Fiber laser safety window

[Keith Winter]

how about using a video camera to monitor the laser rather than risking your eyesight?

+1 for this idea. A cheap camera like the pie camera Steve used to monitor his co2 laser awhile back could be easily and inexpensively done.

[Jack Clague]

out of curiosity what do Trotec and Epilog use on their fiber machines, they have a kinda of green tinted lid.

[Dan Hintz]

out of curiosity what do Trotec and Epilog use on their fiber machines, they have a kinda of green tinted lid.

Acrylic with fillers opaque to the wavelength... the same multi-hundred $ stuff being discussed at the beginning of the thread.

[Scott Shepherd]

I hope it has a camera on it so I can doodle on metal with a sharpie......

[Scott Challoner]

I have an old smart phone that I plan to mount over a small hole in the enclosure and use the camera. That way it looks like a window and you don't have to be watching the monitor. I have a web cam too. I have also thought about using our old Ipad to make the "window" larger. I like the idea of Masonite for the enclose. I can cut that with the CO2.

+1 for this idea. A cheap camera like the pie camera Steve used to monitor his co2 laser awhile back could be easily and inexpensively done.

[Matt Geraci]

I got a small piece of 1064 nm glass when I bought my machine. It is pricey. Also got 2 pair of glasses, always wear a pair when laser is turned on. Extra pair for the wife/customer/guest. Bought it all up front and included it in the total cost of the laser. Spend it all at once....!!!!

[Chris Edens]

Honestly why be cheap about it? If you catch that beam in your eye somehow it can blind you. I don't know about you but my eyes are worth me spending a $300 for a pair of glasses. I picked up 3 pairs of glasses and where them the entire time that laser is on.

[Kev Williams]

Echo Chris...

I just found Laser Safety Industries website, they sell a 12" x 24" piece of acrylic for $305, bigger pieces similarly priced. Doesn't sound all that spendy to keep your $20,000 laser from blinding you, especially if nothing else is adequate.

[Gary Hair]

Echo Chris...

I just found Laser Safety Industries website, they sell a 12" x 24" piece of acrylic for $305, bigger pieces similarly priced. Doesn't sound all that spendy to keep your $20,000 laser from blinding you, especially if nothing else is adequate.

I just got off the phone with Jerome at Laser Safety Industries. For a 30 watt laser with a 1064nm wavelength you need an optical density of 1.5 to be "legal". That will protect you from a 100% reflected beam. Their 420 product is more than adequate.

I have glasses that I wear while running the machine, but I wanted something to protect against inadvertent exposure to myself and others. For both machines it would run $610 plus constructing a stand of some sort - for that much I'll just make an aluminum barrier and stick with the glasses when I need to see what's going on. It's not all about the money, I'd gladly pay the $610+ if that was the sole means of protection, but it's not, I have glasses for that.