Laser 80mW(power output <240mW)...??

Question

i thought this laser should be really strong...(like to cut paper,..?) but i bought from ebay and this isnt as strong as i had thought it would be..

what would you expect from this specification??

Answer 1

I would expect it could leave marks in a plastic bag like a black bin liner or something. possibly cut through it if left on it for long enough. although at 80mW it is still more than capable of permantly damaging your eyesight.

I didn&#039;t quite under stand what you meant though we you say &quot;power output&lt;240mW&quot;, if it&#039;s an 80mW rated laser then it is less than 240mW, or do you mean it should be a 240mW laser but your only getting 80mW? in which case how are you measuring this.

Re additional info: i&#039;m not sure why i would state &lt;240mW as this isn&#039;t even the threshold of any class, (500mW is the next class  IIIb) only it&#039;s some marking system from the company or country of manufacture.

If you really want something that can burn stuff, you can try the laser from a dvd burner, these are 250mW and will damage your eyes, but can just about set fire to thin paper.

I&#039;m sure you can find an old dvd burner drive somewhere and a tutorial on the internet; hmm...lets see.....

try this;

http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-Fl...

This can be fun, but please be careful.

Answer 2

80mW is very low power, its 0.08 of a Watt.  So don&#039;t expect to be able to burn through much.

I don&#039;t expect you will be able to buy high power lasers on the open market.  Think what naughty people would do with them.

Answer 3

80mW is a nice bright laser for sure!  It is percieved brighter at 532nM (green) becausethe human eye peaks its sensitivity for light at 528nM (a shade of green so not different than that of 532nM that it almost isn&#039;t worth mentioning).

If you want to cut paper (more like set it on fire) or plastic (more like melt it) or burn a hole through a car door (will do exactly what it is said to do), you really need a laser capable of some SERIOUS power.  2 or 3 watts should get you going and cutting thin things, but to pop a hole through metal, a 50watt YAG laser(which has an 808nM pump diode) or diode laser (if they&#039;re powerful enough as diode lasers) would be required to do the job, and even then, if it isn&#039;t pulsed, it may not do much at all.