Various laser related questions....

Hi there!
I just joined this forum as it seems like a very knowledgeable one with professionals who visit regularly.

Basically I have a few questions regarding building a small size laser.

I currently own a 200mw red laser pointer which I obtained through DX for $30. It is about the size of an oversize pen (or a bit larger). Basically I need something a bit smaller. Edit: I realize the batteries (CR2 I think) take up most of the room, but I am not going to worry about that in the 'small size' right now.

The purpose of this laser is to easily cut thin fibrous threads, such as carpet threads.
I have tested the DX laser (100mw) and it did cut the thread, but after some focusing.

I was thinking of using a 300mw laser diode which should serve this purpose.

Also, does anyone know what type of lens I would use if i wanted to turn this (super focused) laser beam into a Flat line, which would be similar to the thickness of a shark knife (or really thin). Edit: I have seen various 'focus line' adapters, but do not know which one would be optimal at this point.

If I did end up figuring out how to 'spread out the beam' into a flat line, would there still be enough power to slice through fibers?

Also, if anyone know where to purchase reliable laser diodes (possibly with heat sync and potted) online (other than ebay and DX or FP), that would be great! How much would I be expected to pay for a good 300-400mw laser?

Thanks,

does anyone know what I need? there have been 40 views, I cannot believe nobody knows that I'm talking about...should I explain it better?

enterp said:

I currently own a 00mw red laser pointer

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A double-agent pointer? :undecided:

enterp said:

a flat line, would there still be enough power to slice through fibers?

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There isn't enough as it is. Laser pointers ( <--- operative word ) are not good for cutting things.

What EXACTLY is your end goal here? See sig.

Cyparagon said:

A double-agent pointer? :undecided:



There isn't enough as it is. Laser pointers ( <--- operative word ) are not good for cutting things.

What EXACTLY is your end goal here? See sig.

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oh, very sorry, i had edited it to say 200, but left out the 2...

basically I would like to try a 808nm maybe 1w laser and attach that to a 'line generator' in order to have it act like a knife to cut a small thread....also, i would like this to run on batteries, thus making it small or portable....but not too small.... like maybe the size of my original 200mw laser...

would this be possible?

and thanks for your reply!

yeah you might slice trough butter if you are very patient....
Don't fool around with infrared lasers, they are even more dangerous than the
visible wavelength kind.
I think the kind of "laser knife" you want can't be made into a simple and small pointer.

You would need much more power and better optics than just a line-drawing
diffraction grating (it would just melt away).

Honestly? Just forget about this idea of yours...
There a much better and more fun things to do with a laser.

I think a sharp pair of scissors would be a better option for cutting small thread.

how small of thread? Sowing thread could easily be done. Not sure why you need a line generator though

Mohrenberg said:

Not sure why you need a line generator though

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I'm guessing his keep-dot-perfectly-still-on-target skillz are sub-par.

Mohrenberg said:

how small of thread? Sowing thread could easily be done. Not sure why you need a line generator though

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less than one mm. i'm going to try a 200mw 808nm 'portable' version first. do you think the line generator would melt away? this would be a big problem!

thanks

anselm said:

yeah you might slice trough butter if you are very patient....
Don't fool around with infrared lasers, they are even more dangerous than the
visible wavelength kind.
I think the kind of "laser knife" you want can't be made into a simple and small pointer.

You would need much more power and better optics than just a line-drawing
diffraction grating (it would just melt away).

Honestly? Just forget about this idea of yours...
There a much better and more fun things to do with a laser.

Click to expand...

Honestly, I'm not the kind of person who forgets about ideas. Once I come up with one, there's not much you can do to stop my mind.

Mind you, I don't know if I mentioned this, but the size of the 'knife" length I need is no more than 2inches....which I think I could attain after trial and error....
I've ordered about 20 different diodes to experiment with. And yes, I have also purchased several pairs of expensive laser goggles to protect me from my wacky contraption....

Might I suggest a candle? They're cheaper, safer, faster, less intricate, static-proof, more efficient, will cut ALL colors of thread, don't require recharging, and probably about 27 other things I can't recall at the moment.

Unless you're using an acrylic lens, you don't need to worry about your lens 'melting' away, and even then it wouldn't melt, per se, it'd just kinda deform. There are glass line generation optics, even though this sounds like a bad idea. And just because it's 1W doesn't mean it'll slice through anything, in fact, being 808nm it'll have a hard time burning much fast, this isn't to say it won't burn, believe me it will, just not very well.

Prototype said:

Unless you're using an acrylic lens, you don't need to worry about your lens 'melting' away, and even then it wouldn't melt, per se, it'd just kinda deform. There are glass line generation optics, even though this sounds like a bad idea. And just because it's 1W doesn't mean it'll slice through anything, in fact, being 808nm it'll have a hard time burning much fast, this isn't to say it won't burn, believe me it will, just not very well.

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great, sounds like glass line generators are the way to go.

what beam would you recommend then for optimal 'cutting'/burning, other than an 808nm?

enterp said:

great, sounds like glass line generators are the way to go.

what beam would you recommend then for optimal 'cutting'/burning, other than an 808nm?

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also, would it be wise to use a lower NM beam? or would that negate the cutting effect, seeing as the beam would be spread out with a line generator.

I don't want to go blind when using it, so would a 655nm with a higher wattage suffice?

SOrry, meant to pm

i still don't understand why you would need a line generator though. just use a regular lens....
then pass each string through that apex in the beam and cut it...