Lasers, 8:00, day one

I got my own laser. A Longer diode laser (it isn't longer --although it is a nice 400mm x 400mm-- the company name is Longer). Diode laser is actually something to adjust to. I know lasers, but I was using CO2 (and one fiber). And it ain't just power that matters here, but frequency. Acrylic stops infrared so CO2 lasers plow right through the stuff. Diode lasers, however, are visible light. And wouldn't you know; the only pieces I had lying around were clear...and blue (several nanometers off from the diode frequency but still...)

And I've already went in a few hundred more for a Comgrow laser module. I wanted more power.

The air assist is coming next week (basically an aquarium pump -- 30 L/m and the Comgrow already has a blower head.) Unfortunately the base plate doesn't fit, so (possibly today) I'm machining a new one. The Longer is 12V, the Comgrow is 24V, but fortunately PWM is usually a 5V line. It works; I did a test fit just to see if everything was electrically compatible.

But what I really want is an eye-safe enclosure for it because eyeballs and twenty watts of visible-range light (well, any laser light) is a bad combination. The eye-safe limit is under 20mW. This laser is 20 watts.

I've put it through basic paces, and even on the original head I could cut 1/8" hardwood and 1/4" balsa, EVA foam, and black acrylic. And after a bit of work, engrave clear acrylic to make those edge-lit signs. When you see those things listed, the honest merchants call them "Engraving" lasers, not cutting lasers, because basically you want to go with CO2 (infrared range) or fiber and a bit more power to be serious about cutting.

And really, I got this thing to engrave. Specifically, to blast the anodizing off aluminium to make some signage for work. I was contemplating that or a baby CNC router just capable of cutting through the top layer of dual-color acrylic (the common thing for low-end awards plaques and the like). Just started reading up on lasers, saw how affordable they were, and got caught in the Jeff Goldblum trap.