A safety interlock is required if a laser operates in a machine where parts will be inserted or removed manually. In this case laser radiation has to be interrupted immediately and the system must be kept in a safe off-state.

A safe off-state may be achieved by a safety beam shutter, but in some cases there is less space in the optical path. Another way is to switch off the laser power supply and keep it in a safe off-state. Safe off-state means that the laser power supply must be electrically disconnected, switching off by a digital signal like a shut down or a disable signal is forbidden for a safe operation.

The safety interlock of Lasea's LDD complies with regulation and has a lot of additional features for achieving a safe off-state within a very short time. If an interlock occures, the output for the laser diodes will be short circuited immediately by a semiconductor to ensure that laser radiation will be stopped within a few microseconds. Simultaneously the laser power supply will be turned off and the working relay will be de-energized. At the same time the input capacitors of the laser power supply will be discharged to ensure that no stored energy will cause laser radiation if there is any malfunction. Also the semiconductor and the circuit for discharging are supervised. Additionally the interlock unit has an output for a beam shutter. The output is also supervised.

It is regulation that every time an interlock has occured, the operator has to confirm system safety by a keystroke to the validation button before continuing operation. The validation button can be disabled by a jumper, this simplifies operating because the button must not be pressed every time an interlock occures. Check country-specific regulations before disabling the validation button. Ask our support how to disable the validation button.