Yep, you've only got one spare!
But... orange is orange. These 'laser safety' companies are charging huge money for what is just normal coloured acrylic. They give all sorts of fancy figures, and 'OD' numbers, but what they really do is to buy a bunch of off-the-shelf acrylic and put it through a spectrum analyser - which you can do at home, except the cost of an analyser is more than a sheet of 'laser' acrylic.., but, I just happen to have a transmissive and reflective spectrum analyser and the absorption capabilities of yellow through red acrylic give varying levels of absorption of 445nm light, from over 50% to over 90%.
And I live in the middle of nowhere in SE Asia, where you can't easily buy 'laser safe acrylic'... unless you want to pay US$150 for shipping of a 12"x12" square.
There's nothing special about 'laser safe' acrylic - its just coloured acrylic that naturally absorbs a specific range of frequencies of light. Orange is high up on the visible spectrum - around 640-650nm - which means it doesn't transmit other, lower colours, but passes the range we see as orange.
If you had a blue sheet of acrylic, that's low on the spectrum - 420-470nm, depending on the colour. That would pass a 445nm laser, but block a red diode laser at 640nm
It very much matters a) what kind of laser - diode vs CO2 b) the power of your laser c) IR or visible spectrum d) the opacity of your acrylic.
For IR lasers, even a sheet of clear acrylic will block 95% of IR. But a clear sheet won't do much at all for a visible-light diode... and theres a reason black acrylic is easy to cut - it absorbs all the energy and converts it to heat.
So, don't worry too much about it - if you have a 500mw - 10W 'blue' laser diode, a sheet of 50% orange acrylic will cut down the transmission of harmful rays to a non-harmful level. So will dark sunglasses, but without knowing the colour of the glasses and the frequency of the laser, you are just being stupid to use sunglasses as your primary defence.
And you can test it yourself - get a piece of acrylic you want to test, set your laser at 90deg to the beam, place a piece of tissue paper or other easily burned object and fire up. You won't even be able to scorch light tissue with the beam focused on the paper.
Reflection is the major source of stray coherent light beams in unexpected places. And, unless you're cutting or engraving mirrors 0.o then the reflected beam is going to be significantly lower powered than the beam that struck the object. it will also absorb some of the 'speed' of the beam, shifting it to a lower frequency.
If you want to DIY your laser shielding, get some complementary coloured acrylic and for additional safety some 'one way' reflective film for the inside and you will be fine - but ALWAYS wear your safety specs, even if you have shielding. One accident is all it takes.You will get efficient and thoughtful service from NB.
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Protective film on sheet metal impacts the production process. Yet, suppliers standardise films, at the cost of optimising the cutting process. However, when the volumes are high enough, or if the film is applied in-house, then the manufacturer can choose a more suitable film.
When choosing the film, it&#;s important to find a balance between high adhesion to limit bubbles and low adhesion to make the film easier to remove.
The company is the world’s best Laser Protection Film supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
Click to shareA) With this in mind, there are several aspects to consider when choosing a film :
? the cutting technology: fibre laser source or CO2 laser
A fibre laser&#;s wavelength is ten times shorter than that of a CO2 laser and is not absorbed by the plastic. Thus, using a film designed for CO2 laser would create a very uneven cut if used with a fibre laser source. In fact, films specifically for fibre laser cutting have built-in absorbers.
? the material: stainless steel, aluminium, pre-lacquered, etc.
Stainless steel/aluminium: Some materials are highly thermally conductive, e.g., aluminium, copper, etc. In this case, the heat spreads when cutting and can melt the film. The sheet protection for these materials therefore must be adapted, with a higher level of thermal resistance than a film for stainless steel, for example.
Pre-lacquered steel: Cutting pre-lacquered steel can be problematic if the lacquer used is not designed for good laser wave absorption. Even if there are specific films, the lacquer must be adapted, in particular with specific additives.
Double-sided: Double-sided protection can cause a small amount of burring during cutting, because the film on the table side retains the material. It is therefore recommended to use thin films, which reduce, or even eliminate, quality problems.
? Thickness of the sheet metal used
Depending on the thickness, the pressure of the cutting gas is different and therefore does not require the same level of adhesion. As a result, a film designed for thin sheet metal will result in a lot of bubbling if used on thick sheet metal.
? Material finishes: brushed, glossy, scotch-brite, etc.
Adhesion depends on the surface and the film products are adapted to each surface. It is therefore important to take the finish of the material into account when choosing a film.
B) Quality control: how to ensure that the film is suitable and properly applied?
? Specific colour codes and markings enable the operator to identify the type of film for visual inspection. Brice Lequette &#; Novacel explains: "The protective film for a CO2 laser is black on the glue side and white on the outside, whereas for a fibre laser it is black on the glue side and grey on the outside.&#;
? It is important to properly apply the film, especially by limiting its elongation. This is because plastic is a shape memory material that will return to its original size if elongated. Elongation reduces adhesion and the film will therefore be less resistant to gas pressure, leading to an increased risk of bubbling.
A quick test can be carried out to check that the film has been properly applied:
A few visual clues can also alert to any issues, such as small application defects like bubbles, etc.
? The sheet metal should not be cut for 48 hours after applying the film.
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