quadratic increase in second harmonic generation. In fact to produce 266nm the same principles are utilised to ensure further enhancement of the fourth harmonic generation. A further cavity is employed thereby ensuring that impedance parameters are matched right through the frequency conversion chain.

The result is the world’s smallest 100mW laser with massively reduced power consumption and minimal heat generation. The VERVE requires no water cooling and now that the thermal management issues common with other formats are negated, the laser remains mechanically stable throughout operation ensuring the beam pointing stability is maintained to better than 10µrad/°C. Thanks to the miniaturised cavity the UV optics can be vacuum sealed for life in a nitrogen atmosphere so there is no need to provide a re-circulating nitrogen purge thus significantly reducing the cost of ownership and implementation.

In common with all other KLASTECH lasers the VERVE exhibits silent running (<0.5% rms noise), provides diffraction limited output beams with M2 better than 1.05, achieves long term power stability of <2% and as with all lasers based on the company’s new proprietary laser technology, produces inherently Pitch Perfect single frequency performance with a line width less than 1MHz.

Currently the company is taking advance orders for 25, 50 and 100mW versions with higher powers planned for 2010.

Applications include semiconductor inspection and UV spectroscopy.

For more information, visit www.klastech.com/verve

SOURCE: KLASTECH-Karpushko Laser Technologies

A line of ultra-low absorption CO₂ laser lenses that run cooler than standard lenses to protect against thermal damage and provide focal length stability is available from Laser Research Optics of Providence, Rhode Island.

Laser Research Cool-Cut CO₂ Laser Lenses feature a proprietary coating that absorbs <0.15% of laser energy to run cooler and provide focal length stability to assure consistent quality cuts. Less prone to thermal damage, they are offered in 1″ to 2″ dia. sizes from 0.236″ to 0.380″ thick with focal lengths from 1″ to 25″ in 0.5″ increments.

Designed to run cooler and last longer than standard A/R coated lenses, Laser Research Cool-Cut CO₂ Laser Lenses are direct replacements for most standard OEM lenses. Surface quality is 40-20 scratch-dig and transmission is >99.0% at 10.6 µm.

Laser Research Cool-Cut CO₂ Laser Lenses are priced according to size and quantity. Literature and price quotations are available upon request.

SOURCE: Laser Research Optics

The system was electrically powered, and Raytheon said it offers the military a very cost-efficient and nearly unlimited “magazine” for shooting down things like threatening UAVs, or perhaps airplanes. “Once development is completed,” Raytheon said in a release, “the Laser Area Weapon System will give the warfighter a speed-of-light solution for defeating rockets, mortars, UAVs, and other targets.”

It appears that the defense giant wants to play a dominant role in the U.S. Army’s Common Infrared Countermeasures competition. Raytheon Missile Systems has built a weapon known as Scorpion for the competition. Scorpion is expected to feature Raytheon’s directed infrared countermeasures turret and a rugged quantum cascade laser. “Scorpion will be a light-weight, low-cost, highly reliable, laser-based infrared countermeasures solution against current and future IR-guided threat missiles,” the company said.

CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman was visiting with Raytheon as part of Road Trip 2010 when word of the test came out.

Click here to read the related story on Raytheon’s laser weapon, and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.

From what I understand, Apple’s going to be offering customers the option to get their iPads engraved just before the Holidays roll around.

The company didn’t offer that option from the onset due to high demand for iPads and possible slow-downs in production, Erictric wrote. This piece is interesting because it might indicate a possible engraving option for Apple’s other aluminum-clad gadgets, like the unibody Mac mini and – why not – MacBooks.

The Duo fits on a desktop and is now encased in a durable monocoque design with easy access panels. It features a color touch screen control pendant with job preview, pan and zoom, a sturdy four-point leadscrew/rail table mount, 4 ¾” to 6 ¾” of z axis clearance (varies with lens choice and diamond drag), an optional cylindrical attachment, our patent pending dual laser and diamond drag capable motion system, a rigid, extruded x-axis with polymer bearings, and 75 inches per second raster engraving capability. Each system will ship with a copy of XGW-32 professional engraving application software which enables laser raster, laser vector, and diamond drag engraving all in the same job. In addition, a laser print driver will be available for use with third party design software such as CorelDraw®. The Duo is available with 30/35 watt and 40/45 watt CO2 laser tubes.

“In our discussions with customers a common theme has emerged – users want the capability to engrave, cut, and mark more materials with one machine and ensure the highest productivity in the process. The Duo addresses that need more than any other system available to our industry by combining the capability of two machines, two technologies into one,” stated Xenetech President Guy Barone. “Certainly this has been the trend in many technology applications that we benefit from today – cell phones/internet/e-mail devices; copiers/scanners/fax systems; and now a laser/diamond drag engraving and cutting system.”

The Duo provides engravers with maximum flexibility to respond to customer and production demands. Users have the ability to switch from laser engraving to diamond drag engraving in seconds for dedicated laser or diamond drag work. In addition, the system can produce both forms of engraving in the same job, on the same material, creating a unique engraved finish not matched by competitors.

For comparable and competitively-priced products to Xenetech, visit Vytek Laser Systems. Their superior quality in laser engraving products are guaranteed to win you over.

Several enhancements were developed for the 2010 release as compared to laser cutting systems previously available from Eastman (circa 1995). Eastman’s Buffalo-based engineering team has designed a dual configuration laser system equipped with a three-tool cutting head. The availability of a laser plus three tool spindles is the first system of its kind to enter the market; this technology will minimize any associated switchover time between material cutting requirements. Laser cutting is beneficial for fabrics that require fused edges to prevent fraying. The dual laser and blade cutting system will provide unprecedented opportunities to Eastman customers, allowing them cutting capabilities for a greater variety of materials and applications.

The tool head features a 200 watt gas assist laser (100 watt optional) and three individually aligned and calibrated tool spindles that may be equipped with any combination of rotary and straight knife blades, notches or punches. The tool head is also equipped with a pneumatic pen/marker holder for labeling pieces. Other new features include an industrial size fume extractor to ensure purified air in the workplace; an on-board chiller; touch screen operator control; linear rack and rail drive system; and a diagnostic control cabinet.

Vytek Laser Systems answers the challenge with competitive rates on superior-quality laser engraving machines for industrial strength, large-scale cutting, marking and engraving tasks.

Leading the pack in innovation in the field of laser engraving, Vytek Laser Systems is currently wowing the world of laser technology with rapid acceleration engravers aimed t efficiency and ultimate utility.

The micromachining workstation can be customized with different lasers to perform surface and volume patterning in semiconductors, dielectrics, and biocompatible materials. The workstation configuration includes high precision linear stages which allow laser direct-writing with sub-micron resolution. This solution is primarily designed for prototyping of complex 2- and 3-dimensional microstructures in diverse fields such as photonics, microelectronics, and tissue engineering.

In other laser engraving news, the ALL NEW Vytek FX3 series gantry based laser engraving and cutting system can achieve speeds exceeding 100 IPS at accelerations greater than 10 Gs!  While other manufacturers have claimed speeds of 100 IPS, what they lack is rapid acceleration.  Vytek has combined high speed with high acceleration which results in much greater throughput for the end user, especially when running smaller jobs.

The British PR office for Kellogg’s claimed on its Twitter feed today that it has succeeded in etching its brand into individual corn flakes so they stand out against any copies.

“Now you’ll always be able to tell your Corn Flakes from your corn fakes!” Kellogg’s UK announced on Twitter, with a link to an image of branded cereal.

Kellogg’s claims the image, which looks like a badly doctored photograph, shows the result of a laser process that directs a concentrated beam of light onto the flake, using mirrors to control the burn.

The UK’s Daily Telegraph today quoted a food technologist named as Helen Lyons as saying: “We want shoppers to be under absolutely no illusion that Kellogg’s does not make cereal for anyone else.

“We’ve established that it is possible to apply a logo or image onto food, now we need to see if there is a way of repeating it on large quantities of our cereal,” Ms Lyons said.

“We’re constantly looking at new ways to reaffirm this and giving our golden flakes of corn an official stamp of approval could be the answer.”

Laser-etching has been used to customize gadgets, create artworks and – in one dangerous experiment – tattoo a teenager’s arm.

In 2005, Time magazine recognized Greg Drouillard for his invention of fruit tattoos, which was being tested at the time.

Mr Drouillard, a researcher for Sunkist Growers, says the laser essentially cauterizes the burn on the food to stop it from spoiling.

UPDATE: Kellogg’s confirms laser-etched cornflakes are real – but not in Australia.

Click here for more info on laser engraving.

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