Specifications

Installation
23
The RF Cable
RF cables have a finite life in terms of the number of bends they can
withstand. As the bend radius is reduced, the life becomes shorter.
Coherent provides cables with an extended flex life for use on
systems with moving lasers. Even with these cables, it is good prac-
tice to do the following:
• Use the shortest RF cable possible.
• Select the longest-lived cable type available.
• Run the cable in its own track (put the water hoses in another
track) and allow it to take the largest possible bend radius.
• Do not tie wrap or otherwise constrain the cable.
• Make sure that nothing can abrade the cable as the axes
traverse their full range of motion.
• Avoid stress to the cable (torsion, shear, or tension).
• Allow for cable replacement as a maintenance operation.
For those applications where they are suitable, the GEM & G-series
lasers, with their integral RF power supplies, are better choices for
systems where the laser is on a moving axis.
Figure 9. Laser and Additional Optics on Adjustable Mounting Plate
Collimated Laser Beam
(See Beam Propagation Section)