Welcome to PowerPhotonic’s quarterly news bulletin covering:

• Our High-Power Laser Diode launch.
• C-Suite appointments completed with new CFO and COO.
• Fused silica freeform optics capabilities demonstrated at SPIE Photonics West.
• SPIE Photonics West highlights.
• Andrea Geltrude presenting to the Association of Industrial Laser Users conference.
• PowerPhotonic exhibit at the 3AF, OPTRO Exhibition in Marseille.

 

High Power Laser Diode launch

PowerPhotonic launched its Monolithic Fast Axis Collimator Array (MFACA), in January – an ultra-high-power, laser diode collimation optic. The MFACA enables high-density, fast-axis, laser diode stacks to be collimated into a monolithic array optic. These are ideal for Laser Inertial Fusion (LIF), pulsed Laser Directed Energy Weapons (pulsed LDEW) and advanced medical sources.

PowerPhotonic’s proprietary, touch-free, laser machining process has made MFACA production possible, delivering high brightness with minimal loss.

In typical applications, each MFACA collimates arrays of 50 – 60 laser diode bars on pitches ranging from 1mm, down to an incredible 350µm; the smallest in the industry. Multiple MFACAs can be stacked in an assembly, for increased power options, with LIF applications requiring thousands of assemblies!

PowerPhotonic can also produce each laser diode bar of the array with different optical characteristics, to tailor and optimize performance still further.

Wipe the smile off your MFACA!

PowerPhotonic produces a ‘Smile Corrector’ for its MFACA’s to compensate for variance errors inherent in high-density, laser diode stacks. Typically, this involves modifying a curved wavefront (or smile) into a flat line for optimal performance. Additional benefits include greater mechanical tolerances within assemblies, increasing yield and saving costs.

C-Suite appointments completed with new CFO and COO

PowerPhotonic has completed its senior executive, C-Suite appointments, to form a leadership team focused on US and UK growth.

• Amanda Robertson – Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• Sarah Charnley – Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
• Anne Heaney – Chief Operations Officer (COO).

 

Amanda Robertson joined as CEO in July. She appointed Sarah Charnley as CFO in December, to oversee financial health, strategy, and risk management, ensuring robust financial management as the business continues its ambitious growth trajectory. Sarah also leads the Business Services team, developing and maintaining robust governance frameworks.

Anne Heaney,PowerPhotonic  has took up the role of COO towards the end of last year, managing operations, strategic direction, and effective policy implementation. As a Chartered Engineer, Anne brings extensive experience in operations and business improvement across the transport, manufacturing, shipbuilding, and regulated industrial sectors.

 

Fused silica, freeform optics capability was demonstrated at SPIE Photonics West

PowerPhotonic showcased the flexibility of its fused silica, freeform optics at SPIE Photonics West 2026, in January; the world’s leading exhibition for optics and photonics. The company presented innovations in optical components; advanced optical assemblies; and design enablement tools for laser beam combining, collimation, shaping and correction. These address healthcare, manufacturing, data communications, quantum tech, augmented reality, and imaging markets.

PowerPhotonic optical components have minimal scatter, high continuous wave or pulsed power capacity, and optimized performance across the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectrum. On display at the show were:

• Beam combiners for high-coherent-power lasers in defense applications.
• Collimators and homogenizers of high brightness, laser diode arrays targeting laser inertial fusion and directed energy applications.
• Custom beam shapers for high power lasers.
• Aberration correctors for high performance imaging.
• LightForge™ design tools enabling engineers to design and fabricate freeform optics with unprecedented speed and efficiency.

 

SPIE Photonics West highlights

• 170 separate businesses visited the booth.
• 21 customer meetings held with key members of the commercial and engineering teams.
• Group CEO, Amanda Robertson, joined other UK business leaders at a Welcome Breakfast held by the British Consulate-General in San Francisco; indicating the USA’s pro-active political, commercial, cultural, security and economic support for UK businesses.
• A feature by Electro Optics on the MFACA micro-optics and ‘smile’ correction optics used in laser diode stacks to enhance spatial coherence and brightness.
• 3D printed models of Zernike Polynomial Pyramids on the booth, which created huge interest, and allowed PowerPhotonic to visually demonstrate how its Aberration Correctors help resolve optical anomalies.
• Roy McBride, Director of Strategy and Growth at PowerPhotonic delivered a presentation at the Photonics Scotland breakfast briefing, supporting Scotland’s Critical Technologies Supercluster.

 

Andrea Geltrude presented to the Association of Industrial Laser Users conference.

Andrea Geltrude, Sales Manager EMEA at PowerPhotonic, presented ‘Beam Shaping for Advanced Laser Manufacturing,’ at the Association of Industrial Laser Users (AILU) Optics and Beam Delivery Workshop in February. The workshop brought together speakers from leading academic and industrial organisations to highlight the latest advances in optical components, beam-shaping techniques, and beam-delivery solutions, including:

• Galvo scanner systems.
• Articulated arms.
• Welding and cutting processing heads.

 

PowerPhotonic exhibit  at the 3AF, OPTRO Exhibition in Marseille.

Callum Wreford, Head of Product Development and Andrea Geltrude, Sales Manager EMEA were at the Association Aéronautique et Astronautique de France (3AF) OPTRO Exhibition in Marseille promoting:

• Monolithic Fast-Axis Collimator Array (MFACA) and Phaseplate (Smile) Correctors for high-power laser diode stacks.
• LightForge™ – Rapid Flat-Top Service, which enables engineers to design and fabricate custom, flat top beam optics with unprecedented speed and efficiency.
• Coherent Beam Combiners (CBCs), which merge light from fibre lasers into a single, coherent, high-power beam.
• Aberration Correctors, which address non-chromatic, optical aberrations in laser systems.

 

Contact PowerPhotonic online www.powerphotonic.com or at sales@powerphotonic.com for more information on any of these topics.