NEW CALIBRATION SERVICE FOR HIGH-POWER LASER DETECTORS.

Who says NIST doesn't make house calls? In an innovative way to calibrate high-power laser detectors, NIST has devised a measurement system that can utilize a company's laser on location at the work site.

Multi-kilowatt high-power lasers are used for a variety of industrial applications, including the processing of materials, cutting and welding. Although detectors used with these laser systems need measurement traceability, the high cost and size of these systems previously limited NIST to only providing calibration services at powers up to 1 kW. Recently, a NIST scientist developed, tested, and implemented a system to perform calibrations at powers up to 10 kW or more at off-site laser locations.

Using a special transportable calibration system composed of various optical components, a characterized transfer standard, and a compact, stable water-flow system, the customer's own high-power laser can be used as the radiation source for detector calibrations. In the first test of this system, the NIST scientist recently performed successful calibrations for a U.S. manufacturer of high-power laser systems utilizing the company's own multi-kilowatt carbon dioxide laser source. This off-site system significantly extends NIST's high-power measurement capability, allows NIST to better support the laser-based materials processing industry, and avoids any need for NIST to purchase expensive, high-power lasers.