Resonator questions
Resonator questions
(OP)
Concerning a 1000w Mazak Turbo 48x
My company does not have support from mazak, nor any trained people in the area to talk to, so any help you can give would be wonderful~
For starters I need to ask again about the laser 'mode'. I'm looking at pricing power meters and am confused about what exactly we need to check. Do we need to check the power output? Shape of the beam? Energy output? And is there a way to know the wavelength of our laser, or is that even important?
Once we can get a power meter - what can we actually do about the resonator? My boss wants me to cut aluminum even though I've told him it's not a good idea, and if something does actually happen to the resonator, what are our options?
Thanks for any input at all; I've been working on this laser for a year and still don't know much about it as the company will not pay for training.
My company does not have support from mazak, nor any trained people in the area to talk to, so any help you can give would be wonderful~
For starters I need to ask again about the laser 'mode'. I'm looking at pricing power meters and am confused about what exactly we need to check. Do we need to check the power output? Shape of the beam? Energy output? And is there a way to know the wavelength of our laser, or is that even important?
Once we can get a power meter - what can we actually do about the resonator? My boss wants me to cut aluminum even though I've told him it's not a good idea, and if something does actually happen to the resonator, what are our options?
Thanks for any input at all; I've been working on this laser for a year and still don't know much about it as the company will not pay for training.





RE: Resonator questions
I'm by no means an expert on welding lasers, we build lasers for paint stripping and do some weapons work, but I will take a shot at answering your questions. First, your 1kW laser, I'm assuming is a CO2 laser. Its wavelength is fixed by the lasing media at 10.6 microns.
The mode number of a laser beam is one measure of the beam quality. A mode number of one is a gaussian beam and the most focusable. As the mode number goes up, the beam focuses to a larger spot. A laser with a large mode number tends toward what is called a "top hat" profile that is, uniform intensity across the beam. This is what we use for paint stripping. Keep in mind that the focusing lens focal length also has a role in the ultimate focal spot size, that is, the shorter the focal length, the smaller the achievable spot, but conversly the shorter the Rayleigh range (the length over which the beam is considered focused).
For beam diagnostics, a beam profiler will show you the intensity across the beam profile which is an indication of the mode number. A power meter just measures total raw power in Watts. The beam intensity is the power divided by the beam diameter at the focal spot, expressed in Watts per unit area. For general diagnostics, a power meter is usually all you need to tell you if the laser is performing up to par. The beam shape and profile can be monitored by making short burns in a suitable material with the unfocused beam. We use acrylic for this purpose.
Timelord
RE: Resonator questions
The two critical things are indeed the power and beam shape. Doesn't your laser have something that monitors output power already?
Beam profiling is nice, but burning a spot on "burn" paper will give you a gross diagnosis, but so will inspection of the cutting kerf. You could simply keep a sample of a cut made with the laser working properly and compare that against future cuts. Likewise, the same sample can be used to grossly determine whether the laser energy has dropped, but it would have to be a fairly significant drop to be visually noticeable.
Killing the resonator is a bad thing to do. The resonator is the where the laser starts its lasing, so dead resonator means rebuilding the laser.
TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Resonator questions
If you want to gauge your power you need to purchase a power probe. This can be done via Cascadelaser.com. When you get the probe you can run a test to determine your power output.
If you believe you need to have a refurb completed you will need to call Mazak and make the arrangements. The costs for this are very reasonable.
I'd be happy to speak to you via private messaging on this matter should you wish to. I suspect I can assist you better in that format.
RE: Resonator questions
But at least we'll know what to do if it does go south on us.
RE: Resonator questions
A real shame so many in mgmt chose to not listen to those who know the equiptment best.
Good Luck
RE: Resonator questions
My dear friend, I have seen your posts before and all I can tell you is you really need to look elsewhere for the opportunity and the support that you need.
It doesn't sound you have a sound management team above you and they are nickel-and-diming to get by, not to mention they want gigantic results with a machine that only has 1000 Watts of power, you don't have enough training or someone with experience that can guide you in the right direction.
It is remarkable to me you have taken the initiative to get the job done despite all the hurdles that are put in front of you and this speaks volume of your work, but at this point all I can say is to look for a company that can provide you with all the tools you need to showcase your talents and help you and them grow.
Best of Luck to you
RE: Resonator questions
As there is a complete lack of skilled operators available you'll have no problems at all in obtaining gainful employment elsewhere.
However be sure to INTERVIEW the employer and not just be the interviewed. Take my word on it and trust that is goes along way in helping you make the best decsion on where to continue your career in laser processing.
Best of luck!!
RE: Resonator questions
RE: Resonator questions
I am thinking of moving on from this company as it is unreasonable to continue to ask for so much help from a forum board if my employer will not provide training oportunity. I was hired to just operate a CNC mill and ended up getting a laser - It's been most interesting.
I have learned quite a bit from this board, and thank you for bearing with me on all these questions.
RE: Resonator questions
Best of luck!