Lastek: Photonics Technology Solutions

The modular concept of LaVision’sFlowMaster Underwater PIV systems allows a large variety of PIV imaging configurations for uncompromised performance. 2D-, Stereo- and Tomo-PIV measurements are realized using torpedo designs or compact vertical borescope setups. The submarine housings consist of high quality stainless steel tube components containing the remotely controlled PIV camera(s) and sheet optics. Hydrofoils cover the stiff vertical support tubes for minimum drag and wake. The laser and electronic components are accommodated in watertight housings mounted on the carriage above water level. The whole construction is CFD optimized and carefully tested up to a maximum towing speed of 7 m/s at a water depth of 1.5 m.

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New Corona™ fiber lasers™ fiber lasers from nLIGHT® feature programmable beam quality enabled by groundbreaking all-fiber technology. Rapid tuning of the fiber laser spot size optimizes machine tool performance across all metals and thicknesses. Corona enables the development of highly versatile machine tools so job shops and factories can truly "have it all". No longer must they choose between purchasing multiple tools, accepting compromised performance from existing tools, or using complex, expensive, and fragile free-space optical technologies.

With one Corona laser, users can rapidly select from high-intensity, small-spot-size beams to large, donut-shaped beams, and everything in between. This dramatic advance allows optimal thick and thin metal cutting, higher cutting speed and quality, and improved piercing and small-feature processing with the same tool. The unmatched performance and flexibility of Corona fiber lasers also negate the need for post processing, enabling factory automation and “lights out” operation. End users get the best of all worlds—the speed of high-power fiber lasers for thin metal processing, the quality of CO2 lasers for thick metal processing, and the high uptime and low operating costs of a fiber laser solution. 

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Clark-MXR would like to congratulate this year's Physics Nobel laureates, Professors Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland for their invention of Chirped pulse amplification and Professor Arthur Ashkin for optical tweezers.

For Clark-MXR, this is a joyous occasion as Prof. Gerard Mourou is one of our co-founders and our CPA-Series laser, first introduced in 1992, is named after the Chirped Pulse Amplification technique for which Professors Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland have been honoured.

We congratulate all three recipients of the Physics Nobel prize and especially our co-founder, Prof. Gerard Mourou.

The M² value of a DPSS continuous wave laser has always been important in applications including optical trapping and Raman spectroscopy. In optical trapping, an M² value close to unity enables a high degree of position predictability and repeatability, whilst in Raman spectroscopy, it ensures a tightly focussed beam. In both applications, the data gathered is greatly improved from a laser with low M² value. Laser Quantum, on its continuous improvement programme, has reduced the M² value for its opus 1064, a laser commonly used in optical trapping, to <1.15. The opus 1064 offers up to 10 W of power and exceptional pointing and power stability. The reduction in the M² value has not compromised any of the specifications and serves to improve Laser Quantum’s offering to its customers.

The LaVision Phantom v2640 and Phantom v1840 models are the latest addition to the ultrahigh-speed camera series.

Both camera models have a resolution of 4Mpx and an exceptional image quality as well as a low noise level. The Phantom v1840 achieves up to 4,510 fps at full resolution and the Phantom v2640 up to 6,600 fps. Both camera models feature multiple operating modes (high-speed, correlated double sampling (CDS) and binned) for maximum flexibility. With a minimum interframe time of 500 ns, they are particularly suitable for PIV applications.

LaVision offers both camera models either with a standard F-mount front panel or optionally with an M42 front panel. The cameras are perfectly integrated into LaVision's DaVis 10 software.