Hi. My name's Braeden and I'm new to this forum. I have never built a laser before, but I do own a couple <5mw green and blu-ray pens and a 200mw 660nm DX laser. I am looking to build my first laser, and I would like to install a 405nm or 445nm diode in it. I have spent some time on designing a host that I would like to have machined from stainless steel or aluminum. It fits a 10440 battery and a micro flexdrive. I am hoping to power the diode with about 200mw. If you can see any problems with it, or if you believe that this is way to ambitious of a design for a noob, please let me know. I will appreciate any comments or advise. I will post a render of what it should roughly look like.



The render is missing the lens and has a custom copper module which will be dropped from the final design due to budget limitations. There is also a virtual penny for size comparison. Again, I appreciate any comments or ideas that you may like to share. Thanks.

How are you planning to machine the host?

It should work fine, but you seem to be missing a button. Also, you will have pretty short runtimes with a host that small, probably around 30-45 seconds on, 10-20 off. (Based off of what I recommended for my 445 pens)

The biggest problem is the button, they usually take some space and are pretty difficult to configure in a tight space. If you are mechanically inclined you should be fine.

There is actually a push button on the back stuck into the battery cap:
DealExtreme: $1.90 Clicky Switch for Flashlights (11mm 5-Pack)
I have access to a mini lathe and I have some basic machining skills, but I was hoping I could find a place that could CNC machine it at an acceptable cost.

Also, what is the main cause of the low run times on a host this small (heat problems or smaller battery)? Thanks.

What program did you model that it?

If you want, send me a PM and I'll see about getting it CNC machined.

Heat would be the biggest issue. Making the outer diameter bigger would help. Also, the battery size is small, so it would need to be changed frequently, but that is completely independent from a duty cycle.

The model was made in Autodesk Inventor.
Thank you very much for the help as well as the offer for machining the host. I will definitely keep it in mind and let you know when I am finished my research and design.

If he keeps the 445nm power down to 200mW or so, this is not far above threshold for these diodes, so the heat will not be as bad. To get 200mW from a 405nm, you will need at least a GGW, better to go with an 8X for enhanced reliability. I would suggest that you go with aluminum if you make it on the mini lathe. Stainless is harder to machine, you may even need carbide tooling. Of course if you have experience in stainless, go for it. Aluminum is quick and easy to machine and heatsinks extremely well. Brass is another easy machining host material, also brass looks good and has some weight to it. You should be able to machine your prototype host from 6061 aluminum rod or thickwall tube on the mini lathe. An advantage of aluminum is that it can be home anodized once machined. Anodizing just needs battery acid from a car parts place (dilute 1 part acid into 5 parts water), a 12V car battery charger, some aluminum wire, and some thick lead wire or solder. Put the acid bath in a glass or plastic bowl that will fit the host. Use the lead wire to run from battery charger negative to the bottom of the acid bath. Have enough lead wire in the bath so it's surface area is similar to that of the host. Connect the host to the battery charger positive using only aluminum wire, no other metal will do. Place the connected host into the bath, so it does not touch the negative lead solder electrode. There will be bubbles released. Vent these fumes. Let the host anodize for 45 to 90 minutes, remove it, rinse with clean water, it will look a milky color. Now, you must boil it in water for 30 minutes or more to harden the anodize layer. Do a scrap to learn the process. Some alloys anodize better than others. See this link for anodize and plating supplies in the USA. Plating Kits Electroplating Kits Aluminum Anodizing Kits Powder Coating Systems Metal Polishing And Buffing Supplies - Caswell Inc.
You can get dyes here for color anodizing. Search on google, lots of info on home anodizing. Excellent scratch resistant finish for aluminum hosts. Post some pics when you finish your project.