NEED HELP! 808nm C Mount laser

Hey guys! So I'm trying to set up a laser mounted on the side of my benchtop CNC machine. Now I've been looking on eBay and have found some killer prices on C mount inferred lasers. Now the help I need is I'm not that experienced with lasers but I am with electronics. I wanted to ask you guys that have experience doing this.

What wattage laser do I need to cut thin maybe thick metal but etch on aluminum, steel and PCB board...would 4W be okay or do I need 6-8-10-or15w? I understand I will most likly need different lenses for when I am want to cut to engrave. Now for mounting I'm looking at getting this Good Cooling C Mount Laser Diode Housing with 808nm Glass Focusing Lens | eBay <--- housing, maybe the rectangle one that's eBay as well if you type in C mount laser housing. But planning on those, I will modify if not make a completely different inner mount for the laser so it mount much smoother and has more contact area for cooling.

What is the proper lens set up for doing this, I can't get a strait answer anywhere... Do I send through a collimating lens then focal? Or just focal? Now are these good and would they work-ZnSe ones on eBay? There for CO2 setups so I wasn't sure..

I also really thinking about intergrading 1-4 Thermal electric coolers or a PCB water coolers. Now let me know if I'm heading in the wrong direction at all here. But lasers do hate heat right? Do I wanna run as cool as possible or regulate to a specific monitored temp?

Now last section is the driver I have been looking all around and I'm so confused lol I see ones that are 7k and some that are 100 at same power rating wtf? Now I could build one but I see some on ebay that can adjust from 1.3v-20v and .1A- to 15A and 25A if bigger heat sink applied. Now this one is $20.. Now that's way worth not having to hassle with designing a circuit milling out a PCB... I would make some mods and have a LCD print out to monitor the current and voltage output.

Now what do you guys think am I in the right direction or way off lol.

A friendly advice, more people would read your post if you separated it into paragraphs rather than posting one big block of text. Makes it easier to follow what you're trying to say.

Im use to forums not allowing Enters and they just delete them if you do it

To cut any metal requires hundreds of watts
of light, unless it's lead foil. Forget about
cutting aluminum with anything less than a
few thousand watts. 100W might cut very
thin foils and thin gauge steel with oxygen
or air assist. If you want to cut metal with
electricity, a plasma cutter is far more
effective. For the price of a 100W laser,
you can get a nice plasma cutter that will
cut 3/4" steel and 1/4" aluminum easily. A
3W laser will mark on wood at a fairly decent
speed, and that is about it. 3W can cut
very thin wood, but only at an excruciatingly
slow rate, unless it's real thin like veneer.

Correct me if I am wrong but can't 10w cut or etch into thin steel? Not aluminum as the absorbtion rate for our typical wl is really low >20%. But steel has relatively good absorption for our wl. Co2 will require a ton of power for steel as steel barely absorbs 10800nm. Our typical wl also are good for gold and silver.

Also don't forget the good ole color it black technique

Re: NEED HELP! 808nm C Mount Laser

Ya STALKER no offense I'm lost with what your saying I'm with UPAAA on this I have seen with my own eyes a 15W laser cut 20 gauge steel 4" circles no problem.. But okay let's say I get an 8W 808nm. One is 808nm okay for etching? I didn't figure color made a diff with power/ability but the more I read it looks like it does but I'm not sure so what do you guys think? And I would like to be able to etch in on this stuff pretty fast. I've seen some 50w lasers etch a extremely detailed 3" round logo in glass in less then 5 sec. Now I don't need that fast but say if I etched in "MullensCustomGarage" that's 1/2 inch tall by 3" I would like to be able to etch that in under 30 sec if possible.

Re: NEED HELP! 808nm C Mount Laser

Nissan20det said:

Ya STALKER no offense I'm lost with what your saying I'm with UPAAA on this I have seen with my own eyes a 15W laser cut 20 gauge steel 4" circles no problem..

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I would neg rep you for talking out of your @$$ yet again, but I've already neg repped you once in the last 24 hours. Maybe some others can.

You're full of crap.

Coherent Inc. Questions often asked when considering a laser cutter.

Re: NEED HELP! 808nm C Mount Laser

Nissan20det said:

I have seen with my own eyes a 15W laser cut 20 gauge steel 4" circles no problem

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MAYBE if it was qswitched Nd:YAG or something. There's no way in hell a CW laser can do that, and diode lasers are rated by their CW power. You don't want near IR for two reasons - it is highly reflected by most materials, and it has a multimode beam which means the spot size is comparatively large, and bar-shaped.

I just subjected the aluminum front panel of my LPM to a stationary 7W 808nm C-Mount's most tightly focused output for 60 seconds. What a waste eh? I've completely destroyed the aluminum.

Look at all the carnage

$50 if you can tell me where the beam was focused.

And no, it's not that 10mm hole that the Ophir is behind....I drilled that with a power tool.

Okay well what is the deal here? Now the first link is to a 4w C mount 808nm laser diode the second is for a Coherent laser diode bar that's 40w 808nm.

Now is there any difference in quality/use? Is the only difference the mounting type? I see it says it's a 40W bar diode. Is that just a different type? It says burning/cutting. But dude I found these for 150$ and under for around 30W 50W of power!

If those act the same as a 40w C mount then sh*t I'm goin 40w screw 4-8w!!!
http://m.ebay.com/itm/251424967853?nav=SEARCH
http://m.ebay.com/itm/301292029085?nav=SEARCH

I don't want to talk out of MY @$$, but I don't believe that a 40W 808nm diode bar will come anywhere close to cutting or etching aluminum either.

RH ..... Dude you need to chill out man! You obviously don't read what I write what so ever! I have never once said anything about a laser doing anything with aluminum I have only asked if it is possible! You are being extremely rude, every where I post you have to interrupt my conversation with other people just to talk S**t.

This is my thread/my questions my learning. But I don't wanna hear it and I highly doubt anyone else does either! if you have something rude to say PM me or just shut up. I'm trying to learn/ figure this out on my own without a little kid talking crap and trying to get attention from everyone else.

Honestly just stop talking! You have nothing to say that one helps me or two anyone else wants to read. And it's especially rude to go on someone's thread say there talking out of there A** and then try to change the subject to your own fake 50$ prize! Go make your own thread and talk crap and see how many people wanna talk to you and leave me the F**K ALONE!

There are your rates

rhd said:

I don't want to talk out of MY @$$, but I don't believe that a 40W 808nm diode bar will come anywhere close to cutting or etching aluminum either.

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RHD is right. ~15% of 40w is only 6w and don't forget that you are probably using a multimode.

HOWEVER don't forget about the FAC lenses that can contaminate diode bars really nicely.

At the machine shop there are 2 laser cutters at 40w and 80w if I remember correctly. BOTH slice the f*ck out of the aluminum grating under them if some idiot forgets to put their material in.

So... Don't know 'til ya try.

There might be hope!

Nissan20det said:

RH ..... Dude you need to chill out man! You obviously don't read what I write what so ever! I have never once said anything about a laser doing anything with aluminum I have only asked if it is possible!

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My bad... I don't know where I got that impression that you were looking to etch aluminum...

Nissan20det said:

What wattage laser do I need to cut thin maybe thick metal but etch on aluminum, steel and PCB board...would 4W be okay or do I need 6-8-10-or15w?

Click to expand...

Nissan20det said:

This is my thread/my questions my learning. But I don't wanna hear it and I highly doubt anyone else does either! if you have something rude to say PM me or just shut up. I'm trying to learn/ figure this out on my own without a little kid talking crap and trying to get attention from everyone else.

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Correction, this is the forum's thread and the forum's learning, and if you're going to make posts on the forum taking a position and providing advice that is blatantly incorrect, that's a problem for the forum and the forum's learning, and in particular, for other new members who might be confused and inclined to believe your incorrect / untrue statements by accident since you state them forcefully and without any measurable reserve. Take, for example, the following comment that you made about the appropriateness of using resistors to drive laser diodes:

Nissan20det said:

....this is the way to test a laser with the stuff you have. Safely! you would have no problem what so ever doing it this way. and its a good learning experience.

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*sniffs air*

Anyone smell that? The air is ripe with the smell of dumbass....

Seriously. Several others have said this, and im going to say it too: if you don't know what you're talking about, don't act like you do. Being a laser forum, there are plenty of people here that actually DO know what they are talking about- you won't fool anyone into thinking you aren't just talking out of your ass. Basic research is NOT hard to do. I suggest next time, you first use this wondetful thing called "google" before just assuming you are correct.