Famous Facts of Laser Tools Co., Inc.
The first laser invented by Laser Tools in 1992 was the L50. This was a shirt-pocket sized, a single red beam level that used a laser beam to extend the level reference. The L50 used a first-generation, laser diode that was in itself a derivative of the compact disc and entertainment industry.
The first Solid State Laser Diodes created an infrared laser light which was not visible to the human eye because it was easier to produce and you didn’t need to see the light inside of a CD player anyway. AT&T asked the CD manufactures to make an eye visible version of the Solid State Laser Diode so they could use it for telecommunications through optical fibers.
When the eye visible, red laser diode was invented it could also replace the HeNe glass tube lasers that are fragile and short lived.
This repurpose is the basis of the present Solid State Laser Diode used in the Model L50M MX Laser Micro Level™. Note: The M after the Model number L50M is an abbreviation for the word Magnum® which was a registered trademark by Empire Level in 1992. The Model number description and trademark Laser Micro Level™ also avoids a conflict with the registered trademark Laser Level® owned by Spectra Precision in 1992.
One year after the Model L50 Laser Level was invented and introduced, the L100 Laser Precision Level™ was invented. This was a longer laser level at a 9” length with a machined flat bottom surface, precision 5 minute of arc level vial and large optics. This means that the laser dot could shoot farther, retain a smaller dot size with internal features for marking and insure a +/- 1/8” accuracy over a 100’ distance. The L100M Laser Precision Level™ was the most advanced, hand-held laser level in the world at the time of its invention. This caused standard carpenter level manufactures worldwide to scramble to build a laser into their levels. However, the L100M Laser Precision Level’s™ invention by itself was not the catalysis that spawned the use of a laser beam for common construction applications including job site layouts, brick and mortar fabrication and line of sight alignment. It was the melding of another component to the “Laser Level” that opened the world to the utility and ease-of-use of a tool that would save time and money in a first world environment.
Lasers used in construction improve job site accuracy. This notion results in fewer people to do the same as before. So, any invention or discovery that addresses “The-People-Issue” is noteworthy.
The introduction of the Beam Bender™ in 1993 did this very thing.
The AP90C Beam Bender™ is not a new invention. It is a repurposed optical component called a Penta Prism that is normally used on the top of a rotary laser to produce a flat plane of laser light when the laser beam is spun around in a circle. This lets construction workers level forms, measure grades and slopes, install drop ceiling acoustic tiles, excavate for septic systems and install cabinets and countertops in kitchens, among other applications. But the use of a Penta Prism to produce a static, 100’ framing square was not imagined in 1993.
Laser Tools Co. was the first to effectively install a Penta Prism onto the end of the hand held L100 Laser Precision Level™. The Penta Prism was also modified so that the eye-visible laser beam was split into two beams with one going straight through and the other beam exiting the Beam Bender™ at a precise 90° angle. The AP90C Beam Bender™ was invented and this changed the construction industry by reducing the need for an “idiot-on-the-stick”. Now layouts could be performed by one person faster and with more accuracy than using a dumpy level and leveling rod carried and held by a second person roaming the job site.
Following this invention, all standard level manufactures hustled to build a product line of levels that incorporated an eye-visible Laser Beam and Penta Prism to extend the level reference and provide job site layout excellence. Laser Tools Co. was the pioneer with the arrows in the back!
A small laser diode produces a coherent laser beam that can be focused into a pinpoint or a straight (collimated) laser beam. This means that the laser beam can be used to project a measuring dot or may be converted to a line to project across the floor of a warehouse or a wall in a kitchen or to level the ledger boards for a new deck. But while the original Solid State Laser Diodes were amazing, special procedures were necessary in order to produce a workable tool for a professional. The original laser diodes were extremely static sensitive! Too much hand movement during the handling of the laser diode itself could damage the device. Each laser diode cost $72.00 so a failure was not acceptable!
A proper heat sink design that would keep the laser diode cool during operation was critical to an extended life time of use in varying climates and temperatures. Many hurtles were overcome to adapt this new laser device to make a professional tool that would stand the test of time.
The Laser Diode itself does not project a straight line. Optical elements must be used to produce a laser dot or laser line in order to do certain types of work. A glass collimating lens focuses the laser light emitted from the laser diode, but the laser beam itself has to reference the case of the tool so that the tool can be called a laser level. Some method of steering the laser beam and calibrating the laser to the case has to be incorporated in the design. This means that the method has to be accurate, practical and secure over time.
Most laser beams can be steered by moving the laser diode or the laser diode module with set screws that push the laser module up and down or back and forth. But set screws by their nature can vibrate loose and move over time. A simple drop of a laser can render a laser tool inaccurate and useless.
Laser Tools decided to use an optical solution for a life-time calibration approach that’s impervious to outside shock and vibration. That design hedge incorporates that use of Wedge Prisms for beam steering the laser beams!
Wedge Prisms are optical elements or windows that are internal to the laser tool. The straight laser beam passes through these wedge prisms on its path out of the laser tool. A laser beam will pass right through a normal window with parallel sides but a wedge prism has one side ground and polished at an angle. This causes the laser beam to refract or bend slightly. If two wedge prisms are used in tandem and rotated independently but simultaneously, the laser beam can be moved in a circle or positioned precisely anywhere within the circle. The diameter of the circle is determined by the wedge prism window angles and the two wedge prism angles are additive. This means that the laser beam can be adjusted to be straight with the bottom of a laser level and centered from left to right of the sides of the laser too. This method of calibration does not involve any mechanical adjustments like set screws and is inherently stable. A jar, drop or hit from any of the 6 cardinal directions will not invoke a rotation of the wedge prisms. Therefore, the laser tool is considered to be calibrated for life!
The method used to adjust the two wedge prisms is still a trade secret but the results are unsurpassed. Laser Tool’s product use and longevity is an industry standard. Warranty and repair costs for calibration are non-existent when measured over a 30-year period and taking into the account of over 100,000 laser tools having been sold worldwide in all industries and applications.
Laser beams used in the construction, commercial, industrial and marine industries are just fancy strings or dots. It’s the application that uses a laser beam dot or line that’s important.
A laser dot is an alignment element between two points that provides a straight line like a string. The laser line can be used to set a layer of bricks, align injection mold reference points or position torsion bars that support solar cell panels that generate electricity.
Laser lines are fan beams created by shooting the straight laser through a cylindrical lens or curved surface. This creates a long line whose length is determined by the curve of the lens and the size of the laser beam entering the curved lens. A laser line can be used to guide trucks to center their trailers to freight docks or as a pathway for people versus forklifts in a warehouse. Two laser lines aligned 90° to each other create a laser crosshair that can be used to center a lifting hook over a load in a steel mill, or position a T shirt pocket in a silk printing press or center a remote mining machine underground in a coal mine.
Once again, It’s the application that defines the importance of using either a laser dot or laser line. This is why all Laser Tools Co. laser products are designed to address specific applications in the construction, commercial, industrial, mining, marine and solar industries. Laser modules that are designed with no applications in mind are less useful as practical tool.
Laser beams come in different colors. Red laser light was the first visible color that was produced by a solid state laser diode. Other colors like green and blue are now available and have different benefits……….
