LASER SAFETY with UV and fiber lasers

Unsafe lasers are dangerous and can quickly cause irreversible damage to the skin and eyes.

It is therefore important to us to design our laser systems so safely that nobody is harmed even in the event of incorrect operation (in accordance with the Machinery Directive).

As a guide for operators, all lasers must be divided into so-called laser classes.

These laser classes provide information about the operational safety of the systems.

A class 4 laser, i.e. a very dangerous laser, can be declared as e.g. laser class 1 or laser class 2 through various protective measures such as a standard-compliant enclosure with additional safety components.

This declaration only refers to the status in normal operation. If, for example, a closed class 2 system is manipulated so that it can also operate with the enclosure open, the device is automatically a class 4 device again.

Important: In this case, the laser class for the laser generators themselves remains laser class 4. Only a safe working area in accordance with laser class 1 or 2 is created. This means that a laser safety officer is no longer required to operate the laser itself, but is required for maintenance or repair work.

GLT lasers protect you and your employees

RENOWNED SAFETY COMPONENTS

Our lasers have special protective functions that protect the user from dangerous laser radiation. One of these is a 2-channel, redundant interlock system in conjunction with a safety controller / logic controller. The redundancy of the individual safety components ensures the highest possible level of safety. This is why we rely exclusively on the big names in the safety industry.

LASER INTERLOCKS / INTERLOCK SYSTEM

An interlock system consists of several components that monitor each other (e.g. emergency stop, door or flap switches, light barriers or control elements such as cooling water flow or fire detectors). This structure varies depending on the type of laser and its safety requirements.

If one of these safety components reports a malfunction via the interlock system, e.g. a door being opened during operation or an unsafe condition in connection with other systems, all safety measures are activated immediately and the laser is stopped to protect the operator.

ACTIVE SAFETY MEASURES

What does that mean?

This includes measures such as the following:
Safe shutdown of the beam source in the event of danger or incorrect behavior, possibly also closing a shutter which mechanically blocks the path of the laser beam or emitting visual and / or acoustic warning signals to alert the user to an error or dangerous situation.

Furthermore, it must be prevented that the laser does not restart automatically after a power failure or emits uncontrolled laser radiation, thus creating an unsafe condition. After each error, the user must manually release the system again.