Help me choose the right laser

[Kerestel]

Hi all, long time lurker here but first time poster.
I'm looking for a UV/barely visible wavelength laser that will be used to cure epoxy resin that is cured best with wavelengths between 350-415 nm.
In the past I have been using a UV flashlight to cure it, but for larger jobs where the resin layer is thick, the power of the flashlight is not enough, leaving a tacky and slightly soft finish on the resin, not curing it completely, no matter how long the light is shone at it.
A colleague has recommended a laser, as that is what they use in his workshop (it's a mains powered one), but as some of the work I do can be in places where mains electricity isn't available, I am looking for a handheld solution.

Cost of the unit is a secondary concern, but safety of use is the primary one. I will be wearing goggles (of course) but what I would like to balance is the power output to be able to penetrate deeply into an epoxy layer, but not be enough to burn anything as I usually work on plastic materials (pipes, insulation) which can be quite flammable.

Lastly, if this laser could be a constant duty unit it would be fantastic so I don't have to worry about overheating the diode and damaging the laser.

Anyway, sorry for the long winded first post, and thanks everyone for your recommendations!

 

[RedCowboy]

Check the date on your bottle of adhesive/epoxy and shake it well before use.

 

[gazer101]

It'll be cheaper for you to try another resin formulation... UV handhelds are NOT cheap and unless you want to carry around a bazooka will have low duty cycles

 

[Giannis_TDM]

It'll be cheaper for you to try another resin formulation... UV handhelds are NOT cheap and unless you want to carry around a bazooka will have low duty cycles

Or just a chunky host with a sharp 405 driven low.

 

[gazer101]

To be fair I have no idea how much energy resin needs to cure. If 405 works then it is a good solution

 

[Mattronium]

What UV flashlight are you currently using? If it is a cheap one it may be part of the problem. 365nm LED flashlights at 3W can be had relatively low cost (aprox. $30.).
For a laser, the best diode would be the BDR-209 (single mode/better beam quality) or GH04W10A2GC (multimode/worse beam quality but more power). Both are 405nm. To avoid burning anything you can just defocus the laser.
As the others mentioned, it might be easier to get a different resin or check that aspect first.

 

[Kerestel]

To everyone saying to check or change the epoxy: I work in trades, the epoxy is good, I go through at least a bottle of the stuff per week.
The only alternative to the UV epoxy I am using is a 2 part epoxy that cures in 24 hours, but that defeats the purpose as when people call me they're worried about downtime and need a solution NOW as I mainly do repairs in HPHT piping in different kinds of factories. The epoxy is just one piece of the entire repair and I need it to cure instantly to carry on with my work.
405nm works a treat and it doesn't need to be single wavelength, I don't need a single wavelength lab grade laser. I just was a chunky boy that will be able to put up with some abuse (being in my tool bag) and that will penetrate epoxy quickly.

Mattronium, could I underpower the BDR-209? I looked it up and it's 900mw. That puts it firmly in the scary department for me. I'm more comfortable working with an oxy-acetylene torch than that guy.

 

[gazer101]

To everyone saying to check or change the epoxy: I work in trades, the epoxy is good, I go through at least a bottle of the stuff per week.
The only alternative to the UV epoxy I am using is a 2 part epoxy that cures in 24 hours, but that defeats the purpose as when people call me they're worried about downtime and need a solution NOW as I mainly do repairs in HPHT piping in different kinds of factories. The epoxy is just one piece of the entire repair and I need it to cure instantly to carry on with my work.
405nm works a treat and it doesn't need to be single wavelength, I don't need a single wavelength lab grade laser. I just was a chunky boy that will be able to put up with some abuse (being in my tool bag) and that will penetrate epoxy quickly.

Mattronium, could I underpower the BDR-209? I looked it up and it's 900mw. That puts it firmly in the scary department for me. I'm more comfortable working with an oxy-acetylene torch than that guy.

As a matter of fact you need to underpower the 209 if you want to get a decent lifespan out of it. Realistically you'll only want to be pushing 600 mW out of it

 

[Mattronium]

What gazer101 said. The BDR-209 is like many 405nm diodes and tends to be quite sensitive and not very robust, so it is best to under drive it. Even run modestly, with 600mW out, it is still a significant eye hazard. This could be mitigated by defocussing it and/or by wearing safety glasses.

 

[Kerestel]

What gazer101 said. The BDR-209 is like many 405nm diodes and tends to be quite sensitive and not very robust, so it is best to under drive it. Even run modestly, with 600mW out, it is still a significant eye hazard. This could be mitigated by defocussing it and/or by wearing safety glasses.

That's fantastic, thank you! Is there any manufacturer out there that makes a readily assembled version of this diode?

 

[Encap]

You can buy a completely assembled 500mW to 650mW depending on lens 405nm hand held laser w. good quality laser safety glasses/goggles and and accessories included from Survival Laser at a reasonable price---see : https://www.survivallaser.com/Survi...__Rechargeable_Batteries/p556088_3817876.aspx
Message Survival Laser and find out the duty cycle --time on/time off to avoid thermal dange to the laser and if that fits your purpose.

Or you you can buy the parts and assemble a hand held laser yourself which will cost more and take time, some skills, and equipment to do--see for diode, module, driver, and lens assembly https://sites.google.com/site/dtrslasershop/home/diodes/bdr-209-405nm-16x-diodes and you will also need a host with heat sink to install the module into + batteries + laser goggles -- see: host kits here: https://www.survivallaser.com/No-Diode_Host_Bundles/cat556089_1525350.aspx

If you want higher output power you can order a Sanwu Silver with unlimited duty cycle and request that it be set to output you choose rather than the standard output of 1.6W see: https://www.sanwulasers.com/product/silver

Before you get too deep into an expensive hand held lasers that may or may not suit your purpose, you might think seeing if a 500mW 405nm will do what you want to do by getting a module with driver requiring 12V on ebay for approx £30.00 see: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_....l1313&_nkw=500mW+405nm+laser+module&_sacat=0

 

[hakzaw1]

for $4 and free ship--get a 405 pointer -which are NEVER just 5 mW(listed that way due to ebay restrictions)--one came to me and made>100mW

The Red and Green are also VERY over spec--get a meter easy to sell later---easier than a laser.

 

[FAP]

I am using a defocused 1.5 watt 405 nm laser pointer made by Rich/ Lifetime17 for UV glue wiithout cure problems. If I focus too tighly to near full collimaion the glue will produce a slight wisp of smoke and become a cloudy white in small areas, but doesn’t seem to make the glue less effective or hard. 1.5 watts is a lot, turn the power down to 300 milliwatts and should run 10,000 hours or more with a 100% duty cycle when using a chunky heat sink.

Maybe this will work when defocused?

PL-E Pro 405nm Violet Laser

PL-E Pro 405nm Violet Laser

www.jetlasers.org