Power in the Palm of Your Hand
The Cube is designed for power measurements of solid state lasers. In the processing zone, laser power is one of the key parameters for the result of laser materials processing. A loss of power can lead to serious quality issues of the processed part. This is why laser power must be measured directly in or near the processing zone.
The Cube, as a mobile and compact power probe, enables the determination of laser power directly beneath the processing head in the processing zone.
Why power measurement in the processing zone?
Regular measurement of the laser power makes a decisive contribution to the quality assurance of the processing results. The internal power display of a laser beam source can only detect the changes at the laser source. However, the entire beam path up to the workpiece is relevant, so it makes sense to measure the power as close as possible to the processing head, directly in or near the processing zone.
However, the accessibility of the processing zone for conventional power sensors is not always given. To achieve a higher flexibility here, PRIMES has developed the Cube power meter.
Robust and independent - neither wire nor cooling water needed
What’s special about the Cube: It functions all on its own, requiring neither a wire for power supply and data
exchange nor a tube for cooling water supply. The Cube gets its energy to operate from a lithium cell that can be
charged through a micro-USB connection. The integrated LCD display shows relevant operating data, such as the last measured laser power, the irradiation time, or the current temperature of the absorber. A robust and yet stylish
casing protects it against shocks and dust. All this makes it the perfect measuring system for daily operation.
Easy handling with Cube App
Using the Bluetooth connection with the PRIMES Cube, a convenient monitoring of the laser power with a mobile device like tablet or smartphone for AndroidTM is possible. Aside from the graphic display and backup of the measured values stored in the Cube, it is possible to define presets for measurement series and transfer them to the Cube using the Bluetooth connection.
The readings laser power, pulse duration and energy per pulse can be displayed graphically on the mobile device. In addition, a standard deviation evaluation of the measured values is possible with the PRIMES Cube App.
The PRIMES Cube App is available in the Google Play Store as free download.
Measurement Principle
The absorber of the calorimetric measurement system is irradiated by a laser for a short period of time. The temperature difference of the absorber between start and finish of the laser pulse is measured. From the temperature rise, the microprocessor based electronics is able to calculate laser power to a high degree of accuracy. An interlock signal is provided in order to turn off the laser beam emission, should the absorber overheat. The usage of this signal is strongly recommended.
System Parameters
The Cube measures the incident laser energy and the irradiation time. The calculated laser power has an accuracy of ± 3 %, with a repeatability of ± 1 %. The typical working temperature range of the Cube lies between +15 °C and +40 °C.
System parameters for the Laser:
- Wavelength
Cube/Cube L: 440 – 460 nm, 510 – 540 nm, 800 – 1100 nm
Cube M/Cube L1: 900 – 1100 nm - Power range: 25 – 20000 W (average power)
- Measurement time = Pulse duration: 0.1 – 2 s
Laser power and irradiation time stand in direct relationship for the measurement.
A Class of its Own – Cube M
Measuring very high power densities? No longer a problem: the new Cube M by PRIMES enables measurements up to a power density of 250 kW/cm² at a power of 2 kW!
This latest measuring device is designed to monitor laser power of high quality lasers even in the smallest of spaces that usually do not accommodate a measurement device. The original Cube is designed for power measurements of single shot measurements with solid state lasers.
In some high power cases, however, the intensity of the laser radiation is much too high for conventional power meters and will damage the coating of the absorber. For such applications, PRIMES developed the new Cube M, capable of high power density laser radiation measurements.
The specialty: The micro optics array at the beam entrance, which was developed in-house at PRIMES, enables a mounting of the Cube M directly in the focused laser beam underneath the processing optics. Also, the beam incidence does not have to be vertical; angles of incidence of up to ± 20 ° are possible. These features make the Cube M ideally suited for micro machining and additive manufacturing applications.
The new power pack: – The Cube L
The new model for your high power application: with the Cube L, you can easily measure the power of solid-state as well as fiber lasers up to 20 kW.
