Laser protection
The top priority for the use of TopFloor lasers in the commercial sector is safety for viewers and workers. The whole purpose is to completely avoid the risk of injury to the eye from laser radiation. Minimising or even eliminating this risk is not a problem in most applications and is not particularly costly. We have a wealth of experience in this area and are of course happy to provide advice. For each device you will receive detailed instructions on installation and safety.
According to current laser standards and safety guidelines, TopFloor line lasers are so-called "extended sources" and may be handled more easily than the much more dangerous bundled sources known from laser pointers or point lasers. The danger is considerably reduced by the strong expansion of the laser beam. Even after a short viewing distance, a hazard can be excluded, which is why a TopFloor Laser installation can usually be classified as Laser Class 2 or even 1. It is very important to know that the laser class of the laser device itself is usually higher than the laser class of the laser installation in which the laser device was installed or attached.
Basically the following applies:
A laser device can be classified in laser class 1 if only very little light reaches the pupil of the eye and the radiation values are again significantly below the permissible values of class 2. This is the case with TopFloor Laser if the devices are at a certain distance from the floor.
Per se there is no "Class 1 line laser", but only a "Class 1 laser device". Here a line laser is classified as a Class 1 laser by means of suitable measures (distance, radiation angle), because the laser power is distributed over a large area by the expansion of the line optics and therefore very little light can reach the eye directly.
The non-binding rule of thumb
To determine the laser class of a TopFloor laser installation, the following rule of thumb can be applied, although this is not binding:
- If the prescribed minimum distance is maintained, laser class 2 is achieved at the viewer. Looking into the beam for a short time is not dangerous
- If the specified minimum distance is doubled, a classification in laser class 1 is possible, as the exposure levels in the eye are drastically reduced once again
For the minimum distances between laser module and viewer, a table is available in our safety data sheets.
The difference between laser device and laser equipment
A laser installation is created by installing, fixing, mounting or attaching a laser device somewhere and putting it into operation.
In concrete terms this means:
You order a TopFloor laser device in our shop, mount it on your hall ceiling or wall and put the laser into operation.
At this moment you are the manufacturer of a laser device. This laser equipment is now evaluated and classified in a risk class. Depending on how the line laser has been installed, both class 2 and class 1 may have been created here.
Laser class 1:
You have mounted the TopFloor Laser in such a way that the user, operator or worker is more than the required distance from the laser outlet that would be necessary for laser class 2. As a rule of thumb, we take twice the distance as required for class 2. Example: If laser class 2 is reached after a distance of 2m, the hazard is reduced after twice the distance, i.e. 4m distance, so that classification in class 1 becomes possible.
Laser class 2:
You have mounted the line laser e.g. laterally or overhead, so that the user can look into the emission of the laser light, but keeps a minimum distance defined in our safety data sheet. Even in this case the laser light reaching the eye is not harmful to the eye. Maintaining the minimum distance is mandatory for difficult setups or attachments of line lasers!
Different rules may apply depending on the country. For USA and Canada, FDA approval exists for certain models.