Glass collimating lenses?

[Greenhorn]

I'm sick of the crappy soft plastic lenses, not to mention the crappy soft plastic lens holders that screw into the metal aixiz housings. No matter what I do, the lenses refocus themselves in as few as a few minutes even if I have it very tight, and of course the lenses are too easy to scratch. Also, I've heard that the acrylic lenses absorb as much as 20% of the 405nm lasers. Nuts to that, I want a glass lens. Is there a good place to get glass lens holders that screw into the aixiz modules?

 

[Montana64]

yes, you can get glass lenses that are in metal housings that screw right into the aixiz housing. However, if im not mistaken, glass reflects back even more of the 405nm light, so the acrylic lenses are better for now. IgorT is doing testing on special AR coated glass lenses specifically for the 405nm lasers.

Ted

 

[ElektroFreak]

Aixiz makes glass lenses in metal threaded enclosures that fit the modules, but they don't work well with blu-rays at all. Currently there are no glass lenses that do. This is because all of the glass lenses available for Aixiz modules are AR coated for red wavelengths. Using these lenses can hurt the diode due to light being reflected back into it, and these reflections also cause terrible beam quality. You'll actually lose more power using these than the acrylic. IgorT is working on some glass lenses that will be AR coated for 405nm specifically to meet this need.. Believe me, there's a reason everyone uses acrylic..

EDIT... sorry, posted this exactly as montana64 did as well..

 

[daguin]

Aixiz makes glass lenses in metal threaded enclosures that fit the modules, but they don't work well with blu-rays at all. [highlight]Currently there are no glass lenses that do[/highlight]. This is because all of the glass lenses available for Aixiz modules are AR coated for red wavelengths. Using these lenses can hurt the diode due to light being reflected back into it, and these reflections also cause terrible beam quality. You'll actually lose more power using these than the acrylic. IgorT is working on some glass lenses that will be AR coated for 405nm specifically to meet this need.. Believe me, there's a reason everyone uses acrylic..

EDIT... sorry, posted this exactly as montana64 did as well..

Actually the Merideth glass lens gives the most output with the violet diode, but the worst "looking" spot. Unfortunately, you cannot switch the Merideth lens with an AixiZ lens. Using the AiziX module the acrylic lens is best.

Stretch your spring or get a stronger one.

Peace,
dave

 

[jonrobertd]

Also try Teflon pipe thread tape, works wonders to tighten up the threads.

 

[Greenhorn]

I just took an uncoated lens from an old broken pair of binoculars, and the lens didn't seem to reflect any more of the laser than it would regular white light. Probably a 10% max loss, just like what would be expected with any other wavelength. It seems to me that if the glass lenses are that bad, it's fully because of the AR coating, and without a coating they wouldn't be bad. Aren't there any UNCOATED glass lenses?

 

[Glaserfan]

The problem with the AR coating on the aixiz glass lenses is not that they are coated....its the wavelength the coating is designed for. The aixiz glass is coated for RED wavelengths. This means it is intended to let RED light pass through, without reflecting back at the diode or elsehwhere, but reflects other wavelenghts. This results in a major loss when used with 405nm diodes, especially since all three lenses inside the aixiz glass assemly are coated.

Your binocular lens has a different coating than the aixiz glass. The coating is intended to reduce glare by stopping reflections from bouncing around inside the binoculrs themselves, while also preventing the light from reflecting off the front of the lenses themselves. This results in a clearer, brighter image. As for use with lasers, this coating is not wavelength specific so the loss will most likely not be as much as the aixiz glass.

 

[Greenhorn]

Also try Teflon pipe thread tape, works wonders to tighten up the threads.

I tried it, and it definitely helps tighten it up, but for some reason, even though it takes some effort to get the lens to turn at all, it still unfocuses by itself!

How does everyone else keep it from unfocusing? Or does everyone else constantly have to refocus it too?

 

[steve001]

I'm sick of the crappy soft plastic lenses, not to mention the crappy soft plastic lens holders that screw into the metal aixiz housings.

Edmund Optics carry AR coated glass lenses. They may carry a lens whose diameter may fit. You'll need two of then I think. I say think because I don't know what the optical assembly of the aixiz housing looks like. One lens needs to be plano-convex and the other plano-concave.

BBAR stands for Broadband Antireflective Coating
http://www.edmundoptics.com/onlinecatalog/DisplayProduct.cfm?productid=2027

more info. http://www.edmundoptics.com/techSupport/DisplayArticle.cfm?articleid=247#AR

This lens is less costly than the other ones. Is has an AR coating designed for wavelengths from 425-675nm
http://www.edmundoptics.com/onlinecatalog/displayproduct.cfm?productID=2537&search=1
http://www.edmundoptics.com/onlinecatalog/displayproduct.cfm?productID=2718

 

[Xplorer877]

Whats the link for all of IgorT's work on this?

Do these
http://store.oemlasersystems.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_71_75&products_id=422
Come with these?
http://stonetek.org/shop/index.php?main_page=product_reviews_info&products_id=219&reviews_id=5

Are they the same? I have the one from ST is that the kind thats no good for 405nm? It looks the same to me? :-/

 

[ElektroFreak]

[quote author=jonrobertd link=1228370538/0#4 date=1228376270]Also try Teflon pipe thread tape, works wonders to tighten up the threads.

I tried it, and it definitely helps tighten it up, but for some reason, even though it takes some effort to get the lens to turn at all, it still unfocuses by itself!

How does everyone else keep it from unfocusing?  Or does everyone else constantly have to refocus it too?[/quote]

The reason for this is due to the lens changing temperature as the laser warms up. Your best bet is to let it warm up completely then focus it. It will be out-of-focus when it's cold, but will focus itself as it warms up.