Laser Illumination
Maximize the performance of your high-speed camera systems with a short-pulse laser illuminator to eliminate the motion blur of fast-moving objects; see through the over-saturated glare of arc welding and explosions; enable clear visualization of additive manufacturing processes for quality assurance.
CAVILUX laser products are powerful high-frequency pulsed diode laser light sources designed for high-speed imaging applications.
Due to its ability to see through heat and blinding brightness, it is especially suitable for studying high-temperature processes and methods. Possible applications include welding, coating, flow and particle measurement, material testing, ballistics, explosions, shock waves and special visualization techniques such as Schlieren imaging.
Understanding the Main Features of Cavitar’s CAVILUX Smart and CAVILUX HF
| Feature | CAVILUX Smart | CAVILUX HF |
| Wavelength | 640 nm or 810 nm | 810 nm |
| Fiber core diameter | 5 mm or 3 mm | 1.5 mm |
| Minimum pulse duration with peak power reaching the specific pulse power | 30 ns | 100 ns |
| Minimum pulse duration with lower power than peak power | 10 ns | 50 ns |
| Max. duty cycle (High speed mode) | 0.1 % | 2 % |
| Max. repetition rate (30 ns pulses) | 33 kHz | - |
| Max. repetition rate (100 ns pulses) | 10 kHz | 200 kHz |
| Max. repetition rate (1 µs pulses) | 1 kHz | 20 kHz |
* with peak power reaching the specified pulse power
Wavelength
If visible light is necessary, then CAVILUX Smart 640 nm is the standard product (not taking into account possible customized solutions). The CAVILUX HF is equipped with a visible laser pointer beam (green light). Color cameras typically have an IR cut filter in front of the sensor which blocks 810 nm. Some cameras allow the removal of that filter and in this case CAVILUX 640 nm and 810 nm can be used.
Fiber core diameter
CAVILUX Smart has a fiber core diameter of either 5 mm (400 W @ 640 nm) or 3 mm (500 W @ 810 nm, 200 W @ 640 nm), whereas CAVILUX HF has a fiber core diameter of 1.5 mm. This means that CAVILUX HF has 4-11 times higher brightness than CAVILUX Smart. Higher brightness enables the illumination of a smaller area from a certain distance or, alternatively, the illumination of a certain area from a greater distance. CAVILUX Smart 200 W provides a higher brightness than CAVILUX Smart 400 W if the illuminated area is smaller than 3 mm.
Minimum pulse duration
The minimum pulse duration for CAVILUX Smart enabling full output power is ~30 ns. CAVILUX Smart can create pulse durations up to 10 ns but then the output power is lower. The minimum pulse duration for CAVILUX HF at full power is ~100 ns and 50 ns at lower output power. A very short pulse may be needed for removing motion blur when a small and fast-moving object is studied at high magnification. CAVILUX Smart has shorter rise and fall times than CAVILUX HF. Therefore, Smart can generate extremely short pulses (below 100 ns) more accurately than CAVILUX HF.