OPHIR PHOTONICS, a developer/manufacturer of precision laser measurement equipment, announced a new version of BeamGage software: BeamGage 6.1 is a beam profiling system that performs extensive data acquisition and analysis of laser-beam parameters, such as beam size, shape, uniformity, divergence, mode content, and expected power distribution. The new version features a “major upgrade” of the computation engine to improve cycle time, responsiveness of the user interface, and enhance the ability to work with apertures and partitions. This improves the performance and speed of the software, especially when analyzing different beams or sources of light (e.g. LEDs, optic fibers, etc.), and for heavy computations, such as measuring multiple beam profiles, comparing key statistics, and 3D viewing in real-time.
BeamGage also has a new strip chart function that allows for zooming and panning, charting of partitions, and storing 10,000+ data points with no decrease in performance.
"Measurement cycle time is critical in most beam-profiling applications as knowing what the beam is doing dynamically has a drastic effect on the process outcome, especially in those first few seconds," stated Gary Wagner, general manager (U.S.) of Ophir Photonics. "Most laser processes start immediately, once power is turned on. Many process problems are traced back to dramatic spatial power changes within the first few seconds."
BeamGage includes more than 55 measurements and calculations, many based on ISO standards. These include fast, off-axis correction of distorted beam images; trend charting; data logging; power/energy calibration; and pass/fail production testing. Laser manufacturers and researchers can easily import their own custom algorithms created in C#/.NET using custom computations. This expands the software's functionality to an even wider array of applications, from fiber-optic signal analysis to production parts inspection to military targeting systems.
BeamGage is based on the patented UltraCal™ baseline correction algorithm that helped establish the ISO 11146-3 standard for beam measurement accuracy. BeamGage supports auto-setup and auto-exposure for fast set-up and optimized accuracy, NIST traceable power measurements, and a wide variety of CCD cameras, including the 11 megapixel, 35mm format USB L11059 Large Format Beam Profiling Camera. 2D viewing provides continually zoomable and resizable displays in floatable windows. 3D graphics utilize solid surface construction with lighting and shading effects.
BeamGage 6.1 supports both the 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows® 7. It is available in three versions:
- BeamGage Standard features BeamMaker beam simulator, automatic camera control, and a comprehensive set of analysis algorithms.
- BeamGage Professional adds partitioning of the camera output for separate analysis of multiple laser beams from sources such as fiber, a .NET interface for full remote control when integrating beam analysis into an automated application, and camera sharing.
- BeamGage Enterprise includes support for an unlimited number of partitions, as well as for high-speed, networked cameras, including GigE, Gigabit Ethernet, and local LANs.