30 watt Laser in action.
by John
Not mine, unfortunately. This one is Stuart Tankard’s. It is a Ytterbium generated, 30w, fibre laser, and the wavelength is such that the 0.01mm diameter beam will burn holes in metal. Ytterbium, for those who can’t be bothered to look it up, is a rare earth metal, atomic number 70, Stuart has used the laser to cut parts from a 1.2mm thick hacksaw blade. And in the following video he is making marks in a work-tool rest which I will use on my Radius Master sander grinder.
It is a 360º protractor, and grid lines at 10mm intervals. Looks purposeful. Time will tell if it is useful.
Watch the video. I am experiencing tool envy.
Listening to my own voice is pretty painful. I hope that it doesn’t grate too much on you.
johnsmachines 
I think that tool envy is contagious. Nothing like a bit of retail therapy and tool collecting to cheer one up. That is a nice piece of tooling to have available.
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Great for metals, but will not cut paper gaskets! I will continue to rely on my friends…..
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Fascinating video, I watched it twice. Detail is unbelievable!
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Thanks Richard, positive feedback is just the stimulus I need to keep the blog going. John ps. laser etching on glass feasible?
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Fascinating video, I watched it twice. Detail is unbelievable!
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Thanks Richard!
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Hi John
Very impressive I like.
How is your laser going
Cheers
John
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I must get back to the laser. It is not behaving as expected. According to others comments my issues are not uncommon. main problem is lack of manufacturer documentation. John.
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Great bit of kit.
When I owned a laser clinic in St. Petersburg. Floriduh one of our lasers that was used for skin peels was a Q-switched Erbium.
It was capable of taking from a single cell layer of skin to removal of the entire epidermal layer.
It is one of the most dangerous light frequencies to human tissue do one must be extremely cautious when using power levels above a watt or two.
Thanks for sharing John and
Merry Christmas!
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Hi Jenny, Lovely to hear from you, I will write soon. Meanwhile, I hope that you and Sandy have a good Xmas. John
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