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FrozenGate by Avery

Collimating Lenses

R

Roger Dangerous

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Hello all,

I will soon be the recipient of a 1W 808nm DPSS pump high power burning laser diode. It is inside of a 9mm case.

I know I need a power source, would I need a heat sink?

I plan to use this laser to etch/engrave/ and cut various plastics, generally around 1/16-1/8th" thick, occasionally 1/4."

I would like to be able to hold this in my hand, pen-style would be good, but not necessary...

I am reading FAQs now, so... bare with me..

Is it feasible or recommended to have a 1W laser in a pen-style setup...

Also the link that is supposed to show you how to make a home driver just redirects back to main boards...

Also, I was recommended to get a glass collimating lens to focus it to a fine point...anyone know where to get such a lens? all the ones i see are plastic, and every other wavelength BUT 808...

Thanks in advance:thanks:
 





Make sure your power source is a very well-regulated constant current source to avoid damage to the diode.

Browse Meredith Instruments (Meredith Instruments - The Source for Lasers, Mirrors, Optics, Parts, and Surplus) for brass housings for 9mm diodes. They sell several types with glass lenses, which are required for lasers this powerful.

For cooling, you'll want to mount the brass module either on a large metal surface like a CPU heatsink or inside a drilled block of metal depending on the type of housing you end up getting (cylindrical vs. cube).

You diode will be multimode, so to focus it down properly you'll need a cylinder lens along with the convex lens that's built in to the Meredith housing.
 
Personally I'd recommend this for max heatsinking and ease of use: Meredith Instruments

Your second choice is also a good one, but round modules can be a little more difficult to fit to an external heatsink than a cube-shaped module which can rest directly on any flat metal surface. You could even arrange to cool it with a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) if you're up to the challenge. TEC cooling is the best way to ensure that your diode stays cool no matter what.
 
Now the one you suggested, does it have the heatsink as well?

Is this able to be used handheld?

I'm also wondering would I need driver for this? or is it possible to hook this up directly to a wall socket (with proper adapter) As I said i'm looking to cut up to 1/4" thick plastic.. that's it.. well at least for now...
 
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No, the heatsinking will need to be provided by your ingenuity.. A 1W diode will require a fairly large heatsink to operate continuously for any length of time. The temperature should never exceed 25C.

I missed the part about handheld.. You'll have a real challenge there due to the more complex optics needed to focus these kinds of diodes. I would recommend building a stationary laser and moving the object to be engraved. Also, having 1W of invisible laser radiation emitted form a handheld unit is extremely hazardous since the beam direction is not always under 110% perfect control.. Goggles are a MUST regardless of portability.
 
Ouch, so the original options i linked would not be suitable for handheld? Or at least placed on say something like a pantograph?

I'm assuming the one you recommended would be the one needed for the stationery mount.

If need be I have no problem, mounting it stationery, and moving objects around...

I've got experience soldering and whatnot, but am not sure how i would go about making a heatsink, esp for like you said, something that emits 1W of invisible laser..lol

HELP.... :)
 
Roger Dangerous said:
Ouch, so the original options i linked would not be suitable for handheld? Or at least placed on say something like a pantograph?

I'm assuming the one you recommended would be the one needed for the stationery mount.

If need be I have no problem, mounting it stationery, and moving objects around...

I've got experience soldering and whatnot, but am not sure how i would go about making a heatsink, esp for like you said, something that emits 1W of invisible laser..lol

HELP.... :)
Click to expand...

The quickest fix for a heatsink that I can think of is to get a CPU heatsink for a computer and use the flat side, but ANY thick flat piece of metal will do. Then you just need to arrange a bracket to hold the diode module flat against the heatsink, with a little heatsink compound in between the two. IR diodes are usually case positive, so you'll have to be aware that the heatsink could be hot during operation. Don't set it on anything grounded. Then you just need to find a cylinder lens (Edmund Optics will have what you need) to focus the output to a point.
 
? Wait, now I'm confused..lol

So I won't need the original mount you suggested? I do see that it says the lens is acrylic.

Would I be able to use this Meredith Instruments

mounted inside of this Meredith Instruments

and attach a heatsink on top? Is anything else needed? like a specific PSU or anything?

I'm wondering when is it necessary for a driver?

Wow... I looked at Edmunds site... sheeeesh, the online catalog thing is aggrevating..and slightly confusing, if you don't know what you're looking for.
 
Sorry I missed the acrylic lens bit. You are 100% correct, that combination is perfect.

It's ALWAYS necessary to use a driver with laser diodes. There are no exceptions..

There are also limits to how much work I'll do on your behalf (no offense, it's just that I'm an advocate of independent learning and research).. Lots of information about drivers can be found by searching the forum. Also, read the diode lasers section of Sam's Laser FAQ (link in my signature below).. If you still have questions after you search and read that section feel free to post them here. As far as lenses go, pretty much any cylinder lens will be able to focus the laser..
 
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Good thing I've got thick skin or i may have been offended.

Wasn't aware that asking questions, while offering suggestions and ideas myself was a form of getting someone to "work for me." Who'd thought :rolleyes:

Don't know maybe it was my questions...:undecided: :rolleyes:

Thank you for going out of your way to answer my questions though.:bowdown:

EDIT:.... just curious, did you read my first post completely before responding? A couple of your posts makes me think not....
But as I said I appreciate your effort.
 
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Nothing wrong with asking questions at all.. we just get a lot of people here who want to be given all the info and don't want to do the necessary reading and research that the rest of us had to do to learn, so anymore I draw a strict line when I feel that the questions being asked can be easily answered by searching and reading. Most of these questions have been asked many times before. Hopefully you understand where I'm coming from. It's not that we're unwilling to help, but why type the same answers over and over just for the purposes of not angering anyone? Doesn't make sense to me..
 
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How powerful of a laser would you think would cut plastic 1/16-1/8" thick if only a few passes?

How powerful are the ones used is the commercial CNC machines.
 
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