Advances in high power cw YAG lasers and fiberoptic beam delivery

We report the development of a 2.4kW cw Nd:YAG laser system with beam delivery via a 600 micron fiber. A maximum laser power of 2.57 kW. was achieved with an electrical to optical efficiency of 4.4%. Power transmission was greater than 93% for a 10m fiber and greater than 90% for a 150m fiber. High power fiber to fiber coupling was also demonstrated with a coupling efficiency of 88%. Materials processing performance was very impressive for welding, cutting, and cladding.