FS: Laser Tools

[Flaminpyro]

Thank you for saying so
I make my parts out of Cold Rolled Steel or Stainless Steel just for that reason it takes longer to machine and is harder on the cutting bits but it's worth it to put out the BEST product

Happy Lazing...

Jeff I've had My Diode Presses for sometime now, and all I can say is Awesome Craftsmanship and Durability. These still work and look exactly like They did on Day One!

 

[ApexProxy]

Once again FPs machining is top notch. Everything is so flawless its amazing.

I now have a 3.8mm, 5.6mm and a 9mm diode press as well as a large test heatsink and a diode extractor made by FP. I pretty much have a full laser tool kit made by FP and I couldn't be happier.

Anyone who builds lasers without using one of his tools at some point is completely nuts and is likely doing things the hard way and will also likely have to shell out more cash in the long run.

 

[Flaminpyro]

Thanks you guys for all the kind words :wave:

 

[Bob_Boyce]

Hey there Jeff

Your tools certainly look well made. I can hardly wait for the presses I ordered to arrive so I can try them out.

Bob

 

[Flaminpyro]

They are packed up and ready to go out in the morning

Let me know what you think of them when you receive them, Thanks for your order :wave:

Hey there Jeff

Your tools certainly look well made. I can hardly wait for the presses I ordered to arrive so I can try them out.

Bob

 

[Bob_Boyce]

They are packed up and ready to go out in the morning

Let me know what you think of them when you receive them, Thanks for your order :wave:

The presses arrived yesterday, they look good. I tried using the extraction press last night but I encountered some minor difficulties so I stopped. The threaded hole through the brass part is a bit of a loose fit for the threaded part. But even with that there is still some minor binding of the bolt part at several points as it is threaded in, until you get to a certain point at which it binds pretty hard. Upon closer examination, there are 3 rows of flats impressed upon the peaks of the threads. They look to have been flattened slightly by the jaws of a lathe. Since brass is so much softer than steel, I didn't want to damage the threads in the brass by using more than light force.

I took photos of the threads but cannot upload from dialup here at home. I wanted to check with you before I try cleaning up the threads on the bolt part with a hex rethreading die. Minor issue I know, and easy enough to fix.

This tool was intended for usage in Aixiz modules, therefore it should work fine for that once the threads are fixed. I have several commercially manufactured handheld lasers that also uses Aixiz lens threads in front of the heat sink. However the hole diameter in the heat sink around the diode can is too small of a diameter to use this press for. Making the outer tip diameter of the press smaller would have allowed it to be used for this, however it would greatly weaken the tip and shorten useful service life. Really not worth the trade-off in my opinion. Unfortunately, I had to intentionally destroy the factory installed 1W 445nm laser diode to get it out of the diode pocket on one of these lasers. I will drill out the hole before I press another diode in so the extraction press will work with that unit in the future.

Bob

 

[Flaminpyro]

Howdy Bob sorry for the late response, I have to say I test every one of these in a Aixiz module head for clearance and do not let
any leave here that do not pass.

Let me ask you are you screwing the remover all the way tight into the Aixiz module until it will not turn any more ?

It is best to leave it a full turn or more out so that it moves a tiny bit in the threads, give that a try and let me know how it goes.

There is such a wide tolerance in all the different Aixiz heads that I had to make the remover work with a lot of slop in it, if the
tolerances was tighter in the Aixiz heads this would all have been much easier.

Let me know how it goes maybe a PM, Thanks...

 

[ApexProxy]

I have actually noticed a small issue with running into the same thing. The space that the module the diode is pressed in sometimes goes so close to the can that the press will not work and only presses on the module and not the diode. There really isn't anything that can be done as the press is only barely larger than the can itself though. If I run across one again FP I will send it to you to check out.

EDIT: Just dug one out of the problem modules out of my box. I'll send it to you next time I am heading to the post office.

 

[Flaminpyro]

Again please try screwing the remover only about 1/2 way into the module and see if that dosn't work better, I'm assuming your
screwing it all the way into the Aixiz module until it will not turn any more.

If any one is running into this problem please PM me and I will make it right.

The problem is again the tolerance on the Aixiz modules it will pass through 98% of them and hangs up on the other 2%, I like to
leave as much meat on the bone as possible so the tool is stronger as it's really thin as it is but if it keeps hitting the hole in your
Aixiz modules you can send back just the SS part and I'll shave it down .006" and send it back to you.
If you need to return yours it can be sent between two cereal box cardboard pieces to keep it thin and put in a regular envelope

I have actually noticed a small issue with running into the same thing. The space that the module the diode is pressed in sometimes goes so close to the can that the press will not work and only presses on the module and not the diode. There really isn't anything that can be done as the press is only barely larger than the can itself though. If I run across one again FP I will send it to you to check out.

EDIT: Just dug one out of the problem modules out of my box. I'll send it to you next time I am heading to the post office.

 

[ApexProxy]

The issue i found with the particular module I will send you is a little different. The hole in which the diode can pokes through is made with such small tolerances that it is almost exactly the size of the can. That means there is nowhere for the press to go around the can and press on the base. I don't actually think there is any way to alter the press to change this though. You will see when the module gets there. I'll try to ship it out tomorrow.

 

[Bob_Boyce]

Yea, Aixiz modules can have some horrible tolerances. That's one reason I bought some copper ones from DTR.

The issue I had was not from the brass part being threaded in too far into the lens hole. It was some minor thread binding between the brass part and the steel part when the steel part was threaded in deeply enough, whether or not the brass part was screwed into an Aixiz module. The binding would not start to occur until the steel part was screwed in about a third of the way. I applied a light machine oil to the threads and that helped. I haven't taken a die to the threads, have not needed to screw the steel part in deep enough to where it would bind harder during actual use.

It's been working great so far!

Bob

 

[ApexProxy]

I never use Aixiz modules mainly because they are made of a thermally fail material and their tolerances are far from acceptable. I actually am thinking the module in question is an old model of DTRs. Either that or its a knockoff. Its solid copper though.

 

[Bob_Boyce]

Most relevant here is the poor tolerances in the majority of Aixiz modules. This is what makes it so difficult for Flaminpyro and others to machine tools to work with them. Since that is a copper module, it probably had a different dimension specified for the hole for the diode can. Same problem I ran into with the brass heatsinks in some China made lasers and hosts that I bought.

Bob

 

[DTR]

The Aixiz are plated which may be slowing down the rate of transfer as I have some sweet brass modules that are pure brass no plating and they work great so I am not doubting the ability of brass.

I have done quite a bit of testing and there really is a big difference though with the Aixiz. I am not going by the ratings of materials but by the testing and experience I have with them. The biggest thing I have seen in testing is how quickly the heat propagates in them. One experiment of note was when I ran 445's at the same current in a copper module just holding in my fingers there is a huge difference in the time it takes to feel the module warming up. Almost instantaneously you feel the copper warming but with the Aixiz it is delayed and slow. After you stop running the copper dumps the heat into my fingers and cools quickly where the Aixiz stays warm a little longer which tell me it is slower to move the heat out. There is a definite a bottleneck there where they can't move out heat faster than it is created.

I have build quite a few lasers and 445nm units built with copper modules using the same currents and heatsinks stay much more stable than they do with the Aixiz housings. 405 diodes and other lower power diodes are not as affected but these higher power 445 diodes create a tremendous amount of heat and a diode like this was not even a dream when the Aixiz module was originally designed.

 

[ApexProxy]

What DTR describes is exactly the properties of brass that make them inferior to copper. No offense guys but in terms of thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity brass totally fails compared to both aluminum and copper. In case someone doesn't know what volumetric heat capacity is, it is simply how much heat a given material can store in a given volume. Mass and specific heat capacity are irrelevant here since we are working with limited spaces for which we can make heatsinks to fill them and are not limited by weight. Here are some number to back this:

Thermal conductivity(W/(m.K)):
Brass - 109
Aluminum - 205
Copper - 401

Volumetric Heat Capacity (MJ⋅m−3K−1):
Brass - 3.25
Aluminum - 2.42
Copper - 3.45

So this means That brass can move heat 1/2 the speed of aluminum and 1/4 the speed of copper. Also brass can store more heat than aluminum for a given volume but less heat than copper. This exactly confirms DTR's observations of the brass aixiz module against the copper module.

Brass can store almost as much heat as copper per volume but this ability is countered by its deplorable thermal conductivity which prevents the module from pulling the heat away from the diode and into the heatsink causing a major thermal bottlekneck between the diode and the heatsink.

 

[Bob_Boyce]

You're both right about the thermal conductivity vs the heat capacity. On top of that, the plating helps to hold that heat in even more. I scrape the plating off with a razor knife where the Aixiz module contacts the copper heatsink. It helps with thermal transfer, and for soldering the brass to the copper.

Good to see the numbers there ApexProxy. Thank you!

While I still use Aixiz modules for low power builds, I bought copper modules from DTR to use for the higher power builds. I haven't tried Flaminpyros 5.6mm press or extraction tools on the copper modules yet. Have only used one copper 3.8mm so far, on a 405nm build using an NDV4542 running at the rated 200mW CW. It turned out really well, love those little NDV4542s. Looks like I'll be needing to buy a 3.8mm press from Flaminpyro, and more 3.8mm copper modules from DTR ;-)

Bob