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DVD drive laser for CNC etching?

Eavesdropper
This is based on an idea a friend of mine had. He is convinced that a DVD drive's laser is powerful enough to etch metal and plastics, much like the "lightscribe" effect. Has anyone ever tried this? If not, what other laser etching devices are there?
 
E
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  • 0

    Hi E,

     

    I want to strongly recommend that you first buy a pair of laser goggles for the light spectrum of the laser diode you intend to use.  Even a low power laser can do some nasty and permenant damage to your eyes.

    It has been a while since I last used lasers, but I know that it is important to match the laser wavelength to the material that you want to cut.  Each material has its own suseptability to absorb the light, especially in the infrared.

    I also agree with D2113F that your best bet is to use a pulsed laser diode with a very small duty cycle.  Those things tend to overheat rather quickly, not to mention the drive transisters, etc.  You can usually melt plastic at around 20 Kwp-p power, and I have punched through very thin metal at around 60 Kwp-p power in the infrared range.

    If you want to see a neat affect, use a visible light laser on a piece of clear plastic in a dark room.  The diffractions and light show as the plastic melts is truely beautiful to watch.

    So have fun, but remember: SAFETY FIRST.  You only have two eyes and they cannot be replaced.

     

    Thanks,

    DAB

Reply
  • 0

    Hi E,

     

    I want to strongly recommend that you first buy a pair of laser goggles for the light spectrum of the laser diode you intend to use.  Even a low power laser can do some nasty and permenant damage to your eyes.

    It has been a while since I last used lasers, but I know that it is important to match the laser wavelength to the material that you want to cut.  Each material has its own suseptability to absorb the light, especially in the infrared.

    I also agree with D2113F that your best bet is to use a pulsed laser diode with a very small duty cycle.  Those things tend to overheat rather quickly, not to mention the drive transisters, etc.  You can usually melt plastic at around 20 Kwp-p power, and I have punched through very thin metal at around 60 Kwp-p power in the infrared range.

    If you want to see a neat affect, use a visible light laser on a piece of clear plastic in a dark room.  The diffractions and light show as the plastic melts is truely beautiful to watch.

    So have fun, but remember: SAFETY FIRST.  You only have two eyes and they cannot be replaced.

     

    Thanks,

    DAB

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