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A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

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Re: A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

#151

Post by vonzepp »

stavros wrote: post #57
LeifCarrotson wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The average car-buyer or metalworker" can already afford a $30 cordless angle grinder: https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/grinders/angle-gri... (Cost plus a $30-$80 battery, of course, but after you pick your color, you've already got batteries). Your locks are far more protected by the social contract that would compel a stranger to stop someone who was cutting a bike lock with an angle grinder, and would ca…

A question I've always had: How do I know if my glasses protect against a particular laser? I'm talking about the ones in hobby CNC machines, laser hair removal places, etc, not high-powered industrial ones, where there's likely a high degree of know-how on safety already?

Proper laser goggles come with ratings. Dependent on the laser wavelength, beamsize, energy/power and pulse duration. Most goggle suppliers will tell you what you need if you supply the laser specs.

Re: A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

#152

Post by sylware »

xavieralexandre wrote: post #2

The article rightly points out the industrial impact of more powerful and compact lasers but I cannot wait for those PCSELs to reach the small workshop market. Having a cheap laser able to cut metal at home / small shops would be so useful (And sneakily dangerous as lasers are).

Aren't such laser cutters in enclosing opaq casing with a operation monitoring camera to avoid accidents?

Re: A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

#153

Post by lightedman »

ben_w wrote: post #93
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

30W? That's a pretty powerful laser. A 1W laser can set stuff on fire. A 5W laser can cut steel.

> A 5W laser can cut steel I've experimented with using a 60 W (I think*) laser on a small steel bracket, and even with the beam holding on a single point for a minute, it made a barely visible dot that you couldn't feel by running your finger over. * It was nearly a decade ago, but I looked up the relevant hacker space and unless they changed the model, it was 60 watts. The bracket was around 1cm by 5cm, and around…

60w back then would be a CO2 LASER - that's 10600nm and that basically bounces off any non-oxidized metal.

The fiber marking LASERs at work are 1064nm, and at a mere 20w output, will absolutely eat away at steel with no problems.

Edit: I should note there are CO2 metal cutting LASERs, but they are at very, very high output powers to overcome that reflectivity barrier. You need 500w 10600nm to cut through what a 30w 1064nm could cut. My 80w CO2 barely cuts through heavy-duty aluminum foil, and in many spots it isn't a full cut. A 20w marking LASER at 1064 would obliterate the foil.

Re: A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

#154

Post by TaylorAlexander »

sylware wrote: post #152
xavieralexandre wrote: post #2

The article rightly points out the industrial impact of more powerful and compact lasers but I cannot wait for those PCSELs to reach the small workshop market. Having a cheap laser able to cut metal at home / small shops would be so useful (And sneakily dangerous as lasers are).

Aren't such laser cutters in enclosing opaq casing with a operation monitoring camera to avoid accidents?

Plenty are available for sale without the casing, such as this one:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804553731471.html

I have worked with several nicer fully enclosed models that do not have any monitoring camera. I have a similar model to this one with no such camera, and I suspect this one does not have one either:

https://omtechlaser.com/products/60w-co2-laser-engraver-with...

That said if a kilowatt metal cutting laser was for sale, I would suspect it would have a full enclosure at least.

Re: A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

#155

Post by tim333 »

Wildgoose wrote: post #44

Combine these with hydrogen-boron (aneutronic) fusion and we may be able to generate electricity directly without needing a thermal plant. Even though we are years away it still shows a possible path forwards. Here's hoping!

Wikipedia says "... a petawatt-scale laser pulse could launch an 'avalanche' fusion reaction." Quite a lot of zeros to add on to the power.

The article says they are planning 10kW or 10^4W and a petawatt is 10^15W so 11 zeros by my calculation. Could be a while. I think Helion, who are now talking about turning on their fusion to electricity gizmo this summer, may get there first.

Re: A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

#156

Post by IshKebab »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #75
bloggie wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These do exist, here's one I saw recently: https://www.laserpwr.net/hand-held-laser/hand-held-laser-2.h...

30W? That's a pretty powerful laser. A 1W laser can set stuff on fire. A 5W laser can cut steel.

A 5W laser can't cut steel. You need to be in the kilowatts before you can cut metal (unless it is very very very thin).

Re: A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

#157

Post by MarcScott »

xavieralexandre wrote: post #2

The article rightly points out the industrial impact of more powerful and compact lasers but I cannot wait for those PCSELs to reach the small workshop market. Having a cheap laser able to cut metal at home / small shops would be so useful (And sneakily dangerous as lasers are).

These lasers mean that the watches that Q gave to James Bond will finally become a reality.

LLMs and self-driving cars mean that KITT from Knight Rider will finally become a reality.

All I need is for Webb to discover a planet a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, and my childhood fictions will have been realised.

Re: A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

#158

Post by thesz »

xavieralexandre wrote: post #2

The article rightly points out the industrial impact of more powerful and compact lasers but I cannot wait for those PCSELs to reach the small workshop market. Having a cheap laser able to cut metal at home / small shops would be so useful (And sneakily dangerous as lasers are).

> Having a cheap laser able to cut metal at home / small shops would be so useful (And sneakily dangerous as lasers are).

So, please do not come around these lasers with remaining eye unprotected.

I think one should work with these things only using some cameras and never directly.

Re: A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

#159

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

IshKebab wrote: post #156
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

30W? That's a pretty powerful laser. A 1W laser can set stuff on fire. A 5W laser can cut steel.

A 5W laser can't cut steel. You need to be in the kilowatts before you can cut metal (unless it is very very very thin).

You may well be correct, and I spoke out of turn, but it is my understanding that the wavelength of the laser can make a huge difference.

Re: A tiny ultrabright laser that can melt steel

#160

Post by dtgriscom »

sylware wrote: post #152
xavieralexandre wrote: post #2

The article rightly points out the industrial impact of more powerful and compact lasers but I cannot wait for those PCSELs to reach the small workshop market. Having a cheap laser able to cut metal at home / small shops would be so useful (And sneakily dangerous as lasers are).

Aren't such laser cutters in enclosing opaq casing with a operation monitoring camera to avoid accidents?

They should be so enclosed, but I doubt they're always so enclosed.
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