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How to Install a Q-Switch Yag Laser

Neodymium:Yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) lasers are one of the most versatile laser sources in the marketplace. Various versions are used for etching, cutting and welding, and in environments ranging from the operating theater to orbiting satellites. The basic Q-switched YAG laser is a workhorse of the optical lab, putting out its fundamental wavelength of 1.064 micrometers (1.064 millionths of a meter), along with its first harmonic at the green wavelength of 532 nanometers (532 billionths of a meter). There are a few things to consider that will help you, no matter which specific Q-switched YAG laser you are installing.

Things You'll Need

Nd:YAG laser
Optical table
Table tie-downs
Electrical service panel
Chiller or recirculator
Electrical interlock hardware

Instructions

- 1
  Install the electrical connector. Frequently, Nd:YAG systems require 220-V connections. Check the voltage and current requirements and make certain that you can safely meet these requirements.
- 2
  Place the laser head on the optical table. If you have a clean laboratory, you will want to do this in stages, removing the crate and outer packaging material outside of the laboratory to minimize contamination. Use the tie-downs to keep the laser head from moving.
- 3
  Place the control module close enough to the laser head so that the umbilical reaches without straining any of the connections. Your laser may have a separate control panel and power supply. The power supply should go on the floor so that vibrations do not disturb the stability of your optical table.
- 4
  Connect the cooling water. Not all YAGs need cooling water, but if yours does, hook up the water and verify that the connections are water-tight. This could be as simple as filling an integral water recirculator in the power supply or as complicated as connecting an independent, sealed water chiller.
- 5
  Connect an interlock device. The laser itself has an interlock connector which will shut down the laser when triggered. To avoid having to restart the laser when the system is falsely triggered, you might want to bypass the laser interlock and install a safety shutter to block the beam when the interlock is triggered.
- 6
  Open any mechanical shutters integral to the laser itself and your laser is ready to go.

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