Abstract: A high powered beam dump apparatus and method for absorbing the power of a high power laser, while the beam is shuttered off from contact with a workpiece, comprises two principal features. A reflecting cone reflects and spreads the high power laser beam outwardly from the axis of a high power laser beam when the beam dump is positioned with the axis of the cone coaxial with the axis of the incoming laser beam. An absorber extends circumferentially about the reflecting cone surface and absorbs the power of the beam as reflected from the reflecting cone surface. The materials and surface finishes of the conical reflecting surface and the absorber and the angle of the reflecting cone are related to the wavelength of the high power laser beam with which the beam dump is associated so as to absorb essentially all of the power of the laser beam when the beam dump is moved into the beam shuttered off position.

Abstract: A co-axial laser tube structure of the kind used in a flowing gas laser has an inner axially extending tube for confining the flowing gas in a discharge region, a single pin cathode mounted adjacent the hot end of the inner tube, a single pin anode mounted intermediate the cool end and the hot end of the inner tube, a gas entrance orifice for permitting gas to flow from the exterior tube into the interior of the tube at the location of the anode electrode means, and an outer tube which is separate from and which extends co-axially with the inner tube. The outer tube is made of plastic and conducts flowing gas along the outside of the inner tube from the cool end to the gas entrance orifice. The co-axial laser tube structure includes tube installation and mounting means effective to permit installation and/or replacement of the inner and outer tubes without the need for subsequent adjustment or bore registration of the tubes.