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Author Topic: My first attempts at laser engraving.  (Read 91510 times)

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Offline Chaoticone

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Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.
« Reply #40 on: May 14, 2009, 06:11:12 PM »
That's just cool Tweakie............... Very neat. Can you cut acetal with it I wonder? I think that is right......... it is a clear thin film used often to make stencils for airbrushing.

Brett
;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

My guard dog is not what you need to worry about!

Offline budman68

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Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.
« Reply #41 on: May 14, 2009, 06:39:39 PM »
I believe you mean acetate, Brett? Acetal is a type of plastic.


Awesome, Tweaks!

Dave
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Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.
« Reply #42 on: May 15, 2009, 12:56:32 AM »
Hi Brett,

Transparent or clear materials are just not touched at all as these low power lasers favor the darker materials the best.
Now coloured acetate would probably work OK if it was thin enough, certainly the dark coloured Vinyls (sticky backed plastic) cut very well.

Tweakie.
PEACE

Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.
« Reply #43 on: May 16, 2009, 04:07:29 AM »
Dave reminding me about the magnifying glass as a kid led me to think about an offset parabolic satellite dish on a polar mount with the dish actuator driven by a simple 2 photo diode sun tracking system – assuming the dish was steel it could be chrome plated and polished with a water cooled collimating lens fitted in place of the LNB. This collimating lens would feed into a gas cooled fiber optic cable that was led to the CNC Z axis and in turn a water cooled focusing lens. OK it is straight out of the James Bond film but it is not rocket science and may not be practical here in the UK because of the frequent cloud cover but for some of you guys in North America it could be a practical proposition. It would not produce megawatts of power but I bet it would be more than the 150 mW I am currently using.

What do you think, would it work ?.

Tweakie.
PEACE

Offline Chaoticone

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Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.
« Reply #44 on: May 16, 2009, 07:10:38 AM »
Thanks Dave and Tweakie,

LOL Tweakie, I'm in mostly sunny and hot South Carolina so it would defiantly work here.................. if it didn't melt the fiber optics.  ;D  Tweakie Death Ray!!!!!!!!!  ;D

Brett
;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

My guard dog is not what you need to worry about!

Offline budman68

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Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.
« Reply #45 on: May 16, 2009, 08:14:32 AM »
It sure sounds feasable, Tweaks, and you're just the man to prove it :D

Dave
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Dave->    ;)
Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.
« Reply #46 on: May 18, 2009, 10:10:03 AM »
this might interest ppl who want to use fiber optics i found these on eBay the first one might be gone by the time you read this.

2.5w laser
http://cgi.ebay.com/Laser-Diode-2-5W-920nm-Fiber-Coupled-Burns-SDL-6380-L2_W0QQitemZ250421201182QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a4e44491e&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A30

1w laser
http://cgi.ebay.com/1-Watt-Fiber-Coupled-Laser-Diode-830nm-Infrared-Burning_W0QQitemZ250421201253QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a4e444965&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A30

and an adapter
http://cgi.ebay.com/Bare-Fiber-Adapter-ST-Optic-Coupled-Laser-Diode_W0QQitemZ250421201227QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a4e44494b&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A30

this is for information only i have no exsperiance with lasers but i am interested in looking into it more. i light of that i have just bought a 300mw laser from ebay to experiment with.

this thread has proved to be an eye opener as it seems i may be able to do laser engraving at a very reasonable price
thanks to everyone in it

martin

Offline Chris.Botha

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Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.
« Reply #47 on: May 18, 2009, 04:46:34 PM »
wow!! tweakie your brain must hurt at night dude!!!


Offline Chris.Botha

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Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.
« Reply #48 on: May 19, 2009, 05:02:36 AM »
ok tweakie.. im ready to try this i think....  (im at a loose end)

having played at it for a while will you recommend anything different from what you have now? something your eye may have fallen on that you would have done differently perhaps?

Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.
« Reply #49 on: May 19, 2009, 07:38:27 AM »
Chris - In the process of experimentation I have concluded that a shutter system (to turn the laser on and off) is preferable to using the modulation input (at TTL levels). This enables the laser diode to be operated by a completely isolated constant current source and eliminates any possibility of voltage spikes from the machine or computer causing any damage to the diode. I have detailed what I have done so far on my website and the link is below. I will include the shutter details when I have time. Good luck and I look forward to seeing your results.

                                          http://www.cooperman.talktalk.net/index_files/Page4549.htm

Tweakie.

btw. thanx for the links Martin.
PEACE