New Path of High Power Diode Lasers EALA 2014, Feb. 11-12 Dr. Christoph Ullmann Managing Director

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New Path of High Power Diode Lasers

Outline Company update Improvement of diode lasers Comparison costs, beam quality, complexity Conclusion

www.laserline.de

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Laserline - Overview

Laserline – Company Update

Continuous growths over the last years 190 employees Expansion of production capacity in 2011/12 up to 7.400 m² Further expansions planned in 2014

www.laserline.de

Leading in high power diode lasers World wide active Subsidiaries in China, USA, Japan, Korea Distributors in several territories

Approx. 2500 systems installed

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Laserline Overview

Employee growth

www.laserline.de

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New Path of High Power Diode Lasers

Outline Company update Improvement of diode lasers Comparison costs, beam quality, complexity Conclusion

www.laserline.de

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Diode Laser Trends

10 Years Trends in Power and Beam Quality Beam quality [mm mrad]

500

LDF 20.000-200 2003

10 years

2005

LDF 10.000-60

50

2007 2009

In diesen Rahmen Excel-Tabelle einfügen

LDF 4500-30

2011 2013

LDF 3000-20

LDF 4000-8 5 1000 www.laserline.de

10000

Laser power [W] © Laserline

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Diode Laser Trends

10 Years Trends Beam quality [mm mrad]

500

50

1999 Fiber 2008 reinforced plastic welding

Hardening 2003

2001

2005 2007 2009

In diesen Rahmen Excel-Tabelle einfügen

2009

2011 2013

Remote welding 5 1000 www.laserline.de

2013 10000

Laser power [W] © Laserline

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Diode Laser Trends

10 Years Trends Beam quality [mm mrad]

500

50

1999 Fiber 2008 reinforced plastic welding

Hardening 2003

2001

2005 2007 2009

In diesen Rahmen Excel-Tabelle einfügen

2009

2011 2013

Remote welding 5 1000 www.laserline.de

2013 10000

Laser power [W] © Laserline

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25 kW Diode Laser

Motivation for 25 kW Diode Lasers Technical suitability of high power diode laser in multi 10 kW level Applications beyond 20 kW laser power Welding of carbon fiber resin stripes High speed cladding Large area heating

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25 kW Diode Laser

Design set up

Based on standard propertary Laserline design concept 25 kW with 8 stacks 220 mm mrad 2 mm fiber NA 0.2 www.laserline.de

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25 kW Diode Laser

Beam Profile @ in- and outcoupling fiber side

Incoupling side

outcoupling side

Incoupling beam profile: 200 mm mrad x 50 mm mrad Outcoupling beam profile: 200 mm mrad

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25 kW Diode Laser

Wall plug efficiency 24

48%

22

44%

20

40%

wall plug efficiency (laser head)

52%

optical output power [kW]

26

18

36%

16

32%

14

28%

12

24%

10

20%

8

16% laserhead: PMax : 25,6kW WPE(head)Max: 44,8% WPE(head)PMax: 42,9%

6 4 2

0

12% 8% 4%

0% 0%

10%

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20%

30%

40% percentage 50% 70% of60% maximum current80%

90%

100%

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25 kW Diode Laser

Integration in existing Product Platform Standard supply unit VGflex 25 kW laser power 2 mm fiber NA 0.2 up to 50 m lenght Dimension: 1100 x 1330 x 1750 mm³

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Diode Laser Wall Plug Efficiency

Motivation for High Electrical Efficiency Running cost optimization for high „on-time“ 24/7 cw operation Multiple years life time in operation Higher efficency leads to higher reliability

www.laserline.de

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Diode Laser Wall Plug Efficiency

Improvement of Wall plug Efficiency [%] 60%

50%

47% 42%

40%

35% 30%

30%

25%

35% 30%

25%

CO2 no flow CO2 flow

28%

25%

Rod

Disc

20%

20%

20%

13%

13%

13%

13%

13%

1997

2000

2005

2010

2015

Fiber

20%

Diode

10%

0%

www.laserline.de

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Diode Laser Wall Plug Efficiency

Highest ever measured WPE of kW class industrial diode laser systems

www.laserline.de

10

50

8

40

6

30

4

20

2

10

0

0 0

1

2 Laser power [kW]

3

WPE [%]

4000 W 100 mm mrad WPE: 48%

Electrical Power [kW]

High Efficiency LDF 4000-100

4

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Beam Quality converted Diode Laser

Motivation for Beam Quality Converter Integration Fiber Laser State of the art multi kW class diode laser brightness limit : 20 mm mrad Increasing complexity of higher brightness diode lasers

Disc Laser Beam quality limitation of diode lasers under economical aspects requires new technology to access high beam quality applications

Possible converter options : Active Fiber or disc Images from RP-Photonics Laser Encyclopedia www.laserline.de

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Beam Quality converted Diode Laser

Integration of Active Fiber Laser into Diode Laser Suitable fiber coupled kW class diode laser platform available for integration of active fiber Requirement for special high power active fiber Single fiber / Multi kW power level High diameter of fiber + core Yb-doped extra large mode area laser fibers (XLMA) as enabling technology for high average power converter fibers Cost effective Quarz sinter fabrication technology allows scaling of fiber volume significantly beyond conventional MCVD fibers

www.laserline.de

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Beam Quality converted Diode Laser

Quarz Sinter Fabrication Technology Doping of a suspension of SiO2-particles with rare earth ions and co-dopants (e.g., Yb, Al, ...)

Dehydration and Granulation  Yb doped granulate Sintering to a Ybdoped fused bulk silica

Yb-doped granulate

Yb-doped bulk silica

Photo courtesy of Heraeus Quarzglas

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Beam quality converted Diode Laser

Pumping a double clad fiber HR for converted laser AR for diode laser

Lambda = 900 – 1000 nm 100 mm mrad

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Active core

LR for converted laser HR for diode laser

Lambda = 1070 – 1090 nm 8 mm mrad

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Beam quality converted Diode Laser

Design set up 2 1

1 = Pumping unit (standard diode laser module ) 2 = Active fiber 3= Beam switch

3

4= Passive fiber 4

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Beam quality converted Diode Laser

Power curve LDF 4000-8 7000

> 70 % optical-optical efficiency 6000

Not converted Output Power

5000

4000 P [W] P [W]

3000

Converted 2000

1000

0 Pump Power

50 % www.laserline.de

75%

100 % © Laserline

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Beam quality converted diode lasers

Energy Balance of the LDF 4000-8 Losses in Power supply and cooling

Thermal loss in diode bars

Optical losses in diode laser Conversion losses

> 30 % Usable laser power www.laserline.de

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Beam quality converted Diode Laser

Outer Design 4.000 W @ 8 mm mrad 90 % of components identical to standard LDF Diode laser 200 µm fiber NA 0.1 up to 50 m lenghts

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New Path of High Power Diode Lasers

Outline Company update Improvement of diode lasers Comparison costs, beam quality, complexity Conclusion

www.laserline.de

© Laserline

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Laser welding comparison

Stainless steel @ 1m/min with 600 µm spot

LDF 4000-8 / 600 µm fiber

LDF 4000-8 / 200 µm fiber www.laserline.de

LDF 4000-60 / 600 µm fiber

LDF 4000-30 / 600 µm fiber © Laserline

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Laser welding comparison

Stainless steel @ 7 m/min with 600 µm spot

LDF 4000-8 / 600 µm fiber

LDF 4000-8 / 200 µm fiber www.laserline.de

LDF 4000-60 / 600 µm fiber

LDF 4000-30 / 600 µm fiber

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Laser welding comparison

Defocussing with 600 µm spot

Legend LDF 4000-8 / 200 µm fiber LDF 4000-8 / 600 µm fiber LDF 4000-30 / 600 µm fiber LDF 4000-60 / 600 µm fiber

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Diode Laser Performance

Commparison to 100 mm rad (normalized)

Comparison of different Beam Qualities 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70

Invest costs Efficiency laser head complexity

8

30 40 60 Beam parameter product [mm mrad]

100

1. Check for required laser power and beam quality (BBP) 2. Consider the corresponding technology and laser 3. Invest only what is necessary to get the job done www.laserline.de

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Diode Laser Trends

Future Trends Beam quality [mm mrad]

500

Increased laser power e.g. > 40 kW

50

Increased WPE > 50 % In diesen Rahmen Excel-Tabelle einfügen

Improved beam quality e.g. 8000 kW @ 8 mm mrad New beam quality e.g. 4 mm mrad 5 1000 www.laserline.de

10000

Laser power [W] © Laserline

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New Path of High Power Diode Lasers

Conclusion 25 kW diode lasers are state of the art Record wall plug efficiency of diode laser > 48 % XLMA Converter component improves diode laser in kW class beyond 8 mm mrad Diode laser with matching beam quality offers costs and efficiency advantages Further steps planned towards low cost and > 40 kW beam sources Beam quality of 4 mm mrad for kW class lasers will be next step

www.laserline.de

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