Diode Lasers .....Under the Hood 21
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- The more I begin to understand how diode lasers work the more I realize that it can never be compared to CO2 capabilty. Yes, CO2 has the complexity of flying optics, water cooling, high voltages and a large footpprint and when those disavantages are compared to the diode laser's desktop footprint and the air-cooled laser beam that burns directly onto the material.....it's no contest mechanically. However. if you compare operating capabilities, the exact opposite is true. The long wavelength of a CO2 laser can naturally cut and engrave a huge range of materials, whereas the very short wavelength of the diode laser seriously limits its ability to naturally damage almost any material.
In this session I examine the reason for this weakness. Yes, there are accidents of physics and chemistry that allow diode lasers to damage a very small range of materials and its capabilities can be extended slighly by adding energy transfer coatings to a few more materials. Do YOU know why the material rage is so limited? In the last session we concentrated on the most popular material, wood, and found that in reality it was almost as transparent as glass!!!!. I use my very visual and non-scientific demonstrations to explain why diode lasers will never compete with long wavelenght CO2 technology for cutting materials. It's nothing to do with the brand, the quality or optical design , rather, its all about the laws of physics.
In a future session about engraving with 20 watts , I expect to find some redeeming features that (within it's limited material range) put diode laser capability far ahead of glass tube CO2 technology.
Always remember, I am not selling a particular technology or product, my aim is self-education about "stuff" that I cannot read about elsewhere and to understand the science that few others have bothered to investigate. Only when you undersand the FACTUAL positives and negative can you decide how to spend your money to satisfy your chosen goals.
i wonder where did you found those balls and springs
they are just perfect for the purpose
As a retired engineering designer I have shelves of leftover project materials that I never throw out. I have no idea when and where I acqired those pieces of equipment but I dug deep and found bits that allowed me to demonstrate complex science in a simple visual way with no need for formulae or years of university study. It seems to have worked. Thanks for the comment.
An other question i have with diode laser is there life time and efficiency over the time? I read that diode laser produce laser from a cristal. This cristal hurt with temperature and so loose efficiency. What did you think, see, about?
Hi Benjamin
I have to be honest and say I don't know for certain. LEDs in general have long but finite lifetime in the order of tens of thousands of hours . However . I know from my electronic inexperience that unless you limit the current flow through a light emitting diode it can have a lifetime of just a few minutes. I have heard from quite a few diode users that after as little as a year their products have died. Ouch, that can be expensive. Sadly, I will not be using my diodes for serious work or for any significant period to see if and how the diode fails. My goal is to investigate the pros and cons of the technology . I am sure you will find a sensible answer at one of the many diode user forums.
@@SarbarMultimedia thanks for answers. Yes i find this kind of information but if you have a light mesuring tool, i'll be curious if, for same current, the light power will be the same after time. From my personnal experience, after hours for cutting a big piece of wood, the diode loose a lot of power. However, i did'nt have tool for mesuring.
@@benjaminbulle9199 I have had the same problem before. In my case, cleaning the lens was the solution.