Polycarbonate Filter Technology for Laser Eyewear

laservision offers the most advanced collection of polymer or polycarbonate laser safety eyewear filters.

We employ leading material science at our state-of-the-art production facilities to consistently manufacture the most advanced laser absorbers and coatings. Our development efforts have resulted in a complete line of polycarbonate laser eyewear.

Polycarbonate filters are:

• Lightweight
• Cost-effective
• Offered in a large variety of frame styles
• Best suited for low-mid power density laser applications
• Some are impact resistant, ANSI Z87 compliant

Glass Filter Technology for Laser Eyewear

laservision leads the industry in the production of specialty glass filters for laser eye protection.

All glass filters are produced at our advanced glass processing facility according to exacting standards. With over fourteen glass filters, our selection of laser safety glass eyewear is unparalleled. Laservision has the capacity to develop custom glass filters specifically to your application requirements. Glass laser eyewear sets the standard in the moderate to high-power laser categories.

Glass filters offer:

• Superior optical properties
• Improved visible light transmission (VLT)
• Excellent color balance
• High level of protection over wide range

Thin-Film-Coated Filter Technology for Laser Eyewear

Thin-film-coated laser eyewear from Laservision sets the gold standard for laser safety.

The advanced materials lab at Laservision creates superior reflective coatings that offer the highest levels of protection and VLT for all laser applications. Our thin-film-coating (also referred to as nanospec) technology can be applied to both polycarbonate and glass lenses for any laser application. If your application demands advanced protection and excellent VLT, consider laservision thin-film laser eyewear as your solution.

Nanospec technology provides:

• High Optical Density* reflective coatings
• Premium VLT
• Color balance
• An answer to the challenge of pico and femtosecond pulse protection
• Protection for many low-high power densities laser applications

For any questions about our laser eyewear filter technologies, please call us at 800-393-5565.

* Optical density (OD) is the attenuation of light that passes through an optical filter. The higher the OD value the higher the attenuation. The mathematic expression of optical density is the logarithm to the base ten of the reciprocal of the transmittance and is given by the following equation: OD = -log₁₀ (T). OD is a measure that indicates how many decimal places the transmission shifts at the required wavelength. OD is a unitless function. An OD of 2 allows 0.01% transmission, while OD 4 allows 0.0001% of transmission photon.

Laser Eyewear Selection Tips

There is an ever-expanding array of complex and sophisticated laser systems in use today. For laser personnel, Laser Safety Officers (LSOs) in material processing, military, medical, research and development, applications demand high-performance safety eyewear options. When selecting the most appropriate laser protective eyewear, LSOs need to consider the working environment, viewing conditions, operational and performance specifications of the laser as well as beam delivery systems.

The ultimate goal in selecting laser eye protection is to provide comfortable and stylish eyewear that laser personnel will wear with protection levels (optical densities) that properly reduce potentially hazardous laser exposure to levels at or below maximum permissible exposure (MPE) levels.

Our laser protective eyewear is available in a variety of technologies such as glass, polycarbonate, and nanospec (thin-film-coated glass). Filters are available using absorptive or reflective dielectric thin-film technology. Absorptive lens filters are made using high-impact, high-optical quality polycarbonate or glass materials. Light absorption at a specific laser wavelength is expressed in terms of optical density (OD). It is calculated by the following equations:

OD = -log₁₀T = -log₁₀(I/I_o ) = log₁₀ (1/T )

Where:

T = Transmittance at the wavelength of interest

I_o = Intensity of incident beam

I = Intensity of transmitted beam

Polycarbonate, Glass and Thin-Film-Coated Laser Protective Eyewear

Polycarbonate laser protective eyewear provides LSOs with excellent low-cost, lightweight safety solutions in a wide variety of frame styles. Some frame styles allow the insertion of a prescription insert, yielding the user a custom pair of eyewear.

Absorbing glass filters generally provide higher ODs and better visible light transmission (VLT) values at a slightly higher cost per pair when compared to polycarbonate laser safety eyewear.

Nanospec or thin-film-coated filters provide precise protection at specific laser wavelengths and have excellent VLT values. Precise vapor depositions of alternate HI-LO index of refraction dielectric coatings or films are applied directly to absorptive polycarbonate or glass filter materials. This technology provides laser protection by reflective and absorptive properties.

By understanding the absorptive and reflective characteristics of various laser filter technologies, Laservision can create custom filters. We are able to bond or laminate two (or more) types of filters together to extend the spectral protection range of a single type of eyewear filter to cover a broader range of laser wavelengths.

If you have any further questions please contact us or give us a call at 800-393-5565. We are available to answer any of your questions during standard business hours, Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.