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CO2 - red beam combiner






Those are for add a red beam as "pointer" or "guide beam" to the main etching beam (so you can see where it point before, instead to have to shoot and look where the smoke come out :D) ..... good items, if only they was not so high-cost :p
 
yes, this item looks the same thing ..... or, at least, from the specification tag, it looks made for pass 10,6 and reflect 670 for one face, that is the characteristic of a CO2/red beam combiner .....
 
So can someone explain how this works? Do these lenses focus as well as combine? How do you aim the red into it?
 
It does not focus, it's a dichroic mirror ..... it reflect almost all in the red (mainly 660nm) range, and left pass through almost all in the 10600nm range (IR from CO2 laser), so you can use it for "add" a red beam in the path of the CO2 one, and use it as a pointing device.

It's normally used for CNC / cutting machines, for check visually if the position of the beam is in the right place, before start to burn.
 
Ok thanks, so the lens is mounted at an angle to reflect the red beam along the same path as the IR. Assume there will be some refraction of the IR beam if the lens isn't mounted perpendicular to it.
 
There will be some refraction in any case, but you are supposed to mount it at a 45 degree angle in the CO2 beam. The red quite laser is perpendicular to the CO2 laser, such that they are combined.

The stray reflection could be a problem if its a powerful CO2 laser. Normally those reflections are in the order of 1 percent, which is little to worry about in most RGB systems, but with 100 watts of CO2 i can imagine you need to take precautions (like a beam dump).
 
I'd rather knife-edge two or three on opposing sides of the main beam. Optics are cheaper that way :)
 
Yes, but in this case you cannot focus the dot in the same point of the laser (or, at least, you can do that only for one distance)

I had tried also that system, before use these combiners, but the user wanted a point that can indicate the exact point independently from the head distance, so i had to use it :p

Just keep the red module independently focusable, so you can adjust it for various lenses and distances ;)
 
I apologize for the necropost but I need new advice on this argument :)
What could be used as "support" for this kind of lens since it has to cross two perpendicular beams?
:thanks:
 
A plate with a hole in the middle, and a pair of screws for adjust it (also called mirror mount ;))

Just be sure to choose a thick and robust one, that can dissipate heat well (cause, also if the dichro is AR coated, it's the same in the path of a CO2 beam, and it still take some power from the beam and heat itself.

Never use these holders where you only can glue the dichro with epoxy, or thin ones, the heat can be enough for decompose or melt the glue ..... get one that have the holder plate with a hole through it of the same diameter of the dichro (or few centesimals more), and a thickness that is more than the one of the dichro (also better if the hole have a "lip" on one side), then glue the dichro inside the holder using thermal silicone-based or elastic glue (so also if the dichro change a bit the dimensions for the heating, the glue don't become cracked from that)
 
Can these combiners also be used to combine a green beam with an IR CO2 beam? Or are the reflective properties for green that much poorer that it outweighs the better visibility of a green pilot?

And, has anybody seen any with a 2+ inch diameter? I'd like to use one with a laser range finder as a pilot beam and any mirror smaller than the input lens would decrease it's sensitivity.
 
Reflects over 90% of the red aiming beam (670nm). will work at other red wavelengths with a little loss of intensity (of the aiming beam only!).
Click to expand...

No green beams :)
 
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