Cheap CO2 laser mixture?
omegalabs, Fri Apr 16 2010, 07:18PMCould please someone tell me, what is the right gas mixture for a sealed CO2 laser, and which company is the cheapest to buy from such a mixture?
I have contacted our local gas company "Messer" but they offered me a horribly high price at about $1600 for a 2litre 160bar cylinder of gas mixture that contained about 3% of Xe gas.
Re: Cheap CO2 laser mixture?
IntraWinding, Sat Apr 17 2010, 12:07AM
Check out Sams Laser faq, or post your question at alt.lasers newsgroup.
Alan
IntraWinding, Sat Apr 17 2010, 12:07AM
Check out Sams Laser faq, or post your question at alt.lasers newsgroup.
Alan
Re: Cheap CO2 laser mixture?
rp181, Sat Apr 17 2010, 01:10AM
That doesn't seem too expensive, that is enough gas for ALOT of tubes.
rp181, Sat Apr 17 2010, 01:10AM
That doesn't seem too expensive, that is enough gas for ALOT of tubes.
Re: Cheap CO2 laser mixture?
..., Sat Apr 17 2010, 01:58AM
It is my understanding for sealed tubes, unlike flowing gas ones, require very careful mixing and just buying a strait bottle of mixed gas won't necessarily give a good lifetime. Traditionally you would have separate tanks for He N2 CO2 H20 Xe CO etc and fill with separate tanks. Furthermore, you need to have very pure gases, which further raises the price. You might be able to get away with a bottle of normal CO2 laser mix, and a separate H2O and Xe source (or whatever the tube in question is supposed to be filled with), you only need a tiny amount so a small 'lecture bottle' would probably do the job.
..., Sat Apr 17 2010, 01:58AM
It is my understanding for sealed tubes, unlike flowing gas ones, require very careful mixing and just buying a strait bottle of mixed gas won't necessarily give a good lifetime. Traditionally you would have separate tanks for He N2 CO2 H20 Xe CO etc and fill with separate tanks. Furthermore, you need to have very pure gases, which further raises the price. You might be able to get away with a bottle of normal CO2 laser mix, and a separate H2O and Xe source (or whatever the tube in question is supposed to be filled with), you only need a tiny amount so a small 'lecture bottle' would probably do the job.
Re: Cheap CO2 laser mixture?
mikeselectricstuff, Sat Apr 17 2010, 10:21PM
You would also need a way to accurately measure how much of each gas you added, after you'd pulled a decent vacuum. Unless you have all the gear, probably better to get a pro to do it. As mentioned above, the alt.lasers newsgroup is the best place to ask.
mikeselectricstuff, Sat Apr 17 2010, 10:21PM
You would also need a way to accurately measure how much of each gas you added, after you'd pulled a decent vacuum. Unless you have all the gear, probably better to get a pro to do it. As mentioned above, the alt.lasers newsgroup is the best place to ask.
Re: Cheap CO2 laser mixture?
Hon1nbo, Sat Apr 17 2010, 10:43PM
in Scientific American's Amateur Scientist series, they featured a whole several articles on homemade gas lasers, including a CO2 gas laser with a home filled tube- I'll see if I can dig it up, but I'm sure you can find it online
-Jimmy
Hon1nbo, Sat Apr 17 2010, 10:43PM
in Scientific American's Amateur Scientist series, they featured a whole several articles on homemade gas lasers, including a CO2 gas laser with a home filled tube- I'll see if I can dig it up, but I'm sure you can find it online
-Jimmy
Re: Cheap CO2 laser mixture?
..., Sun Apr 18 2010, 07:32AM
The key difference here is most hobby tubes are 'flowing gas', that is you hook it up to a big tank and slowly flow gas through the laser. This is simple, and the gas mix does not need to be very tightly controlled or pure so it is cheap.
It sounds like Omegalabs wants to fill a more modern 'sealed' type tube, which is filled and then runs for set period of time before it needs to be refilled again--these tubes are much more popular in modern days because they are smaller/more convenient, but as noted above without the proper tools to get exactly the right gas mix they are not trivial to refill on a hobby budget.
..., Sun Apr 18 2010, 07:32AM
The key difference here is most hobby tubes are 'flowing gas', that is you hook it up to a big tank and slowly flow gas through the laser. This is simple, and the gas mix does not need to be very tightly controlled or pure so it is cheap.
It sounds like Omegalabs wants to fill a more modern 'sealed' type tube, which is filled and then runs for set period of time before it needs to be refilled again--these tubes are much more popular in modern days because they are smaller/more convenient, but as noted above without the proper tools to get exactly the right gas mix they are not trivial to refill on a hobby budget.
Re: Cheap CO2 laser mixture?
omegalabs, Tue Apr 20 2010, 03:50PM
Thank you all for the answers. It seems to me, that I should have to build a flow type laser, simply because it is cheaper than the sealed type. I found a type of catalyst NASA developed, for CO2 lasers, to recycle the laser gas. Unfortunately I can't find it now. If you don't mind, I would have another question. How can I calculate the transparency of the ZnSe output coupler, for a (100W optical output) 1200mm long resonator. Does it have an equation?
omegalabs, Tue Apr 20 2010, 03:50PM
Thank you all for the answers. It seems to me, that I should have to build a flow type laser, simply because it is cheaper than the sealed type. I found a type of catalyst NASA developed, for CO2 lasers, to recycle the laser gas. Unfortunately I can't find it now. If you don't mind, I would have another question. How can I calculate the transparency of the ZnSe output coupler, for a (100W optical output) 1200mm long resonator. Does it have an equation?
Re: Cheap CO2 laser mixture?
..., Tue Apr 20 2010, 06:23PM
In fact there is, see
There is also a very good reference design linked further down the page made by Emission Technologies
..., Tue Apr 20 2010, 06:23PM
In fact there is, see
There is also a very good reference design linked further down the page
made by Emission TechnologiesRe: Cheap CO2 laser mixture?
TwoSpoons, Fri Apr 30 2010, 02:52AM
This is the link to the company making the catalyst.
is probably what it is made from.
Better still, make some yourself!
TwoSpoons, Fri Apr 30 2010, 02:52AM
This is the link to the company making the catalyst. is probably what it is made from.Better still, make some yourself!
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