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Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Laser Diode Engraving and Cutting Information

Useful Laser Diode Information

This post is a collection of important information that pertains to Laser Diode machines

Homepages

The homepages for sites whose contents are highlighted below

Software

Laser Types and Response

Laser Focus

Material Absorption

Laser Cutting & Engraving


A-very-cheap-and-simple-diy-enclosure-for-an-engraving-frame-ortur-lm2/

Controller Wiring

Grbl

G-codes


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Laser Diode Lens Specifications

 

There are 4 common types of diode laser lenses:

  • 3 element
  • G2 (short focal) (cutting)
  • G7 (similar to 3 element lens)
  • G8 (Used in VG-L7x)

The G8 has these specs:

  • Optimal focal range: 30-100 mm
  • EFL: 8mm
  • NA: .2
  • Best focal range 70-75 mm
  • Smallest laser beam spot: 77 x 130 microns (0.0030315 x 0.00511811")



Briefly about a 3 element laser lens

A 3 element collimating lens w/ AR coating for 405nm – 465nm. It has M9/P0.5 threads that will work with a lot of standard diode housings available. This lens is good for correcting laser beams for long ranges.

Briefly about a G2 laser lens

This lens is the best choice for short ranges, as in an engraving machine. For long ranges please consider 2 or 3 element lenses.

Briefly about a G7 laser lens

The G7 is a second-best high pass single lens but it won’t increase the beam divergence as the G2 does. The G7 has a long focal length just like a 3-elements lens. It’s a well-balanced lens that has the advantage of 3 element lens (very good divergence) and G2 (in terms of power).

Briefly about a G8 glass collimation lens.

Broadband AR Coating 400nm-700nm
This lens is a long focal length single-element glass lens with a broadband AR coating. It has a 90% pass efficiency which is amazing for a longer focal length lens. It does an amazing job of cleaning up stray light around the projected spot with many common diodes caused by the small amounts of uncollimated light escaping the lasing cavity reflecting off things like the edge of the emitter, walls of the module or inner walls of the lens barrel. Like the G2 lens or countless other similar lenses being sold as G-2’s, it creates a reduced spot size while maintaining a 90% pass efficiency compared to the 96% pass efficiency of a G2 lens.

Comparison of Lens Performance

3-element lens (cleanest beam profile, best for low power lasers)

The 3-element lens has a long focal length, low divergence, and clean beam profile but it has a significant output loss.
Advantage Tight laser beam with the cleanest beam profile
Downsides 84% efficiency (1W diode = 700mw using this lens)

G2 lens (best for power)

The G2 is a single lens enabling the maximum true power of the laser diode for rapid close-range burning and engraving.
Advantage 94% efficiency, reduces the beam aperture
Downsides Increase the beam divergence (thickness) and the beam profile

G7 lens(Balanced Multi-Purpose Perfection)

This lens is a cross between the divergence and the power lens. With the G7, the beam divergence won’t increase as it does with the G2 and you will still get very close power of the laser diode.
Advantage 91% efficiency, long focal length and increases beam aperture.
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Monday, November 1, 2021

USB Microscope Review

Unboxing 

Every once in a while the beams align while making and a surprise outcome is realized!

I set out to buy a USB microscope and follow the lead of some others to use this for focussing my laser diode engraver.

After some research, I chose this unit; https://amzn.to/3lnjjEq

It worked right out of the box (connects like a webcam) including my Windows PC and Android phone.

It came with a nice zipper case, holder, software disk, USB adapter, and graticule.

I was happy with the image it created and even if it does not end up being the best way to measure focus I will use it for electronics projects and measuring images.

Android

 PC

What a Deal

Then an interesting thing happened. I got an email from the seller offering me a deal. Write a 5star review and they would send me a free metal microscope stage.

I had been here many times before. Write a review and then the promised thing never arrives.
This was different. I was ok writing a 5 review because I was very happy with the unit. I let the seller know by sending a screenshot of the review and then to my shock and awe … the thing arrived.

It really was made of metal. In fact, it was well made not the plastic junk you usually get for free!

Enter, a New Tool

Then here is where the beams aligned.
I had been sketching up a design for a tool to help properly insert heat-set plastic fasteners. My manual soldering iron approach had gotten painstaking and never resulted in a straight insert.
Then it hit me that I could use this microscope stage to install heat inserts using a woodburning iron I already had mounted into this new stage.

After making a PVC adapter for the iron and turning threaded heads that fit all sizes of my inserts I had a new tool.





Enjoy,

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Don

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