Lasermet has introduced the LS-20 Laser Safety Shutter, the latest addition to the company's range of fully-integrated laser safety systems, which has been designed to give users confidence that their laser system has all the necessary protection for safe operation at all times.
The LS-20 provides extremely high integrity and features a gravity-close blade and force-disconnect proving contacts. When open, it allows the laser beam to pass through without interruption but, when closed, it deflects the incoming laser beam away safely onto an internal beam dump. The standard version, fitted with a stainless steel blade, can be used for average laser beam powers up to 20W. For use at higher powers up to multi-kilowatt levels, a dielectric mirror is used on the blade and an external beam dump fitted.
When used in combination with any Lasermet Interlock Control System, the shutter LS-20SIL provides a safety interlock which meets Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3 to EN61508. This SIL3 rated version of the LS-20 features dual-channel shutters with blade position monitoring fed back to the safety control system. This enables fail safe redundancy and detection of any failures resulting in an extremely high integrity safety system.
LS-20 shutters may be operated either manually by the ‘open’ and ‘close’ buttons on the shutter case itself or remotely by the Lasermet Remote Switching Station, LS-RS20. For laser beam power measurements, the beam dump can be removed and the detector head of a laser power meter fitted instead. The LS-20 is suitable for laser beam diameters up to 15mm. It measures 98 x 65 x 37mm. An anti-rotation slot is provided in the base of the shutter to prevent it from accidentally turning or becoming unscrewed.