Thermal imaging technology has been in development since the early 1930’s and has seen widespread use since the beginning of World War II. Leonardo’s thermal imaging technology has continued to evolve since. In 2020, Leonardo offers a wide range of thermal imaging technologies for various applications across industries and the globe. Reducing cost and improving usability have been the major focuses among industry leaders in broadening capabilities.
Leonardo Electronics US facility in Huntsville, AL has long helped the US DoD strengthen its supply chain and support key programs. By locally servicing laser systems for critical platforms like the Apache, Leonardo can reduce out-of-service time by as much as six weeks. This bespoke, highly specialized skillset, allows the DoD and prime contractors to procure best-in-class technology, while meeting the unique requirements of the US DoD.
In our recent direct diode heating blog series, we expressed some of the advantages of direct diode heating, which refers to heating specific regions of a material’s surface using diode lasers. As described previously, direct diode heating provides a number of benefits over traditional methods of indirect heating, such as heating lamps. These advantages include:
Direct diode heating in industrial applications refers to heating specific regions of a material surface with a semiconductor laser diode. This is as opposed to a fiber or solid-state laser or other non-laser heating methods. In a previous article we described reasons why direct diode heating is more effective than older methods such as IR lamps, microwaves, or forced air. One of the primary advantages of diodes is their flexibility—virtually any aspect of a diode laser heating system can be designed and optimized for performance and cost. Below are 8 factors to consider when choosing a laser diode for a direct diode heating system.
Most manufacturing processes require some form of surface heating, but many products cannot be heated directly. Examples include shrink-wrapping, bonding, and annealing. Existing solutions include IR lamps, microwaves, and forced air. None of these methods are ideal—they can be imprecise, inefficient, or even a safety concern. Diode infrared lasers are emerging as an excellent non-contact method of heating surfaces. "Direct diode heating" refers to heating specific regions of a surface with patterned laser irradiation.