Most powerful handheld laser (prototype)
Who
Daniel Black
What
7.61 watt(s)
Where
United Kingdom (Royston)
When

The most powerful handheld laser (prototype) outputs a peak power of 7.61 W and a sustained 7.10 W, achieved by Daniel Black (UK), at PA Consulting’s Global Innovation and Technology Centre, in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, UK, on 13 June 2022.


Daniel broke his own record of 5.1 W (4.2 W sustained), which he set in April 2016 in collaboration with Leslie Laycock and Mohammed Akhmad (all UK). He has also previously achieved records for most balloons burst by a laser in one minute (55) and largest laser cutting machine (37.05 m² / 398.80 ft²).

The laser is a custom-made device, outputting light at 445nm from a single diode emitter. The body of the device acts as a large heatsink and is made from machined aerospace aluminium. The diode is housed in a large internal copper structure for heat dissipation purposes and all electronics are mounted to this internal structure. It has no active cooling system, relying solely on the body to passively cool the device. It is powered via 2X 18650 batteries OR via 2x 26650 batteries in series. The rear of the laser acts as a key switch, disabling it when removed. This removable rear section contains a push-button switch which will activate the laser when depressed and the laser is not able to operate once this is removed. It operates solely in a CW configuration and is not pulsed.