nmLaser Products Announces New Online
Laser Shutter Applications Tutorials

Online Applications Tutorials Simplify Laser Shutter Integration
for OEMs and Researchers, Outline Benefits of
Patented Cantilever Flexure Beam

Sunnyvale, Calif. – May 17, 2005 – nmLaser Products, Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of high irradiance laser shutters, has launched it’s online laser shutter applications tutorials to expedite ease of shutter integration for OEMs and researchers.

Laser shutters are used in every market that lasers penetrate. nmLaser Products now provides an in-depth resource on laser shutter technology, with a look at the principles behind its patented cantilever flexure beam shutters at its Web site, www.nmlaser.com.

The new tutorials and application notes explain the properties and range of applications for nmLaser Products two families of shutters: modulation, exposure and pulse gating shutters, and safety interlock and process control shutters. A new online model finder feature helps expedite the shutter selection process based on specific criteria, such as beam size, output power, repetition rate, pulse damage thresholds and other variables.

“Our broad base of laser shutters is built upon our patented cantilever flexure beam technology, offering high optical power capability or fast switching speeds, depending on the application. Components are engineered with an emphasis on easy integration into new or existing manufacturing lines or research laboratories,” said nmLaser Products President David Woodruff.

“We’re excited about these new online tools, offering systems integrators depth of information in selecting the variables in high irradiance laser shutters that are most suitable for their specific production needs,” said Woodruff.

Patented Cantilever Flexure Beam Shutter Technology

The heart of nmLaser’s shutter technology is the optically coated cantilever flexure beam, which is magnetic, has good thermal conductivity and provides excellent spring properties. The optical beam is pulled to the open position by a closely coupled cylindrical toroid electromagnet, which provides high pulling forces and resultant rapid switching speeds. With loss of electrical power, the flexed beam is automatically returned to the closed position by its own stored mechanical energy, yielding failsafe closure.

The cantilever flexure offers the simplest mechanical movement with the highest reliability. Because moving parts are reduced to a single cantilevered motion, this technology eliminates the problems associated with friction pivots, hinges, bearings with lubrication outgas, and accumulated mass movements on linkage systems.

nmLaser Products is the only volume laser shutter manufacturer to combine reflector and beam dump into a single component for high irradiance applications. The module simply drops into place—saving time and system integration costs—providing an elegant alternative to piecemeal solutions employed by some OEMs. The moving reflector’s lightweight optical element generates very little heat, allowing higher optical power handling and faster switching speeds.

Two Families of Shutters

nmLaser’s modulation, exposure and pulse gating shutters offer the fastest switching speeds and high sustained repetition rates. Modulation can be as high as 500 Hz, with exposures as short as 800 microseconds Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) Single pulse extractions can be made from 2 KHz or lower pulse trains.

The nmLaser safety interlock and process control shutter line is designed for high optical power and damage thresholds, with lower emphasis on high speed characteristics. The flexure technology used in these products offers inherent fast switching without developing large heat loads in the electromagnet.

Breadth of Applications

nmLaser provides both custom and off-the-shelf laser shutter solutions for an array of industries, including scientific, medical, military, semiconductor processing, biotechnology, welding/cutting, lidar, chemical engineering, graphic arts, forestry and pollution monitoring.

nmLaser’s flexure shutter technology can be adapted to meet a wide variety of applications and optimized for specific product lines. Customizations addressing switching speed, holding efficiency, package miniaturization, cost and weight are available for both the OEM and research markets. Semi-customizations for apertures, body geometry or optical mirror and absorber applications are also available.

Pricing and Availability

Research tools are available from US$285.00 to $1295.00, and OEM solutions start in the US$250.00 range in quantity. Delivery is stock to 1 week on many safety and process products, typically stock to 3 weeks on modulation products.

About nmLaser Products

nmLaser Products has been introducing new products and advancements in laser shutter technology since 1987. The company engineers and manufactures the world’s safest and most reliable electro-mechanical laser shutters and accessories by meeting the production and integration challenges of OEMs and researchers in a continually growing number of broad and niche markets worldwide.

Earliest products were developed out of demand for greater reliability in high irradiance lasers. nmLaser’s OEM customer base has greatly expanded through advancements in safety interlocking and processing shutters to meet the need for greater instrument safety. Innovations today are geared toward meeting today’s even higher industry standards, with an emphasis on enabling customers to build better products at a lower cost, today and tomorrow.  The product line continues to develop and refine, with new products introduced regularly, achieving great success integrating with new technologies.

nmLaser Products has distributors in most major industrialized nations around the world. Service and support is provided from its design and manufacturing headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.

OEMs and laboratories are invited to contact nmLaser Products for consultation on laser shutters and shutter controllers and accessories for CW and pulsed lasers.

Phone: 408-733-1520
Fax: 408-736-1152
Email: sales@nmlaser.com
Website: www.nmlaser.com.

Back to top