Presently, technological multibeam laser systems intended for heat strengthening, surface alloying, melting-up, etc. are extensively used in industry. These modular systems are based on the multibeam, diffusion-cooled, slow-axial-flow lasers. The systems can operate at output power levels from 1 to 10kW. The high output-power level unusual for diffusion-cooled lasers was achieved due to placing the array of parallel small-diameter gas-discharge tubes in a common cavity. In a first approximation, output power extracted from laser per a length unit of the discharge-tube does not depend on the tube diameter and is equal to approximately 50 W/m. Owing to that, by decreasing the tube diameter and increasing the number of tubes, we have managed to create a high-power laser keeping all advantages peculiar to diffusion-cooled tube lasers 13 These advantages include simplicity and reliability of design, long lifetime, output-power stability, no need for gas-pumping equipment, and a low noise level. These features are of particular importance for industrial lasers designed for a long-term continuous operation in a technological cycle.
|