[LASERS!!!] Photographing Lasers In Action

[Max McGrumpy]

Ok this is the laser in question, it will have the tech specs listed at the page:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KM1YF4S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have two of them. We use them for marking 3D printed parts, making little wood knicknacks and woodburning small signs and bookmarks.

With the 3D printers we have installed OctoPrint on RasPi modules and set up cameras so customers can watch their product being manufactured. It's a huge hit with the folks we work with. One of our technical customers was utterly in awe of the fact that I took the file they sent, sent them a link and hit the start button. They sat there and watched the part form, then ran someone out to pick it up as soon as the machine stopped. Other customers we send them timelapse shots as a keepsake.

I want to do similar with the laser engravers. While I get some cool back-scatter/glare/smoke shots I can't see the actual cutting in progress. I have had luck with a Kapton film over the lens and a powerful flash, but that makes a still-shot I want to record video/stream live.

The equipment I have on hand consists of Audrino boards and components, web-cams, cell-phone cameras, several decent PCs and lots of enthusiasm. My electronics experience as you may recall consists of "following detailed instructions after asking questions."

So, how would I go about setting this up...?

[Evan]

Check out this one by me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PQwfwimHxc

[Max McGrumpy]

We figured out how to rig filters to control back-scatter and reflections off the smoke in the chamber.

[Evan]

An adjustable polarizer works well as well as the usual UV and a neutral density filter or two. The polarizer in particular will help control reflections from any reflective surfaces. Diode lasers aren't as bad as gas lasers but they can still exhibit polarization directly as well as from reflections.

I still remember the article in Popular Science about how a ruby rod laser works. I desperately wanted to build one but the ruby rod was far too expensive. Then Xerox invented the high power laser diode and everything changed. Xerox also invented the laser printer and I had the opportunity to see the first one at PARC. Those early ones did not use a diode laser, it was blue gas laser. We had to be extremely careful of course. We were able to increase the power quite lot when playing with them.

[Max McGrumpy]

An adjustable polarizer works well as well as the usual UV and a neutral density filter or two. The polarizer in particular will help control reflections from any reflective surfaces. Diode lasers aren't as bad as gas lasers but they can still exhibit polarization directly as well as from reflections.

Polarized filters were suggested, but I don't have anything like that on hand. We used a lens out of a pair of broken sun-glasses, and some Kapton tape over glass. It cut down on the "glare" and allowed us to get some shots. Need to work on it a bit but it's basically the right direction for us for now.

[Dragons_fire]

Lots of sunglasses now are polarized, even the cheap ones from wally world. try stacking both lenses and then turn one and see if the light passing through changes.

I have a tv above my 60w CO2 laser and was thinking about mounting a small camera inside the enclosure so that I could see it on the big screen. Im interested In what works well for you.

[Evan]

A CO2 laser will be highly linearly polarized due to the Brewster window. However, most glasses are not transparent in IR at around ten microns. You can pretty well block the laser with ordinary glass.

[macona]

Ok this is the laser in question, it will have the tech specs listed at the page:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KM1YF4S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Good lord, that thing is illegal to sell in the US, its a Class IV device open without interlocks.

Make sure you wear eye protection for the laser whenever it is on, even a specular reflection is enough to cause permanent eye damage.

[macona]

A CO2 laser will be highly linearly polarized due to the Brewster window. However, most glasses are not transparent in IR at around ten microns. You can pretty well block the laser with ordinary glass.

Almost no CO2 lasers have brewster windows with external optics. About the only lasers still made with them are argon ions because people change the optics for different lines/modes.

[dave_r]

Good lord, that thing is illegal to sell in the US, its a Class IV device open without interlocks.

Make sure you wear eye protection for the laser whenever it is on, even a specular reflection is enough to cause permanent eye damage.

You just need a warning label now: "Do not look in laser with remaining eye."

[macona]

You just need a warning label now: "Do not look in laser with remaining eye."

I dont think it even has that.

Reported them to Amazon, its actually a prohibited item according to their sellers page. If that does not work it's off to the FDA.

[Evan]

Almost no CO2 lasers have brewster windows with external optics

I have not kept up with gas lasers, no reason to these days. The ones I worked with were indeed argon lasers.

[Max McGrumpy]

Good lord, that thing is illegal to sell in the US, its a Class IV device open without interlocks.

Make sure you wear eye protection for the laser whenever it is on, even a specular reflection is enough to cause permanent eye damage.

First thing I did was enclose three sides with plywood and build a shielded window for the front.

While you are on a self-righteous safety kick to protect people from themselves despite themselves let me give you a list of dangerous solvents, RF hazard and electrically unsafe items that are sold every day on Amazon. Lets get "real" now -- they are going to keep selling these despite your crusade. There are plenty of sites out there that show how to take the diode from one of these machines and mount it on the Prussa I3 frame... a lot of people are running open-frame 3D-printers with laser heads. In fact at least two manufacturers are selling this as a standard feature now and three more as option. Want the names and addresses of those companies too?

And while you are at it might as well shut down the 3D printing industry as well. Burn hazards, toxic ABS fumes, potential for thermal-runaway accidents... Not to mention people routinely soak parts in MEK and Tetrahydrofuran and acetone without a full suite of safety gear.

The extruder kit that makes filament is sold without any sort of interlock, and we all know how dangerous an extrusion line can be. Let me give you the address of the company that makes those.

The open-frame scanners that are popular for digitizing items use unshielded lasers and some use fairly bright strobe-lights too. I have a list of six such companies here you need to get these off the market.

And let see... Oh! HARBOR FREIGHT. Let me get the list here... Dangerous batteries, cracked castings, improperly hardened cutters/end-mills/drill-bits, dead-soft Allan Keys... Electrically unsafe mills and lathes with porous brittle castings... Right here is your life's work. You need to crusade Harbor Freight right off the map. Let me get you the contact information.

You said you have pull at the FDA? Here's a list of energy sodas, alcoholic substances, foods that are difficult to chew and substances containing more than the "safe" daily limit of caffeine. This Miralax stuff causes profound neurological changes lets get that off the market too. Oh and anything containing peas. Holy shi* are peas gross. You need to do us a public service and get those little green balls of death off the market.

Oh and my car, doesn't have a safety interlock at all. I can drive it at high speed into a bridge pylon and there is nothing the car can do to stop me. And I can do so with my high-beams on and my radio blasting and a cellphone in each hand. How many thousands of people die each year do to cars without any sort of safety system to prevent collisions? You need to take on the automotive industry -- these things are unsafe at ANY speed.


Shall we continue or have I made my point? Go get a hobby and don't infringe upon mine. If these things are as illegal as you say they'd have been pulled off the market by now, I suspect you are just grandstanding for attention. They are sold with safety gear and an instruction booklet outlining the dangers and most of the hobby groups instruct you to enclose them before operating. I think we can basically take care of ourselves, same as any other "dangerous hobby" out there we don't need crusaders like you ruining things out of some misguided sense of "safety."

Now if you excuse me I'm off to play with my model rockets, I'm a member of the high-altitude club. We keep track of our record-setting attempts with drones (open propellers, lithium batteries)... but don't worry despite the "dangers" we have permits and all the proper forms are filed.

[Max McGrumpy]

Oh and I'm sure Amazon is fully aware that they are selling these devices. Several are listed as "best seller." Most are PRIME-enabled. I just looked over the regulations, apparently the pages and pages of best-selling high-powered laser pointers are in direct violation of their rules too, as are the diode kits they sell, the laser scopes for guns they sell, and on and on and on.

Good luck, I suspect you'll be getting a enthusiastic "go **** yourself" from Amazon, and we all know the FDA can be bought off with a bottle of wine and a bribe.

[Max McGrumpy]

Finally, I've made a list of all of the dangerous equipment you have discussed over the years of being a member here. I don't care what your background is the fact that you are in possession of some of this stuff makes you a clear and present danger to the public safety. Are your neighbors aware of your hobbies and what you do for fun? They will be shortly.

I'm going to release this information to the community leaders in the town you have listed, and give them detailed instructions on how to contact the forum administrator so they can pull your IP information. From there it's a simile matter of tracking you down by various means, and someone will be around to collect your stuff.

For your own protection of course. And the protection of everyone else around you. It's for your own good, nothing personal. I wouldn't want you to... ya know... hurt yourself or someone else because your cocky arrogant overconfidence got the better of you. Toys like the ones you favor are regulated industrial machines or for academic use only.... not for private ownership in a non-regulated environment.

Hey did you also consider all the DealExtreme and BangGood style importers you'll have to go after as well? Not to mention Ebay. You'll need to take on Ebay as well. And Alibaba.

This is going to be entertaining! After the Feds raid your home you'll have plenty of time to make all this happen though. I salute you, sir.