16 laser testing
Dumbing down?
With lasers at ever higher power levels, and being
And, as the lasers are required to run at
increasingly higher powers, this throws up further
used increasingly by non-photonics specialists, test
problems. McKee says: ‘In the past year, there
equipment has to adapt to be accessible and user-friendly.
has been a continued increase in application and
manufacture of high-power industrial lasers.
Gemma Church looks at how laser testing equipment
This growth emphasises the need for continuing
improvements in optical power measurements
manufacturers are addressing this need
of these systems and devices. Inaccurate
measurements can cause an acceptable device
Lasers are popping up everywhere, but with Greg McKee, director of Light Metrology at to be graded incorrectly or rejected, effectively
a widening range of applications, an increasing Labsphere, agrees: ‘In emerging industries like solid reducing production yield or forcing companies to
number of people need to make sure the kit works state lighting, we are finding a larger number of increase the window of acceptance.’
within a range of safety standards. non-specialists who need more of an introduction Complexity, too, can pose problems for less
Many users working with such laser testing and to integrating such technology. laser-savvy users. Mike Mason, VP of technology
calibration equipment are not always photonics ‘Laser test and measurement is a blend of at Powerlase, says: ‘The difficulty is that our
experts. Sean Bergman, product line manager of two distinct skill sets: optical and electrical lasers are very complex. In order to get the best
laser measurement and control at Coherent, says: engineering. This is a problem for end users performance from them they need to be used in
‘We are seeing this more and more, especially as the who are not well versed in developing their own the right way. Once they have been set up they are
adoption of lasers into new fields expands. Within systems, or simply do not have the time to do relatively straightforward to operate, but that setup
these applications a system integrator that builds so. One problem that has long been treated as phase is tricky and requires close cooperation
a laser into a manufacturing or medical device is a necessary evil is the lack of repeatability and between ourselves and the customer. A non-
typically going to have photonics experts involved reproducibility in laser testing.’ specialist would be able to operate the laser on a
in the development. However, the end users of But the non-specialists are currently in the daily basis, but not be able to perform the initial set
that equipment are often not photonics experts.’ minority. Bergman adds: ‘I would estimate that up or diagnose any applications problems.’
And this seems to be the crux of the issue. As the majority of our customers are knowledgeable
the application net for lasers expands, so does about photonics, but an important and Help!
the number of users, which might lead to a non- significant segment of our customer base is not So what does a non-photonics specialist user do
specialist being faced with having to test sometimes so knowledgeable. We have adopted changes into when faced with the flashing lights of a new laser
quite complicated pieces of kit. Paul Tozer, our product design to make laser measurement and list of standards to which it must comply?
managing director of Lasermet, says: ‘Percentage- more accessible to these people.’ Echoing the words of author Douglas Adams,
wise, we would say that there is an increase. In Gary Wagner, president of Ophir-Spiricon, Lasermet’s Tozer says: ‘Don’t panic. What we find
terms of absolute numbers there are more non- says: ‘As the uses of lasers increase, the knowledge is that a lot of people will initially think in terms
experts involved, simply because there are more has tended to be less and less critical depending on of carrying out their own optical safety assessment
people involved in laser technology.’ how the laser is used. Most users of test equipment of the product. Then they look at the standard,
are using it due to a regulation or requirement by realise it is highly complex, and panic. That’s when
om
their company or ISO compliance. Some of the they call us. Sometimes, of course, they don’t call
users are obviously extremely knowledgeable, for us and try to do it themselves, and many people
ooptics.c
example within research, universities and laser make a mess of it. Often, we’ll see the end result
ectr
manufacturers. But some are not, for example of this when a wrongly-classified product is sent to
.el
maintenance teams, job shop users, and so on.’ us for testing, because someone has picked up the
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So what changes can designers make to help problem or is simply questioning it.’

non-specialists feel their way through the laser Lasermet is a different beast from the companies
testing minefield? There are a number of challenges that produce laser testing and calibration
ch 2009
faced by such companies when developing laser equipment. It tests and certifies laser products to
testing and/or calibration products. Bergman the relevant standards, and recently opened up
notes: ‘In terms of power and energy measurement a new calibration lab in the UK for the testing of
f
ebruary/mar
products, the challenge is making a product laser and LED products to the relevant laser safety

versatile enough to meet the needs of a very diverse standards.
Modern test equipment, such as this device from universe of lasers and laser applications, yet simple Essentially, such testing work consists of
o
optics
Coherent, needs to be simple to operate to cope with enough for the end users of those applications to measuring the optical output of the equipment
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a user base with a broad range of abilities. use.’ under specific conditions, calculating the desired
EOfeb09 pp16-19 testing.indd 16 17/2/09 16:46:33
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