HHV Develops Unique Technology for High-Power Laser Safety Goggles

Hind High Vacuum (HHV), a vacuum science and technology company,  announced  that it has developed a unique technology for high-power Laser Safety Goggles that are made of coated glass and is used to reduce hazardous laser exposure to the eyes. This coating technology was entirely developed by HHV’s dedicated team of R&D professionals out of its facility in Bengaluru, as a part of the Company’s ongoing  ‘ Make in India’ philosophy.

HHV has developed a technology for depositing multilayer dielectric films using Electron Beam Evaporation under High Vacuum. The layer parameters are precisely designed using software to select the particular wavelength of the laser source. These Laser Safety Goggles are designed to reduce hazardous laser eye exposure to safe and permissible levels by providing an optical density that attenuates the power of laser working with, while allowing enough visible transmission for comfortable visibility in lab.

” Laser Safety Goggles are available in three varieties based on the power of laser: low- power lasers need acrylic goggles, medium-power lasers need goggles made of treated glass and operating a high-power laser needs a goggle made of coated glass. HHV has henceforth gone ahead and created Laser Safety goggles for the highest power lasers to cater to industry demand and help provide better impact on the society” said Prasanth Sakhamuri, Managing Director of HHV. “India has more than 40 institutions generating hundreds of optical and laser engineers. This clearly shows laser science and industrial need is accelerating in India, so the need for protection to avoid accidental laser damage is ever more important. Laser Safety Goggles using HHV’s technology have been certified and tested in accordance with International and European and Optical laser Standards”.

Lasers are used in industry in a huge variety of applications. Due to its unique nature, lasers have found applications in almost every field of human activity like Medical, Aerospace, Defence and across all engineering industries. These applications can be divided between those that involve processing of materials and all other applications. Material processing includes cutting, drilling, welding, etc., and generally involves use of high power lasers. Growth in use of laser in industries has increased manifold and consistently growing at an exponential pace In India.

Safe practices and proper usage of safety equipment should be taken into consideration when operating lasers. The eyes are susceptible to injury even from very low levels of laser light. Laser emission from visible and infrared spectral ranges has the greatest potential for retinal injury as cornea and lens are transparent to those wavelengths and the lens can focus the laser energy to retina. Hence laser goggles form an important part of Occupational Health And Safety procedures (OSHAS). Even a diffusive reflection from metallic surface and watches, screwdriver or jewellery of the operator also adds to the risk of injury.

Powerful lasers are taking up comprehensive jobs like tissue cutting in biomedical engineering to hardest known naturally occurring substance like diamond. These applications are based on, wavelength, frequency and power of the laser beam. Unlike normal light, laser light is focused that makes the beam more powerful. Lasers can be designed of any wavelength from Ultra violet to visible to infrared. Since human eyes can only observe through visible light, extra attention is required while handling lasers apart from visible wavelength. Great care must be taken while handling these lasers. According to FDA statistics there are more than 10,000 severe eye injuries due to powerful lasers.