Optical fibres for material processing lasers

Fibre transmission of high-power radiation has opened the laser a new dimension of material processing applications. The three-dimensional treatment revolutionised a far field of the production technology. One impressed example is the laser welding process in the automotive industry. The Nd-YAG solid state laser in combination with the optical fibre increase the automation and the flexibility of a whole industry. The next generation of Audis aluminium alloy car body is mainly welded by fibre-guided Nd-YAG laser beams. Since the past 10years the maximum average laser power transmitted through optical fibres increase from some 100W up to 10kW. For industrial application only Nd-YAG lasers and recently the diode lasers are economically suited for fibre transmission.