Introduced in 1990 with the 50 watt 48-5, Synrad's Duo-Lase® technology combines two standard, sealed Synrad laser tubes for twice the output of a standard laser.  This optical technique is unique in the laser industry and features a multitude of advantages for most applications over the conventional approach of intra-cavity folding to achieve high power output in a relatively short and compact laser body.

The Duo-Lase® technique capitalizes on the long production history of Synrad’s “all-metal” lasers, over 70,000 of which have been manufactured.  This assures the user of a mature product with proven reliability.  These lasers are also economical since they are built from high production volume modules. 

Care has been taken to totally separate all power and control functions between the two laser sections, essentially achieving fail-safe operation for applications that can be served with the power of one laser.  Any one electronic or laser tube failure will only affect that section, leaving the second channel unaffected and available for temporary use. 

The optical combining technique is based on the fact that each laser is linearly polarized, allowing the use of a polarization sensitive beam combiner to achieve 98% efficiency in combining the two beams.  The two components of the resulting beam are spatially parallel and collinear.  Combining the output of two lasers reduces the normal temporal and spatial variations of a single laser.  Output polarization is random and therefore superior for many cutting applications.