[jbvries]

Hi All,

Can anyone offer insight as to the technology (type of laser, software, method) utilized to do this.....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1WRJPV7IcUk

I am very curious to know if I can do this with my CNC and laser attachment varying the burn intensity to flow a 3d image inside a glass block.

Thank you in advance!

Cheers!

-JB

[brian257]

They work by focusing the beam to a very small spot that is inside the crystal. I don't know the exact size of the beam before it hits the focal length, but it should be larger than used in a typical 2D laser machine. On my CO2 laser the beam is probably around 5mm before it hits the focus lens then it is focused to a size of maybe .1mm over a distance ob about an inch and a half. That means the cone does not focus at a very large angle. Now picture if you started with a beam expander to give a 1" beam when it hits the focus lens and then focused it to the same sized dot in the same distance. That would give a cone with a much bigger angle. Since the surface area of the beam starts very large you don't burn the crystal when it first enters. It gets more and more intense as it focuses to a smaller spot size so it only gets powerful enough to make the micro crack right at the focal point.

The ones I have seen use diode pumped lasers. I am not sure if something like a CO2 with a big beam expander and the right lens would work or not.