How do I mount this lens?

[runcyclexcski]

Hi all --

Has anyone encountered this lens diameter before? I extracted it from a Blue Ray module, it's supposed to be a 405nm aplanatic asphere (according to patents). The diameter appears to be about 3.7 mm (that was the ID of the plastic tube that held it, measured with calipers). I now need to mount it. Are there standard lens mounts for this lens diamenter? M9x0.5 is usually for ~6.5 mm lenses. Thorlabs does not seem to have a standard adapter for 3.7-8 mm diam. I've got M3x12 mm penny washers which I could put into an SM05 tube, but i was wondering if there was a better way.

 

[Gryphon]

You'll need to make something yourself for that non standard lens. I recall way back in the day when 405's first appeared someone made a custom lens holder for one of those lenses, the beam was pencil thin and great for burning up close but the divergence was horrid and the projected spot had terrible artifacts around the central spot. Still a fun project if you're up to it.

I'm currently experimenting with resin 3D printing M9 lens barrels with a different internal diameter in the hopes of press fitting in some tiny 3mm lenses in the hopes of getting a halfway decent thin beam out of some low powered diodes for my pointers.

 

[runcyclexcski]

Do they normally fix these by tacking with UV-curable epoxy? I prefer reversible mounting, but I am not up to making a retaining ring for the mount.

Yeah, it appears I need to get a 3x9 mm Al or steel tube (or smth close, like 3/8 by 1/8), a 9x0.5 die, and get to work. In hope that a standard 9x0.5 die makes the same thread as used in lens tubes (e.g. M12x0.5 for S-mount in cameras is not exactly a standard M12x0.5...)

Update: can't seem to find a 3x9 or 3x8 tube (for cheap/fast anyway), but 3x6 mm tubes are available on amazon. M6x0.5 seems to be another standard for aspherical lens mounts; TL has them.