Newbie question regarding laser power

[lv128]

I just started assembling diy lasers, completed a PHR BR laser with LarryDFW's lens, worked well but not quite what I wanted to achieve.

What I'm looking to do is make a high powered diode based laser to mount into a gantry that I built that would be capable of cutting 1/8" WHITE acrylic into shapes, it doesn't have to be a speedy devil. I want to know if any diode is capable of producing this kind of power or am I limited to CO2? Does the color/nm of the laser matter for heat/cutting (i'm assuming dark materials are better of course) but my goal is cutting white or clear acrylic.

Yes I am aware of the search functions on the forums, but I wasn't getting very applicable results, probably wrong phrasing, but in any case, any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Ryan

 

[ElektroFreak]

All you need to cut white tape is a more powerful blu-ray, a 6X would work well. For clear acrylic, a CO2 laser would be best, but they can cost a bit and are not as simple to use as a diode.. Cutting clear objects with light is challenging since much of the power goes straight through and out the other side.

 

[lv128]

Thank you for the input.
since CO2 Lasers operate at 10600nm (I think) which is part of the IR range and CO2 lasers see glass as if it were an opaque object, are there IR LDs that work the same way?
Or are they not that powerful?

 

[ElektroFreak]

There are LDs that powerful, but the wavelength is nowhere near long enough. The only lasers that have a wavelength long enough are CO2.. Also, I misread your post and thought you said white tape, but you said white acrylic. A 6X blu-ray should do fairly well engraving white acrylic, but it won't be fast. An 8X blu-ray would allow for greater speed.

 

[lasersbee]

I understood that he wanted to cutout 1/8" thick acrylic into shapes...

I'm not sure that an 8X could do that... there is a 1/8" difference in focal
points that I can see... Correct me if I'm wrong...:thinking:


Jerry

 

[ElektroFreak]

I need to have my eyes checked.. I assumed he was talking about engraving. For cutting, a high-powered fiber-coupled IR system should do it (>5W).. You can get them pretty cheaply on ebay from time to time.

 

[lv128]

Excellent, so it can be done and still have a lightweight unit? Any idea the weight of such a device and or/the power requirements? The gantry can support about 1lb of weight and still remain mobile, the entire device is only meant to cut 12x12" shapes from acrylic (and maybe engraving if I feel like making any changes to the software). Might as well toss in another noob question: is a focusing lens and a collimater the same thing?

 

[ElektroFreak]

A collimator can be made of a group of lenses. An individual lens could be considered a focusing lens if it is the right type of lens.

If you type "fiber-coupled laser" in the search box on ebay you should get some ideas of size, weight, etc.. They can range from big and bulky to small and compact.

 

[nikokapo]

I think he could use a 5W IR bar instead of the big CO2. However, the IR has to be quite well collimated for it to achieve what you want. 1/8" is not much, he doesn't need 60W for that.