The Vision Systems Design 2015 Innovators Awards program recognizes and rewards the most innovative products and services in the vision and image processing industry. The results of this international awards program will be announced at AUTOMATE 2015, held in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Z-Laser's model ZM18T3 was awarded the "Silver Award 2015". This laser was noted for its stabilised wavelength due to a constant temperature.
“On behalf of the Vision Systems Design Innovator Awards, I would like to congratulate Z- LASER America Inc. on their Silver award,” said Vision Systems Design Group Publisher Alan Bergstein. “This competitive, unbiased program celebrates the most innovative products and services in the vision and image processing industry. The team at Z-LASER America Inc. should be very proud.”
The details about the 3rd Generation of ZM18 lasers
Now in the 3rd Generation of onboard electronics, the ZM18S3 and ZM18H3 lasers are joined by Z-Laser's new and unique ZM18T3 laser. The ZM18T3s are electronically stabilized wavelength lasers; the benefit of reduced wavelength drift is a stable DOE (optic) projection throughout the entire operating temperature range.
Unlike other lasers which typically drift by 0.25nm/°C of ambient temperature (and therefore changing the location of the projected pattern), the ZM18T3 provides a consistent projection from 0 to 50°C ambient temperature which is important for DOE patterns and can be significant in a 24hour factory environment.
There are three unique aspects to the ZM18T3 laser
First, by electronically controlling the ZM18T3’s wavelength stability, we can reduce the usual drift associated with the laser’s operating temperature fluctuations. Typically as laser projectors warm up the DOE pattern they project changes in its properties/precision and location onto the target site... i.e. they “drift”! This “drift” either requires constant system re-calibrations or the measurements will change as the laser and the ambient temperature changes significantly reducing accuracy. Stabilizing the wavelength throughout the ambient temperature range allows for consistent, repeatable projections and thus measurements regardless of the ambient temperature.
Second, the ZM18T3 laser is an extended temperature range laser device without an additional environmental enclosure. Unlike most lasers that function from 0 to 40°C, the ZM18T3 laser works from -40 to +55°C. This extended operating range is achieved without adding any additional bulk to the standard ZM18 laser: no extra enclosure, no heater box, etc.
Third, the ZM18T3 achieves this extended operating range using the same physical size lasers as the current and past ZM18 Series lasers. The same small size allows designers to integrate the ZM18T3 in their system without additional space necessary.
