Lens designs for high irradiance application of multi-kilowatt Nd:YAG welding lasers Available to Purchase

Multi-kilowatt Nd:YAG lasers provide an appealing solution for aluminum laser welding applications due to increased bulk absorption and ease of beam delivery as compared to high power CO₂ laser systems. However, high numerical aperture optics are required to overcome the relatively poor beam quality associated with these lasers and to achieve a high irradiance. Several lens designs have been developed and evaluated to achieve the high irradiance values required to provide good coupling into aluminum alloys. The results of these tests demonstrate that near diffraction limited performance can be achieve for high numerical aperture elements. Additionally, an inverse-telephoto lens design has been developed and characterized to further demonstrate the feasibility of producing a high irradiance with a functional working distance from the weld surface.