Coherent Corp. announced the launch of its next-generation high-power laser sensor designed to support the expanding high-power applications market and reduce measurement times by up to 500%. The new Coherent PM10K+ laser power sensor can measure the power output of CW lasers up to 10 kW (12 kW intermittent) in less than 3 seconds.

This sensor features a large 65 mm x 65 mm active area (6.5 in²) to prevent clipping of large beam sizes and includes a laser interlock function that terminates the laser during measurement to protect the sensor from damage. It is ideally suited for high-power CO2, fiber, and diode lasers used in industrial applications such as cutting, welding, brazing, drilling, cladding, ablation, and heat treating. Designed from the ground up for high-power laser measurement, the PM10K+ sensor incorporates key innovations for exceptional performance.

Coherent, a leader in thermal management technology, developed a novel heat sink design and integrated it with high-performance components, including advanced temperature sensors. This hardware is complemented by proprietary algorithms for thermal modeling, fluid dynamics, and data acquisition and processing, making the PM10K+ the fast kW-class calorimeter-based power sensor available. The PM10K+ sensor is available in two interface formats: a USB interface for direct connection to desktop or laptop computers, and a DB25 cable compatible with the extensive range of Coherent power and energy meters, including the recently launched Coherent LabMax Touch power meters.

A second model features RS-232 for seamless integration with OEM industrial control systems.