The BRIDLE project seeks to harness the power and efficiency of diode lasers to develop an affordable direct diode laser source for industrial applications requiring the cutting and welding of sheet metal. Specifically, BRIDLE's diode laser will have a power >2kW from a 100um diameter (NA 40%. (This is ~2.5x more powerful, 10x brighter and 1.7x more efficient than the best spectral beam combined d ...