How to make a powerful laser at home. DIY laser cutter for cutting plywood, wood, metal: assembly tips How to make a laser at home

Hello ladies and gentlemen. Today I am opening a series of articles devoted to high-power lasers, because Habrasearch says that people are looking for such articles. I want to tell you how you can make a fairly powerful laser at home, and also teach you how to use this power not just for the sake of “shine on the clouds.”

Warning!

The article describes the manufacture of a high-power laser ( 300mW ~ power 500 Chinese pointers), which can harm your health and the health of others! Be extremely careful! Use special safety glasses and do not direct the laser beam at people or animals!

Let's find out.

On Habré, articles about portable Dragon Lasers, such as Hulk, appeared only a couple of times. In this article I will tell you how you can make a laser that is not inferior in power to most models sold in this store.

Let's cook.

First you need to prepare all the components:
- a non-working (or working) DVD-RW drive with a write speed of 16x or higher;
- capacitors 100 pF and 100 mF;
- resistor 2-5 Ohm;
- three AAA batteries;
- soldering iron and wires;
- collimator (or Chinese pointer);
- steel LED flashlight.

This minimum required to make a simple driver model. The driver is, in fact, a board that will output our laser diode to the required power. You should not connect the power source directly to the laser diode - it will break down. The laser diode must be powered with current, not voltage.

A collimator is, in fact, a module with a lens that reduces all radiation into a narrow beam. Ready-made collimators can be purchased at radio stores. These already have comfortable spot for installing a laser diode, and the cost is 200-500 rubles.

You can also use a collimator from a Chinese pointer, however, the laser diode will be difficult to attach, and the collimator body itself will most likely be made of metallized plastic. This means our diode will not cool well. But this is also possible. This option can be found at the end of the article.

Let's do it.

First you need to get the laser diode itself. This is a very fragile and small part of our DVD-RW drive - be careful. A powerful red laser diode is located in the carriage of our drive. You can distinguish it from a weak one by its radiator bigger size than a conventional IR diode.

It is recommended to use an antistatic wrist strap as the laser diode is very sensitive to static voltage. If there is no bracelet, then you can wrap the diode leads with thin wire while it waits for installation in the case.

According to this scheme, you need to solder the driver.

Don't mix up the polarity! The laser diode will also fail instantly if the polarity of the supplied power is incorrect.

The diagram shows a 200 mF capacitor, however, for portability, 50-100 mF is quite enough.

Let's try.

Before installing the laser diode and assembling everything into the housing, check the functionality of the driver. Connect another laser diode (non-working or the second one from the drive) and measure the current with a multimeter. Depending on the speed characteristics, the current strength must be chosen correctly. For 16 models, 300-350mA is quite suitable. For the fastest 22x, you can even supply 500mA, but with a completely different driver, the manufacture of which I plan to describe in another article.

Looks terrible, but it works!

Aesthetics.

A laser assembled by weight can only be boasted of in front of the same crazy techno-maniacs, but for beauty and convenience it is better to assemble it in a convenient case. Here it’s better to choose for yourself how you like it. I mounted the entire circuit into a regular LED flashlight. Its dimensions do not exceed 10x4cm. However, I do not recommend carrying it with you: you never know what claims the relevant authorities may make. It is better to store it in a special case so that the sensitive lens does not become dusty.

This is an option with minimal costs - a collimator from a Chinese pointer is used:

Using a factory-made module will allow you to get the following results:

The laser beam is visible in the evening:

And, of course, in the dark:

Maybe.

Yes, in the following articles I want to tell and show how such lasers can be used. How to make much more powerful specimens, capable of cutting metal and wood, and not just lighting matches and melting plastic. How to make holograms and scan objects to create 3D Studio Max models. How to make powerful green or blue lasers. The scope of application of lasers is quite wide, and one article cannot do it here.

We need to remember.

Don't forget about safety precautions! Lasers are not a toy! Take care of your eyes!

Made with your own hands, it will be useful in every home.

Of course, homemade device will not be able to gain the greater power that production devices have, but still some benefits in everyday life can be obtained from it.

The most interesting thing is that you can make a laser cutter using old unnecessary items.

For example, using an old laser pointer.

In order for the process of creating a cutter to progress as quickly as possible, it is necessary to prepare the following items and tools:

laser type pointer;
battery-powered flashlight;
an old CD/DVD-RW writer that may be out of order - you will need a drive with a laser from it;
electric soldering iron and a set of screwdrivers.

The process of making a cutter with your own hands begins with disassembling the drive, from where you need to remove the device.

Extraction must be done as carefully as possible, and you will have to be patient and attentive. The device contains many different wires with almost the same structure.

When choosing a DVD drive, you need to consider that it is a writeable drive, since this is the option that allows you to make recordings using a laser.

Writing is done by evaporating a thin layer of metal from the disk.

During the reading process, the laser operates at half its technical capacity, slightly illuminating the disk.

During the process of dismantling the upper fastener, the eye will fall on a carriage with a laser, which can move in several directions.

The carriage must be carefully removed and the connectors and screws carefully removed.

Then you can proceed to removing the red diode, which burns the disk - this can easily be done with your own hands using an electric soldering iron. The extracted element should not be shaken, much less dropped.

Once the main part of the future cutter is on the surface, you need to make a carefully thought-out plan for assembling the laser cutter.

In this case, it is necessary to take into account the following points: how best to place the diode, how to connect it to the power source, because the diode of the writing device requires more electricity than the main element of the pointer.

This issue can be resolved in several ways.

To make a hand cutter with more or less high power, you need to remove the diode located in the pointer, and then replace it with the element removed from the DVD drive.

Therefore, the laser pointer is disassembled as carefully as the DVD burner drive.

The object is untwisted, then its body is divided into two halves. Immediately on the surface you will be able to see a part that needs to be replaced with your own hands.

To do this, the original diode from the pointer is removed and carefully replaced with a more powerful one; its reliable fastening can be done using glue.

It may not be possible to remove the old diode element right away, so you can carefully pry it out with the tip of a knife, then lightly shake the pointer body.

At the next stage of manufacturing a laser cutter, you need to make a housing for it.

For this purpose, a flashlight with rechargeable batteries is useful, which will allow the laser cutter to receive electrical power, acquire an aesthetic appearance, and ease of use.

To do this, you need to introduce a modified top part former pointer.

Then you need to connect the charger to the diode using the charger located in the flashlight battery. It is very important to accurately establish the polarity during the connection process.

Before the flashlight is assembled, it is necessary to remove the glass and other unnecessary elements of the pointer that may interfere with the laser beam.

At the final stage, the laser cutter is prepared for use.

For a comfortable self made All stages of work on the device must be strictly observed.

For this purpose, it is necessary to check the reliability of fixation of all embedded elements, the correct polarity and evenness of the laser installation.

So, if all the assembly conditions stated above in the article have been strictly met, the cutter is ready for use.

But since a homemade hand-held device is endowed with low power, it is unlikely that it will turn into a full-fledged laser cutter for metal.

What a cutter can ideally do is make holes in paper or plastic film.

But you cannot point a laser device made by yourself at a person; here its power will be enough to harm the health of the body.

How can you amplify a homemade laser?

To make a more powerful laser cutter for metal work with your own hands, you need to use devices from the following list:

DVD-RW drive, it makes no difference whether it works or not;
100 pF and mF – capacitors;
2-5 Ohm resistor;
3 pcs. rechargeable batteries;
soldering iron, wires;
steel lantern with LED elements.

Assembling a laser cutter for manual work occurs according to the following scheme.

Using these devices, the driver is assembled, and subsequently it will be able to provide the laser cutter with a certain power via a board.

In this case, under no circumstances should you connect the power supply directly to the diode, as the diode will burn out. You also need to take into account that the diode must take power not from voltage, but from current.

The collimator is a housing equipped with optical lens, due to which the rays will accumulate.

This part is easy to find in a special store, the main thing is that it has a groove for installing a laser diode. Price of this device small, approximately $3-7.

By the way, the laser is assembled in the same way as the cutter model discussed above.

Wire can also be used as an antistatic product; it is used to wrap the diode. Then you can start assembling the driver device.

Before moving on to the full manual assembly laser cutter, you need to check the functionality of the driver.

The current strength is measured using a multimeter; to do this, take the remaining diode and carry out the measurements yourself.

Taking into account the speed of the current, its power is selected for the laser cutter. For example, for some versions of laser devices the current strength can be 300-350 mA.

For other, more intense models, it is 500 mA, provided that a different driver device is used.

To make a homemade laser look more aesthetically pleasing and be more convenient to use, it needs a housing, which can easily be a steel flashlight powered by LEDs.

As a rule, the mentioned device is endowed with compact dimensions that will allow it to fit in your pocket. But in order to avoid contamination of the lens, you need to purchase or sew a cover in advance.

Features of production laser cutters

Not everyone can afford the price of a production-type metal laser cutter.

Such equipment is used for processing and cutting metal materials.

The principle of operation of a laser cutter is based on the production of powerful radiation by the tool, endowed with the property of evaporating or blowing out a molten metal layer.

This production technology when working with different types metal can provide high quality cuts.

The depth of material processing depends on the type of laser installation and the characteristics of the materials being processed.

Today, three types of lasers are used: solid-state, fiber and gas.

The design of solid-state emitters is based on the use of specific types of glass or crystals as a working medium.

Here, as an example, we can cite inexpensive installations operating on semiconductor lasers.

Fiber - their active medium functions through the use of optical fibers.

This type of device is a modification of solid-state emitters, but according to experts, the fiber laser is successfully displacing its analogues from the field of metalworking.

Wherein optical fibers are the basis not only of the cutter, but also of the engraving machine.

Gas – working environment laser device combines carbon dioxide, nitrogen and helium gases.

Since the efficiency of the emitters under consideration is not higher than 20%, they are used for cutting and welding polymer, rubber and glass materials, as well as metal with high degree thermal conductivity.

Here, as an example, you can take a metal cutter produced by the Hans company; the use of a laser device allows you to cut copper, brass and aluminum; in this case, the minimum power of the machines only outperforms its analogues.

Drive operation diagram

Only a desktop laser can be operated from a drive; this type of device is a portal-console machine.

The laser unit can move along the guide rails of the device both vertically and horizontally.

As an alternative to the gantry device, a tablet model of the mechanism was made; its cutter moves only horizontally.

Other existing options laser machines have a work table equipped with a drive mechanism and endowed with the ability to move in different planes.

On this moment There are two options for controlling the drive mechanism.

The first ensures the movement of the workpiece due to the operation of the table drive, or the movement of the cutter is carried out due to the operation of the laser.

The second option involves moving the table and cutter simultaneously.

At the same time, the first control model is considered much simpler compared to the second option. But the second model still has high performance.

General technical characteristics In the cases considered, it is necessary to introduce a CNC unit into the device, but then the price for assembling the device for manual work will be higher.

It is possible to create a homemade building level, when creating lighting effects when decorating a home disco, for an additional rear signal for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, etc.

A laser diode is a semiconductor crystal made in the form of a thin rectangular plate. The beam passes through a collecting lens and represents a thin line; when it intersects with the surface, we see a point. To obtain a visible line, you can install a cylindrical lens in front of the laser beam. The refracted ray will look like a fan.

The proposed homemade product can be made quickly and inexpensively even by a novice radio amateur.

I made it from a 5mW laser, 3V supply voltage from AliExpress. Despite the low power of the laser emitter, it is necessary to observe basic safety precautions not to direct the beam into the eyes.

Watch the entire manufacturing process in the video:

List of tools and materials
-laser emitter 5mW, 3V (link to laser)
-screwdriver; scissors;
- soldering iron;
-cambric; foil textolite;
- two 1.5V batteries;
- connecting wires; frame battery compartment with a power button from the headlamp;
-5 Ohm resistor;
-LED with a transparent bulb;
- strip of tin.

Step one. Making a laser board.

From a small piece of foil PCB we make a scarf for mounting the laser. We solder a piece of tin to the PCB, having previously bent it along the laser body. Then we insert the laser itself into the clamp (it should fit tightly). On the side of the beam output we solder an LED (if you have a transparent glass tube, you can use a piece 5mm long) on the back side of the board and by bending the legs we set its position relative to the laser to get a bright and contrasting visible line. All that remains is to place the board with the laser in a suitable housing. We make a rectangular window in the battery compartment housing with the headlamp switch. To power this laser emitter, a voltage of 3 V is sufficient. We install two 1.5 V batteries in the battery compartment housing. In place of the third battery, we install our board with the laser. We solder the wires respectively onto two batteries and connect them through a 5 Ohm resistor to the push-button switch. If desired, the laser can be powered from a battery and a buck converter board can be used. To extend the life of the laser diode, I set the voltage to 2.8 volts and the current to 15-18 mA.

Step two. Manufacturing of building level.
Based on this homemade product, you can make a laser construction level. The first option is to attach the homemade body to an industrial level (of course, you need to precisely adjust the position of the beam). The second option is to attach the body of a homemade laser to a piece of foam plastic and place this structure in a container of water. The water level will always be parallel to the horizon. Check the position of the laser line with the industrial level. The further the laser is from the surface, the longer the visible line.

Making a powerful burning laser with your own hands is not a difficult task, however, in addition to the ability to use a soldering iron, you will need to be attentive and careful in your approach. It’s worth noting right away that deep knowledge from the field of electrical engineering is not needed here, and you can make a device even at home. The main thing when working is to take precautions, since exposure to a laser beam is harmful to the eyes and skin.

A laser is a dangerous toy that can cause harm to health if used carelessly. Do not point the laser at people or animals!

What will you need?

Any laser can be divided into several components:

light flux emitter;
optics;
power supply;
current supply stabilizer (driver).

To make a powerful homemade laser, you will need to consider all these components separately. The most practical and easiest to assemble is a laser based on a laser diode, which we will consider in this article.

Where can I get a diode for a laser?

The working element of any laser is a laser diode. You can buy it at almost any radio store, or get it from a non-working CD drive. The fact is that drive inoperability is rarely associated with failure of the laser diode. If you have a broken drive, you can extra costs get the required element. But you need to take into account that its type and properties depend on the modification of the drive.

The weakest laser, operating in the infrared range, is installed in CD-ROM drives. Its power is only enough to read CDs, and the beam is almost invisible and is not capable of burning objects. The CD-RW has a built-in more powerful laser diode, suitable for burning and designed for the same wavelength. It is considered the most dangerous, as it emits a beam in a zone of the spectrum invisible to the eye.

The DVD-ROM drive is equipped with two weak laser diodes, the energy of which is only enough to read CDs and DVDs. The DVD-RW burner contains a high-power red laser. Its beam is visible in any light and can easily ignite certain objects.

The BD-ROM contains a violet or blue laser, which is similar in parameters to the analogue from the DVD-ROM. From BD-RE recorders you can get the most powerful laser diode with a beautiful violet or blue beam capable of burning. However, finding such a drive for disassembly is quite difficult, and a working device is expensive.

The most suitable one is a laser diode taken from a DVD-RW drive. The highest quality laser diodes are installed in LG, Sony and Samsung drives.

The higher the DVD drive's writing speed, the more powerful the laser diode installed in it.

Drive disassembly

Having the drive in front of you, first remove the top cover by unscrewing 4 screws. Then remove the movable mechanism, which is located in the center and connected to printed circuit board flexible cable. The next goal is a laser diode, securely pressed into a radiator made of aluminum or duralumin alloy. It is recommended to provide protection against static electricity before dismantling it. To do this, the leads of the laser diode are soldered or wrapped with thin copper wire.

Next, there are two possible options. The first involves operating a finished laser in the form of a stationary installation together with a standard radiator. The second option is to assemble the device in the body of a portable flashlight or laser pointer. In this case, you will have to apply force to cut through or saw the radiator without damaging the radiating element.

Driver

Laser power supply must be handled responsibly. As with LEDs, it must be a stabilized current source. On the Internet there are many circuits powered by a battery or accumulator through a limiting resistor. The sufficiency of this solution is questionable, since the voltage on the battery or battery changes depending on the charge level. Accordingly, the current flowing through the laser emitting diode will deviate greatly from the nominal value. As a result, the device will not work efficiently at low currents, and at high currents it will lead to a rapid decrease in the intensity of its radiation.

The best option is to use a simple current stabilizer built on the basis. This microcircuit belongs to the category of universal integrated stabilizers with the ability independent task current and voltage at the output. The microcircuit operates in a wide range of input voltages: from 3 to 40 volts.

An analogue of LM317 is the domestic chip KR142EN12.

For the first laboratory experiment, the diagram below is suitable. The only resistor in the circuit is calculated using the formula: R=I/1.25, where I is the rated laser current (reference value).

Sometimes a polar capacitor of 2200 μFx16 V and a non-polar capacitor of 0.1 μF are installed at the output of the stabilizer in parallel with the diode. Their participation is justified in the case of supplying voltage to the input from a stationary power supply, which can miss an insignificant alternating component and impulse noise. One of these circuits, powered by a Krona battery or a small battery, is presented below.

The diagram shows the approximate value of resistor R1. For his accurate calculation you need to use the above formula.

Having collected electrical diagram, you can make a preliminary switching on and, as proof of the circuit’s operability, observe the bright red scattered light of the emitting diode. Having measured its actual current and body temperature, it is worth thinking about the need to install a radiator. If the laser will be used in a stationary installation at high currents for a long time, then passive cooling must be provided. Now there is very little left to achieve the goal: focus and get a narrow beam of high power.

Optics

In scientific terms, it's time to build a simple collimator, a device for producing beams of parallel light rays. Ideal option For this purpose there will be a standard lens taken from the drive. With its help you can obtain a fairly thin laser beam with a diameter of about 1 mm. The amount of energy of such a beam is enough to burn through paper, fabric and cardboard in a matter of seconds, melt plastic and burn through wood. If you focus a thinner beam, this laser can cut plywood and plexiglass. But setting up and securely attaching the lens to the drive is quite difficult due to its small focal length.

It is much easier to build a collimator based on a laser pointer. In addition, its case can accommodate a driver and a small battery. The output will be a beam with a diameter of about 1.5 mm and a smaller burning effect. In foggy weather or heavy snowfall, you can observe incredible lighting effects, directing the light stream into the sky.

Through the online store you can purchase a ready-made collimator, specifically designed for mounting and tuning a laser. Its body will serve as a radiator. Knowing the sizes of everyone components device, you can buy a cheap LED flashlight and use its housing.

In conclusion, I would like to add a few phrases about the dangers of laser radiation. First, never point the laser beam into the eyes of people or animals. This leads to serious visual impairment. Secondly, wear green glasses when experimenting with the red laser. They block most of the red portion of the spectrum from passing through. The amount of light transmitted through the glasses depends on the wavelength of the radiation. Look from the side at the laser beam without protective equipment allowed only for a short time. Otherwise, eye pain may occur.