THE “WORLD’S FIRST” DIRECT-DIODE LASER POWERFUL ENOUGH TO CUT STEEL

TeraBlade Has Enough Power to Serve as a Welder or Cutter

Massachusetts based start-up TeraDiode claims to have developed “the first metal-cutting machine that uses only laser diodes,” meaning “there are no intervening crystals for amplification or focus.” The machine, known as TeraBlade is said to be up to 40 percent more efficient than other industrial lasers, including carbon dioxide. TeraDiode claims its 4-kW direct-diode laser is equally as powerful as existing lasers, with an output of 2,600 MW per square centimeter per steradian, and can cut through a half-inch of steel.

The TeraBlade employs a power-scaling technique known as wavelength beam combining, which combines several laser beams into one powerful beam. The company has started selling their machines to countries such as Japan and Germany, where high energy costs are of particular concern. TeraDiode believe its lasers could also be attractive to defense contractors, where they could be employed against heat-seeking missiles.