Enhanced Flexibility in Industrial Laser Power Measurement with Helios Plus

Laser systems are a key tool in many industrial production lines. The quality of the manufactured parts directly depends on whether the laser beam parameters are in spec. Measuring the laser power is the first step to ensure the quality of the laser-based process.

The good news is that with our Helios Plus industrial measurement device laser power can easily be checked within the process. And now the device is offering even more flexibility:

Additional wavelengths – NIR as well as blue and green wavelengths can be measured

Welding copper with lasers in the blue and green spectra is gaining more and more importance especially in battery production. Ensuring the quality of each joint is extremely important as it has direct impact on the complete battery back. By adding the option to measure wavelengths in the range between 450-550nm (blue/green) with Helios Plus, the laser beam can easily be checked cycle-time neutrally in battery production lines.

Additional interfaces – ProfiNET, Ethernet/IP, EtherCAT

In order to integrate laser power measurement in the robotic assembly lines the manufacturers need compatible interfaces. With Profinet and Ethernet/IP, the Helios device so far covered two industrial ethernet protocols. Additionally, there is a new version supporting EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology), an open real-time industrial ethernet protocol.

Additional connectors – Ethernet/IP with AIDA compatible connectors or Ethernet/IP-M with an M12 connector for data and a Mini 7/8″ connector for power 

Material processing with high-power lasers is heavily used in the automotive industry. The first set of connectors implemented with the Helios power measurement device have thus been AIDA-compatible. AIDA is an abbreviation of “Automatisierungsinitiative deutscher Automobilhersteller” referring to an initiative of the German automobile industry to establish a standard in automation.
In addition to that connector, users can now choose the combination of the Ethernet/IP interface with M12 or Mini7/8” connectors that are often used in the US.

General advantages of the robust industrial power meter

With all additions in terms of flexibility, more laser users can benefit from the significant advantages of the Helios Plus measurement device: The power gauge determines power and energy of industrial diodes, fiber or Nd:YAG lasers during a short irradiation period between 0.1 and 10 seconds. It can calculate the total power up to a maximum of 12 kW or the total energy up to 10 kJ – without requiring air or water cooling.

The measurement itself takes a few seconds (or mere fractions thereof), so power measurements can be carried out during the loading and unloading process. With the already outlined interfaces, data can be stored and evaluated as required. And should the power of the laser on the machining plane drift out of the selected tolerance, immediate countermeasures can be taken to ensure production quality.