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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Highest mw without burning?

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Apr 14, 2012
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I am looking to purchase a bright blue/violet/uv laser, and would like to get one that is as bright as possible without it burning stuff. What is the highest mw that fulfills these conditions? Also, do any of those laser types mentioned have a significant possibility of causing cancer if exposed to skin for any period of time?

I'm not very knowledgeable about lasers, and have no interest in building them or researching the nitty gritty about how they work. I am, however, aware of the safety issues surrounding their casual use and I do own a pair of glasses designed for eye protection.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.
 





ARG

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1. It depends on power density, are the lasers focused?
2. No cancer.
 

rhd

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A 2,000mW 445nm laser will be really bright, and won't burn anything if you remove it's lens. Of course, the output won't look like a beam either.

My point is, there's no clear way to answer your question. If you're really asked "what's a bright laser that might also be safe to use without glasses", then stick with something like a 5mW 532nm.
 
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Thanks for the replies. Not really sure about whether it's focused(again, novice level subject knowledge), haven't picked anything out yet. Mainly I'm just looking for something with a very bright beam (that doesn't burn anything). Not to concerned about it being low enough to use without glasses.
 

rhd

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My suggestion is probably not a horrible one then. Grab an inexpensive 532nm beam. It's the most visible per mW (so the brightest beam at any given power) among the options we have available. It's also a nice thin tight beam.

In terms of "safe" powers, some people say 1mW, some say 5mW, others say 15mW (there was a student that concluded 15mW I believe).

Others will tell you that responsible use of a 50mW laser is harmless.

I would encourage you to read the safety information on this site before making any purchases :)
 

Ash

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Yes. Green is the way to go for visibility. A 20mW one won't burn much and you can see the beam very well. UV (bluray) is the opposite: very tough to see the beam and burns very well at lower powers.
Before I suggest a >20mW green what type of "glasses designed for eye protection" do you have?
If laser glasses, from what NM (color) do they protect and at what Optical Density rating?.

I have plenty of "glasses designed for safety": sunglasses, shatterproof clear construction safety glasses, chemical splash safety glasses, but none of those will do anything to protect from a laser.
 

Ash

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Cool. Those dragon lasers glasses will protect you from 445nm light.
I would go with a single-mode 445nm at around 50-80mW. If it isn't focused to a pin point, the collimated beam won't burn much besides thin black plastic.
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