19
Materials
All guard materials must be opaque to 1040 to 1200 nanometers
wavelength laser light produced by the fibre laser. Guards may be
metallic and non-reflecting, however if a see-through guard is required
a material opaque 1030 to 1200 nanometers wavelength laser light
must be used.
See through guards must be special laser safety windows.
Always use non-reflecting materials.
The thickness of the guard material depends on the mechanical
strength required, and the amount of ‘burn through’ anticipated. For the
purpose of adequate mechanical rigidity, a thickness of at least two
millimetres, and preferably three millimetres of steel plate is
recommended. To ensure laser safety a greater thickness of the guard
material may be required.
In a fault condition, these materials withstand the laser beam for a
limited time before the beam burns through. The laser must therefore be
monitored to avoid a risk of fire.
A ceramic or metal plate may be used as a beam stop. A greater
thickness is required to achieve the “eight hour burn through”
requirement.
Guidance regarding laser guards can be found in EN60825-Part 4.
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