Making PCB's with a diodelaser

... thought, would be good, to share this here too

Redeveloped my "intelligent" high-current LD driver for better assembly and controlling options -- the housing will be milled from two halves ... will show it later ...

First try was with Nanite841 controllers:




- fine enough for the common blue 2W- and 3.5W-diodes -- here the curves when pulsing at 1,6 Ampere, what's good for the 2W-diode:





... but seems, the smaller controller was not so a good idea - when switching around 100kHz with pulsed currents of above 2,6 Amperes (needed for the 6W-diodes or the IR-diodes), I've managed to delete the program and even the bootloader inside the Nanite841 !!!


Then tested and changed back to the Wattuino, which seems to be much more robust to EMP effects:




... here it's happy pulsing with 12 Amperes:

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Viktor
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Is it an optocoupler you're using to switch the FET?
I guess the negative transient killed the nano.

... no, it's the small "transistor-like" MOSFET below the upper big resistor - didn't measure any negtive transients on this line too

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Viktor
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Quote
brunobasto
Hey @lukie80, keep us posted on your progress. It's looking beautiful. Do you have pictures of your results and printer? Maybe a video?

Thanks. And thanks to VDX for his idea, publishing and support.

So far I only removed the RC paint using nitro diluent. It looks OK although I seem to have some backlash issues. . Next step will be drilling which will show if my PCB alignment was OK.

The printer I use is a cheap Prusa i3 clone with some minor improvements: Geeetech i3 Pro X. The biggest change I made was designing a quick fit carriage system which allows a quick change of tool heads (i.e. print head, laser head, mill head). There you can see the heads I use: Quick Fit Carriage and Laser Head. The precision of my printer is not ideal (see PCB ) and it is not rigid enough for deep or fast milling.

Quote
lukie80

Quote
brunobasto
Hey @lukie80, keep us posted on your progress. It's looking beautiful. Do you have pictures of your results and printer? Maybe a video?

Thanks. And thanks to VDX for his idea, publishing and support.

So far I only removed the RC paint using nitro diluent. It looks OK although I seem to have some backlash issues. [attachment 90941 etched.jpg]. Next step will be drilling which will show if my PCB alignment was OK.

The printer I use is a cheap Prusa i3 clone with some minor improvements: Geeetech i3 Pro X. The biggest change I made was designing a quick fit carriage system which allows a quick change of tool heads (i.e. print head, laser head, mill head). There you can see the heads I use: Quick Fit Carriage and Laser Head. The precision of my printer is not ideal (see PCB ) and it is not rigid enough for deep or fast milling.

Cool. Thx for the info. Yeah, for drilling I plan to build one of those: Cyclone-PCB-Factory. It maybe ok to drill using a 3d printer, but I don't wanna mess up mine. It's already not rigid enough. I have a modified Printrbot Makers Edition with 200mm x 200mm build area. Plan to build a VORON, but so far I only have the frame assembled.

Nice keep it up

I got finally in to PCB with my laser

that firs one I managed to do



Would 2W laser penetrate FR1 Board???

Regards

Quote
rastaman46
Would 2W laser penetrate FR1 Board???

... no - not enough absorption and energy density ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

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... my latest (semi-comercial) project is a fiber-laser armed galvo-scanner used for "local ablating" of metal surfaces.

The core project isn't open, but I can show some images and videos of the common parts ...


- for a fast provisoric fixation of the fiber-laser head -- construction of a "3D-LOM-part" in Corel and export as HPGL:




- lasercutting the LOM-slices with the blue diode-module:




- assembled/stacked the slices and inserted holder for the collimator-head:




- mounted galvo-head:




- a video showing some testing on a piece of iron sheet:

[vimeo.com]

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Viktor
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Quote
VDX
... yes, I'm using (1:1:1) hydrochloric acid + hydrogen peroxide + distilled water.

Common spray-paints can withstand some minutes until they start eroding ... depends on temperature of the solution ...

For stone and other brittle materials I'll suggest lasercutting thin layers of previously laminated elastic sheets, remove the parts you want to mark and use sandblasting ...

That's a quote of 2013 and I'm curious, if these fluids are still available for the average customer?

Especially hydrogen peroxide is available in different grades, from 2% to ~30% maybe.
What is the type H₂O₂ you are using?
Same for the acid: Do I need a certain mixture, is it powder of bottled?

THX
Olaf

Hi Olaf,

... both around 30% and should be still available, bottled ...

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Viktor
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... tested stripping black paint (development for cleaning metal surfaces):

[vimeo.com]


The result: - on the left a black tile -- on the right the black painted aluminum sheet (Dibond)

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Viktor
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... actually assembling a more "professional" looking marking laser for an exhibition on saturday -- will post some more images and videos of the results later on ...

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Viktor
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... a video of the laser-engraver "in action"

[vimeo.com]

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Viktor
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... tested to cut 0,3mm thick brass sheets - it's much easier to cut and finer result than with Aluminium!

Here a "mini-elk-bow":





... and the video showing the (pretty slow) cutting - [vimeo.com]

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Viktor
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... the "Aztek Kodex" in metallic coated plastic:




- and in 0,2mm thick steel plate:

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Viktor
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That's awesome!
Reminds me a bit of the Pirates of the caribbean coin.




...now make some Krugerrand coins from Brass and see, how realistic they look.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/2017 02:45AM by o_lampe.

... for "realistic" coins you'll need a picosecond-pulse-laser with much higher peak energy, what's on my long-term agenda too

So it's capable of 3D-engraving in brass and high carbon loaded steel, but need pretty much time ... for this not really suited to make money coins

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Viktor
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... did some tests, "engraving" a coin - not exactly what you'll want to make them with

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Viktor
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Ok, not really convincing..
Maybe etching some print-plates for Monopoly dollar bills is easier?

... as already said, this isn't an Ultra-Short-Pulse-laser, so not suited for creating optical finishes.

With more time for testing and tweaking the parameters, it could make much better "finishing" results ... but it's not my intention to show, how to counterfeit coins ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

... again received two broken fiberlasers to extract the IR-diodes from - one is really hefty damaged, the other not so bad:






I'm actually runnig a "DIY-lasermodule-with-driver" project in the German sub-forum and a CNC-forum, which is only meant for local distribution, so no international shipping or such.

But some of the basic info is open, (schematics/layout, sketches, hints), so could be used for other DIY projects too ...

[forums.reprap.org]

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Viktor
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... I've tested PCB-engraving with my marking laser too ...

- engraving:




- first pass - removed the lackuer and some of the copper (so it would be perfect for etching too!):




- after 3 passes most of the copper is removed:




- after 5 passes all the copper and bond (and a thin sheet of ceramic) is stripped:




... and a video showing the first pass and the results - [vimeo.com]

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

... to try out the 60Watt fiber laser -- here's another video of the engraving of the "Aztec Codex"center part on a white 100x100mm tile without pre-coating:

[vimeo.com]


When engraving (recorded through a laser protection window):




... and done (still with the dust on it):

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

... back to the IR-diodes -- assembled three of the "simple high current drivers", which are meant to drive the 9W-diodes with PWM-pulsing pre-selectable (spike free) currents from 0.6A to 8.4A:



Will cleave and assemble several of the fibercoupled 9W-IR-diodes and one or more of the 25W-diodes in the next days/weeks and make some tests for stability and usability ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

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... and here cleaving, assembling and testing one of the 9watt-IR-diodes:

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Viktor
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... today received the first "small series" (10 sets) of the focussing heads:




But actually in a hurry to finish the machines for the next exhibition from 14. Nov. in Munich ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

... actually busy to "manufacture" the first series of diode modules:

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Viktor
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... actually developing+building some high-power diode modules with 200Watt IR-diodes, which needs CW-currents with 40 Amps!! - they will not only mark, but even cut through the PCB's

The drivers are sort of "beefy":




And the pulsed or CW current can be set in 10 steps from 3.7 Amperes to 37 !!! - here two videos while pulsing with half power on cardboard and steel:

[vimeo.com]

[vimeo.com]


... and a scope-diagram measured across a shunt resistor with half and full power:



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/2019 10:20AM by VDX.

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

... I tried a few things this morning with one of the 200W-diodes in the "DDL"-module -- and now I don't know if I should be happy or rather cry ... or if soon people from the secret service or from the Nobel Prize Committee will ring the doorbell

From the previous tests I already knew that it "flashes" quite well on the tile - here a picture of one of the previous "tile flares":




After some adjustments to the cable routing and the use of a larger filter capacitor and a choke as counter-induction, I got out some pretty good "flashes" and wanted to make a video of them.

As I start the video and trigger the first slightly longer pulse, I hear a very short "hiss" from the direction of the diode and the power supply and then the powerful bangs on the tile and also on the power supply, which was positioned about 15 centimeters behind the tile!!!

Here the pictures of the mishap - the laser pulse has shot a small hole completely through the tile:



- and then the display of the power supply melted down!




Also the decoupling protection window in the diode has gotten some evaporating and melting damage:




The diode still seems to be working (at least it still pulses visibly on the tile, although not as violently as the "Mega-Blitz"), but I'll have to replace the protection window.

Now I'm wondering how I managed to get this "mega pulse" right at all ... and if I can reproduce that again ... and if I should follow it up at all, because it's going quite violently in the direction of "weapon development", which I've always rejected

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2019 05:01AM by VDX.

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Viktor
--------
Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

... so, before this goes even bigger, like in some of the other forums, I'll clarify it

The "Mega-Pulse" with "Tile-Shot through" is (actually very, very sad) only a "1. April" joke with half-truths

The tile looks like this in the original - the two holes in the lower left corner are only about 1mm deep and it took some 100Watt pulses:




The "molten power supply display" I have also only "painted".

The burned resistors are real -- but when testing with the broken(?) switching MOSFET's it was on "permanent ON" where the resistors survived about 1 second before the resistor wire was burned away ... but, the "orange glow" out of the ceramic was really nice

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2019 02:23PM by VDX.

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Viktor
--------
Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]