Fiber Laser Learning Lab 02 MOPA Matrix Test Leads to Understanding

[@precisionlasersolutions7996]

Hi Russ, now your getting into it. There is another variable to consider (Focal Length) by changing the lens you can increase or decrease the focal length which directly affects the power on the surface of the material, it does have the affect of decreasing or increasing the working area also. Another great video keep up the good work.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

So the million or so parameter combination is now multiplied by the number of lenses I have? Oh dear!!! Lucky I only have just the one. Best wishes Russ

[@Bluenow955]

now I see why Lotus laser lent you the system. You're gorgeous! Find a chance to play a 100w above mopa, then tell us the difference between melting and ablation. Thx, really enjoy watching your video.

[@peterheuts7738]

Hello Russ, thanks for your splendid video series. Just starting with a co2 laser myself and working through your abundance of information. I was wondering if your dohickeys are still available, and how to get one. cheers, Peter

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Peter Just add your disguised email address (peterdotheutsatgmaildotcom)to another comment and I will send you data and also delete your comment/email from public view. Best wishes Russ

[@picoj44]

Additionally if you set the pulse time to less than the minimum (1ns works for me) my 30w m7 will output cw which can be useful in some applications. I have confirmed this with a photodiode on a scope.

[@el_ingefigue]

Great Videos, I like how you investigate your onw theory and how you can test the new technologies in the laser area, i learn a lot from you, thansk for your time and explanations.

[@uthzx]

Did you make that test grid any special way or was it a case of hatching each square 1 by 1?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi If you go to 5 min 20 on this video you will see my pattern in more detail. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3anhGWcdpuro9E It is just one pattern that I created in Photoshop using a 1 pixel pencil tool and then i used the matrix array tool in Ezecad to replicate it. Thereafter it w tedious work to put parameters into every pattern. I purposely made it a very detailed pattern to test the switching capability of the machine. Although it is technically a bitmap the machine thinks this is a vector file. Best wishes Russ

[@trackerguys]

Just bought the same machine and i was wondering if it would be possible to connect with you directly to ask questions and advise. thank you!

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Denis Just remember that I am at the start of a learning journey, so don't expect expert advice. Add your disguised email address (johndotsmithatgmaildotcom) to another comment and I will reply. Best wishes Russ

[@trackerguys]

@@SarbarMultimedia Thank you for getting back to me Russ! I appreciate all of your videos you have done so far! I can almost say that i watch them religiously LOL you can contact me at sidelinedesigns at outlook dott comm. I look forward to chatting with you! Thanks again!

[@imajeenyus42]

Quick question when it comes to me - does the laser software for this only do raster scanning, or can it do vector paths as well? For example, suppose you wanted to cut something from thin shim stock (e.g. 0.1mm stainless - I'm thinking on electrodes for vacuum tubes!). Could the beam repeatedly trace the outline of the part, and it would eventually cut through, or would it still try and do a raster pattern? Hope that makes sense.

[@russsadler3471]

Hi Lindsay EzeCAD, like RDWorks is not really a drawing package but it can import DXF or BMP files. So yes it can draw outlines. I have not played with the cutting aspect of the system but I have already seen that some of the settings will gouge deep lines,. so I have no doubt it will be able to cut through thin material. I will be trying this in a later session. Best wishes Russ

[@imajeenyus42]

@@russsadler3471 That sounds encouraging! It'll be really interesting to see how it behaves when engraving deep stuff - you very rarely get good examples of this, generally they're more concerned with surface marking. By the way, have you seen those examples of colored marking on stainless done with a MOPA?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@imajeenyus42 Hi Lindsay Colour creation with a monochromatic beam of light seems like black magic. I have already started the research and am making good headway. I don't want to aimlessly hunt for parameters that produce colours, I want to understand the why and the how and I am sure I already have most of the answer. Best wishes Russ

[@precisionlasersolutions7996]

@@imajeenyus42 For deep engraving and cutting thin materials a normal Fibre Laser is suitable 50W if your budget can stretch, MOPA lasers are twice the price but you do have the added benefit of colour.

[@imajeenyus42]

@@precisionlasersolutions7996 I was wondering that as well - so a normal fiber (which I'm assuming is Q-switched) would be able to do everything a MOPA can, just not color on stainless?

[@jessicatuckergrubbs2338]

Any chance that these graphs would apply to a non MOPA fiber laser as well? Different numbers depending on machine in question of course, just the principles?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Jessica. The cheaper type of fiber laser that most people can afford are Q switch lasers and I cover this in the next session I think. They work in a much simpler way and do not have the shaped pulse control or the incredible instant short duration power buurst. The pulses are fairly fixed shape and all you can do is change the duration of the pulse . So no these graphs do not apply to Q switch lasers.. One of the "tricks" that sell MOPA lasers is it's abilty to engrave different colours. There arema few wealk colours that can be obtainedwith a Q sitch laser but to be honest it is of little value. Remeber that this beam is INVISIBL light at 1064 nm wavelength, It cannot "paint" different colours. There is some weird physics behind the creation of colours and it depends on the concept of what colour is and how our eye percives it. It's a fascinating subject that I do explore and decode later in the series.

[@jessicatuckergrubbs2338]

Thank you so much for you reply, this is helpful! I have watched a few videos already and they have been invaluable!@@SarbarMultimedia

[@alandaines3723]

A great new toy :-) So will we be seeing you producing coloured etching on stainless steel now that you have a MOPA laser?

[@TMS5100]

Where did you get that YDFLP-C-20-M7-S user manual? I have the exact same same source in my machine but can't find that manual anywhere.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi I am sure JPT will send you a copy if you contact them OR you can have a copy of mine if you send me your email address.. Sadly KZbin will not allow email addresses (even lightly disguised ) in comments However, there are ways to fool their algorithms. Hide the data in a sentence or two like this. Start with john and a dot, then add smith with the normal at. I use gmail as my service provider. Best wishes Russ

[@gampo2]

Hello! I've watched your videos for a while and they are really helpful, I've got caught up on a technical issue with an older one where you talk about reverse scanning and backlash, My laser cutter is large bed 80w chinese thingy (signtech 1290sp), and when I scan exactly as you do in the video, the laser fades itself in on every line from either directions. Is there a contact email for guys that I could get some help with this as I don't understand whats going on, as a result the scanned logo doesn't have a very sharp line, even when I add the reverse scanning and backlash adjustments. Please :)

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi If you like to add your disguised email address (johndotsmithatgmaildotcom) to another comment, I will reply to you and delete your comment. However what you describe is something I have seen and personally experienced several times. The common link in each case has been Reci. I suspect that your BIG machine is fitted with either a genuine Reci power supply or a clone design. Reci only make powerful tubes. Power is required for CUTTING and there is no need for finesse or rapid response from the HV power supply because cutting always takes place at a leisurely pace of usually less than 50mm/s. Not so when it comes to engraving. You are then talking speeds of 300 to 500mm/s. You also only use relatively low power for engraving. This is also something that Reci tubes are not good at. When I respond, you can tell me what you actually have. Best wishes Russ

[@gampo2]

@@SarbarMultimedia Awesome, thank you in advance, my email is tringleathotmaildotcodotuk

[@gampo2]

Hi again, I didn't receive your email from the other day, did you send it yet, again the hello is super appreciated, thank you

[@macswanton9622]

Sounds a bit like you're describing a starship's impulse drive. Have you ever considered writing sci fi?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Mac I have read lots of this stuff about the design if this technology and 99% of it is written in Klingon by people with big ears and monster brains. I am just absorbing (and passing on) the 1% that is understandable. I will be accused of gross over simplification, but I am not interested in reverse engineering anything, I just want to understand enough of the VERY basic principles to make sense of the acute observations that I make. Even at this simplistic level it is an amazing technology. Once we are past this basic tech stuff it will move more into material science as we try to explain some of the black magic tricks this machine is alleged to perform. Best wishes Russ

[@ehdeesign]

Can you provide the easycad files you used?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Sorry for the late reply Yes you are welcome to the files. You tube does not allow transmission of email addresses even lightly disguised. However there is a simple way to confuse there algorithms by losing it in one or two sentances like this. John is followed by a dot and then smith . After the normal at I use g1m2a3i4l etc. I will then send the files. Best wishes Russ

[@thebeststooge]

I know you are having a ton of fun with this machine. :)

[@SarbarMultimedia]

I already have a few videos "in the can" and yes it is great fun . However as I anticipated , after the initial understanding of the physics, this is going to turn into learning about chemistry of materials and the mechanisms that create the various marking effects. I already sense that thereis enough power for deep engraving certain materials and hence I can envisage some metal cutting in the future. I feel it is essential to step through learning this machine in a methodical manner because there are SO many parameters to play with. Understandingt how they interact is essential because my plan is not to spend hours and hours fiddling with parameters to discover things, but rather try to understand what the marking effect/chemistry is and then choose parameters in the correct range to home in on the best sets to do the job. Best wishes Russ

[@thebeststooge]

Can you lower the parameters enough to do organic material? I see it has a smoke evaluator and that is far more than comes with the Chinese "eBay" type of machines but needs some way to keep any smoke away from that lens. I just always wondered if it could do the organic materials and when I used to use Facebook the people with the machines never tried as they had no smoke management system since they don't come with any so I never received an answer.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@thebeststooge As I said , this is going to develop into a channel about material properties. I have not tried organic materials yet,but I am aware the they do not "burn" ie the molecules cannot be excited by 1 micron wavelength light. I suspect there are a few nasty fumes that need to be extracted but i'm not aware what just yet. The lens has a protective window and is so far away there will be zero risk of fume damage Best wishes Russ

[@thebeststooge]

Well, the only answer I received from those who own the 20 watt fiber lasers was that the organic material burst into the flames. Judging by what I am understanding from you that must have been because they didn't dial in the machine right considering how many controls there are to adjust or am I wrong?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@thebeststooge There is an answer to this question in a future video with a demonstration that will puzzle you.. It is not in my immediate plan to explore this just yet. Best wishes Russ

[@exodeus7959]

I still don’t understand sh!t. But then again I was drunk when watching this. Still cool. Or hot. Don’t know.

[@pavelsidorenko6245]

It looks like you have no idea what MOPA is. Here is a link that may help you www.rp-photonics.com/master_oscillator_power_amplifier.html

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Pavel Thanks for the link. You are right about my lack of understanding. I have spent many hours at this site and others trying to decode how a MOPA works , just in simple principle. I did eventually work it out for myself in a very simplistic form. I do not need to understand every scientific detail because I am never going to design a system. I need to know enough to give meaning the results that I observe when I use the system. When things do not happen as expected, do I blame me, the laser or the software? I do often refer to the Photonics website but I thank you again for taking the time to comment Best wishes Russ

[@pavelsidorenko6245]

@@SarbarMultimedia Just to clarify, MOPA stands for master-oscillator-power-amplifier. In other words, MOPA means that instead of one "strong" laser you have a "week" laser and amplifier. MOPA has nothing to do with Q-switching, you can have MOPA design with Q-switched, CW or modelocked lasers.