Date: Nov 15, 2013 Source: MDA (
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Even though lasers have become commonplace tools for a variety of applications, from communications to manufacturing, important safety considerations remain for developers and users of laser technology. For example, laser applications require shielding to absorb excess radiation that could pose health hazards. And one MDA-funded company has developed a new material to address that need.
Energy Science Laboratories, Inc. (ESLI; San Diego, CA), is now selling several iterations of Vel-Black®, a black carbon-velvet appliqué used for protective shielding in laser applications. The company's product has evolved through knowhow ESLI researchers developed while working on a 2004 MDA Phase II SBIR contract involving high-power laser technology.
ESLI engineered its Vel-Black appliqué to have enhanced flexibility, durability, and survivability at high and low temperatures, from cryogenic temperatures to the intense heat emitted by high-energy lasers. The company sells Vel-Black in sheets of up to 2 feet by 3 feet, with thicknesses as low as 0.02 inches.
After nearly 10 years of development, ESLI hopes to bring its radiation-arresting velvet appliqué to industries requiring stray-light suppression, light traps, space-simulation chambers, photodetector calibration, or high-emissivity coatings.
Energy Science Laboratories, Inc., works with government agencies and prime contractors to produce advanced thermal-control, structural, and optical solutions for high-energy platforms.
