New range of 2D/3D blue laser profile sensors

The scanCONTROL BL series of blue laser profile sensors operate using blue (violet) laser technology rather than red. The special characteristics of the blue wavelength laser light make the scanners suitable for measuring against shiny, highly polished metals, as well as red-hot glowing metals and silicon-based materials. All the controls and electronics are integrated in a lightweight, compact sensor design, enabling the scanners to be installed in locations where there may be little space available for mounting. The scanCONTROL BL series offers a range of interfaces and flexible installation options.

Chris Jones, MD at Micro-Epsilon UK, comments: "Unlike a red laser, the blue laser operates at a shorter wavelength of 405nm, which is far from the red part of the visible spectrum. This means it is unaffected by the emitted infrared radiation from hot or glowing targets, due to implementing a simple optical filter, which ensures very stable signals. Additionally, when measuring on shiny surfaces or highly polished metals, where red lasers tend to suffer from higher noise, the high precision optics and shorter wavelength of the scanCONTROL blue laser profile sensor performs extremely well, providing much lower noise levels, typically by a factor of two or more compared to red laser sensors.”

The scanCONTROL BL series is available with measuring ranges to 265mm in the z-axis (distance/profile height) and to 143.5mm in the x-axis (laser line length/profile width). Output of measurement data is via Ethernet (UDP, Modbus) or serial interface (RS422, Modbus). In addition, analogue signals or digital switching signals can be output directly to a PLC. Profile frequencies of up to 2000Hz and a measuring rate of up to 2,560,000 points/sec enable the sensors to be used in high speed applications.

All scanCONTROL series sensors (blue and red) have a Gigabit Ethernet interface for transferring profile data, as well as a multi-purpose connector for RS422, Digital In (HTL/TTL), power supply and synchronisation. The sensors support Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), which reduces the need for an additional power cable.