[Webinar] OpticStudio-OpticsBuilder-OpticStudio STAR Module Interoperability in Design of High-Power Laser Systems

  • 28 June 2022
  • 5 replies
  • 166 views

Userlevel 1
Badge +2

This thread is dedicated to the webinar: OpticStudio-OpticsBuilder-OpticStudio STAR Module Interoperability in Design of High-Power Laser Systems. Any questions received during the webinar will be responded to as a reply on this thread. Feel free to post your own questions! The speaker will be notified and will respond as long as the thread is still open.

Be sure to subscribe to this thread if you want to see additional discussion regarding this webinar topic. The thread will be open to new replies through Friday, July 8th.

 

[The webinar has concluded]

 

Webinar details

Date: Tuesday, June 28th

Presenter: Mojtaba Falahati, Senior Application Engineer at Ansys Zemax

Abstract:

Join Mojtaba Falahati, Senior Application Engineer, as he explores the optical-optomechanical design cycle for high-power laser systems using a typical example and describes how Zemax tools enable a joined-up workflow to turn optical designs into reality. High-power laser systems are extensively used for high-precision cutting, welding, etching metals and other materials requiring a seamless design.

Laser beam and the desired optical performance can be well modelled in OpticStudio and converted to a CAD friendly format. Mechanical packaging can be efficiently designed in OpticsBuilder while accessing the live optics model, and STAR enables FEA data import for STOP analysis. The interoperability between OpticStudio, OpticsBuilder and STAR streamlines the design process by: 

  • Effective communication between optical and mechanical designers as they navigate the design changes. 
  • Real-time visualization of impact on optical performance while designing optomechanics. 
  • Detecting costly errors early in the design process. 
  • Hassle-free export to OpticStudio for advanced analysis. 
  • Integration with FEA packages to perform detailed impact assessment of structural and thermal effects on optical performance. 

This topic is closed to new comments

5 replies

Userlevel 1
Badge +2

@Douglas.Golding 

Q: Is the 5 mm "beam size" the 1/e2 diameter?  If so, you are showing no ray clipping for that 1/e2 diameter, which means you're clipping 13.5%.  Correct?

A: The Beam Size of the Source Gaussian would be the beam radius at the 1 over e^2 point in intensity in lens units. However, If I define a detector right after the Source, large enough to detect all the rays from the source we will see this:

 

And here is the the cross section of the beam (I got the cross section from the same detector in OpticStudio):

 

This means the rays from the source are coming from the whole Gaussian profile although the Beam size parameter is related to the 1 over e^2 point in intensity. So, when the results report a zero ray clipping it means no ray is being clipped from the entire Guasian profile of the source rays. 

But please keep in mind that rays hitting a detector in the OpticsBuilder baseline configuration that do not hit any detector in the OpticsBuilder modified configuration are considered clipped. So, Beam clipping in OpticsBuilder does not account for the vignetting in the optical system.

The percentage of clipped rays is defined by taking the ratio of the flux that does not hit a detector in the OpticsBuilder modified configuration divided by the flux that does hit the detector in the OpticsBuilder baseline configuration multiplied by 100.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
 

Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Q: Can the geometries of optomechanical parts such as housing (the pipes) be imported in Optics Builder when modeled outside the system?

A: The geometry of optomechanical parts can be created either in the same assembly file in which you import your ZBD file or outside the system, in another Creo instance. If the latter is the case, you may open the optomechanical part in the assembly file and mate it using the reference geometries (including those you generated out of the optical components). OpticsBuilder recognize all the imported optomechanical parts and see them in ray-tracing.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Userlevel 1
Badge +2

@Ece İlkay.Sungur 

Q: thank you.

A: My pleasure!

And thank you for attending the webinar. Please let us know if you have any questions or there is anything we can help with.

Best regards,

Moj

Userlevel 1
Badge +2

 @Patrick.Maeda 

Q: For the optical system used in the OpticStudio-OpticsBuilder-OpticStudio STAR Module Interoperability in Design of High-Power Laser Systems Webinar, were any ghost reflections accounted for in the thermal/structural analysis? If not, why not and how could the light from ghost analysis be incorporated? Would it simply be to split rays when performing the analysis?

A: Yes, ray splitting was enabled when running the NSC analysis to compute the absorbed irradiance in the optical system. We set all the objects, both optical and mechanical as detectors to record absorbed irradiance. Without ray splitting then rays would only have hit the lenses and mirror, and we wouldn't have seen any light incident on the mechanics.

In the NSC file, using filter strings you may see rays that hit , for instance, the “barrel” and “laser tip” objects.

You can read more information in this knowledgebase article: STOP Analysis of high-power laser systems - part 4 – Knowledgebase (zemax.com)

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Userlevel 6
Badge +2

This post is now closed. Thank you @mojtaba.falahati for another great webinar!