Laser component needed

[Glenn]

Hi,
I am working on a prototype design. For it I will need a laser with the following specs...

Class II, Green, line-generating laser, with an angular spread of approximately 30 degrees.

Where can I get such a laser?

Thanks,
Glenn

[chroot]

You want a dispersion of 30 degrees? That's not a laser, that's a green flashlight.

- Warren

[Glenn]

30-45 degrees would be fine for this purpose. NOTE - I am not talking about a conical dispersion. It should only spread out on one plane only which would result in a projected line.

-Glenn

[Integral]

You will not find a laser that does that. To get a line you will need to scan the beam. this is generally done with what is called a galvo mirror. (it uses a galvometer mechanism to oscillate the mirror)

[Glenn]

Integral,
Here is a site I just found that advertises laser line generating lenses. Are these likely to be the same as the galvo mirror you were talking about?

Thanks,
Glenn

[Integral]

No, a lens would essentillay be forming an image in the shape of a line, While a scanning mirror maintains the integrity of the laser beam, it just moves it. This what grocery store barcode scanners do.

What are you trying to do?

[Glenn]

Integral,
I need to illuminate smoke from a fog machine. Except rather than illuminating a large section of it, I need to illuminate a planar section, hence the need for the line generating feature.

-Glenn

[Njorl]

Diode lasers emit elliptical spots. Some have such a large ellipticity that they appear to be line-emitting. A green, diode laser would be Gan-AlGaN or GaN-InGaN. You could also use cylindrical lenses to form such an ellipse if all you can find are circular-spot lasers.

Problem is I can't recall if those are comercially available yet.

Njorl

[Njorl]

Well, I just saw ads for a green laser diode pointer, so I guess they are comercially available.

https://secure9.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=jmm6360&BusType=BtoC&Count1=385509669&Count2=302650094&Target=products%2Easp&CategoryID=14

Njorl

[Glenn]

Njorl,

I have a green laser pointer that I use for astronomy purposes. Someone tole me that if I send the laser beam RADIALLY through a clear glass or acrylic rod, I should be able to generate a line on the target. So I am searching going to get some acrylic rod to experiment with.

Thanks,
Glenn

[turin]

As Njoral said, a cylindrical lens should work. A glass rod is essentially a cylindrical lens. I think it would work best, though, to have a half-cylinder with the beam shining directly into the flat surface. Also, you want the radius of the cylinder to be close to (but greater than) the beam radius.

[schlieren]

how can a rodlens generate a fan pattern/line when a laser beam hits it???

[NoTime]

Commercial device. Google "laser light show". You can rent or buy.
Usually rotating polygon mirrors or a galvo mirror as Integral says are used.
Example site not a recomendation http://www.taiserver.com/