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    Photos of BUGBLASTER SR - High Power CW YAG Laser in Action

    (Photos and description courtesy of: Curt Graber (cgraber@fwi.com).)

    This unit which we affectionately call "BUGBLASTER SR" (not to be confused with its smaller relative) is made up of components of several laser systems including: Lasersonics 8000 Nd:YAG surgical laser, Spectra-Physics 3000 YAG pieces, 8 mW HeNe laser for beam positioning, optics from many different sources, and Mr. Stinkbug (from backyard). :-)

    I'm setting the unit up for 532 nm frequency doubled operation for light shows and also incorporating a fiber delivery system to go to a scanning head (light show stuff) and an X/Y table for engraving purposes.

    Power and cooling requirements are: 230 VAC three-phase at 23 A per leg with 2.3 gpm at 25 to 45 psi for sustained full power output.

    Unit dimensions are 40" H x 52" D x 28" W and its weight is approximately 545 lbs (lots of steel!).

    YAG max power output exceeds my coherent meter range of 100 watts.

    YAG min attainable semi-stable (threshold) CW output is about 750-800 mW.

    I have made a few modifications to the original laser cavity, power supply and optics to allow for a higher power output than the OEM original design.

    The actual YAG rod is .250 in diameter and 5.25 inch long and is completely liquid cooled. The krypton bulb has a 6 inch arc with an envelope approximately 3/8 inch in diameter. It has an output I'm told of many thousands of watts (yet to be precisely determined).

    There are plans for a future chapter on solid state lasers in Sam's Laser FAQ but don't hold your breath in anticipation. :-)



    BUGBLASTER SR - High Power CW YAG Laser in Action

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    Sam's Laser FAQ, Copyright © 1994-2013, Samuel M. Goldwasser, All Rights Reserved.
    I may be contacted via the
    Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Email Links Page.