Tag Archives: Fiber Optics

Embedding Fiber Optic Sensors Using Laser Additive Manufacturing

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By Dirk Havermann, William N. Macpherson, Robert R. J. Maier and Duncan P. Hand

Laser Additive Manufacturing provides novel and exciting possibilities when constructing 3-dimensional free form components in polymers and metals.  The process of building 3D components from the inside-out opens up the possibility of embedding sensors into the heart of a component.  Fiber Bragg gratings are an ideal sensor for smart composite materials and are already used for delivering in-situ measurements of polymer components. Recently developed high temperature compatible fiber Bragg gratings, suitable for continuous use at temperatures of up to 1000 °C, provide the opportunity of extending sensing capabilities to metallic components. In this cross-disciplinary project, fiber optic sensing and laser additive manufacturing are merged to encapsulate fiber optic sensors into stainless steel components.  Continue reading →

New ANSI Z136.8 – Improves Laser Safety in the Research Lab

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A new standard geared to lasers employed in research takes a “more realistic” approach to guiding safety officers overseeing such work, in which the use of customized laser devices and fiber optics is common.

American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers in Research, Development, or Testing, the title of the new ANSI Z136.8 standard, also addresses injury prevention in specific areas where experiments are conducted.

“In the research setting, you’re often dealing with lasers that don’t have all the bells and whistles,” explains Ken Barat, chairman of the subcommittee that developed the new standard. “Z136.8 recognizes that many lasers in the research setting are homemade and may not have all these controls, so I do not have to explain why they are missing to auditors. (Z136.8) allows LSOs to accept those things rather than say you’re out of compliance.”

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Remote Viewing

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By: Ken Barat

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley California

An underused tool in the Laser Safety toolbox is the use of remote viewing. By remote viewing I mean being able to observe beam placement and interaction from a location other than bending over the optical table. Industrial applications are familiar and has long used machine vision tools. While in the research laboratory the application of camera viewing systems have lagged behind. Today the availability and cost of cameras to perform this task has greatly improved. Costs have gone down, and well as the size of cameras. These web cams and CCD cameras are ideally situated for the viewing of near infrared and visible wavelengths. Leading this use of remote viewing has not been the Laser Safety Officer or even laser safety firms but the users themselves.  Homemade units that combine a LCD screen and camera are a great advantage in the research lab. As opposed to the IR viewer there is no debate if one can look through the viewer with laser protective eyewear on or off. The user can, while wearing their protective eyewear, look at a fixed screen while moving around the camera or having the camera in a fixed position keeping the user far from possible stray beams. Combining with motorized mounts, we have the best of all worlds CCD’s can be as small as 1 cm square and can be fixed on any optical table. Many a computer web cam with the removal of their IR filter will provide good visualization. Parts cost for such a system can be in the $600-$700 range, depending on the quality of the camera. Another place where cameras are readily employed is where physical access to optics and reaction chambers is difficult to achieve. This application removes the user from climbing over equipment, which always presents a risk of inadvertently moving equipment to back injury to members of the work force. In biotechnology applications cameras can also be applied to microscope eyepiece systems remove the risk from back reflections through optics and giving a superior view on a monitor. There is really no excuse for microscope users to be looking down the eye pieces these days. Fiber optic users should not be examining the fiber end with a handheld viewer but rather a camera system. The presentation at ILSC highlighted not only uses and advantages of using cameras for remote viewing, but also technical short comings, in particular for some pulse rep rate systems.