Development of a Co2 laser module with fiber (fiber updates)

Endurance plans to develop its own Co2 laser source with activated radiation into the fiber.

We understand that most of our customers would like to have more powerful units. Unfortunately, there are no affordable and power laser diodes on the market. However, fiber laser modules are quite expensive.

What we found out that there are quite a lot of powerful and high-quality Co2 tubes on the market.
Most cheap Co2 tubes have a lifespan around 2000-3000 hours and warranty is about 6-12 month but there are much better tubes with decent quality that are not so expensive.
The problem with the Co2 tube that you need a whole machine and mirrors to be able to use it as a cutter or engraver.

We like the idea to upgrade your existing 3D printer or CNC router with a laser attachment. The only solution to use Co2 tube is to bring radiation into the fiber.

It is supposed to use high-quality fiber (waveguide) to transfer energy from 40 watt to 100 watt with a wavelength of 10.6 uM. At the moment, there are no affordable ready-made Co2 sources on the market where radiation is fed into the fiber.

We believe that the Endurance solution will be widely used among users of 3D printers, CNC machine tools, and plotters.
Energy from the Co2 tube will be transmitted through the waveguide to the collimator, which will be installed on a 3D printer, CNC machine or plotter. The final radiation will be focused in the same way as it is done on standard Co2 cutters.

The inability to use mirrors in our solution is due to the fact that CNC machines and 3D printers have 3 coordinates instead of 2 as on conventional Co2 cutters, which makes it almost impossible for the user to align the laser beam. In our opinion, this technology will find wide application in medicine as well as conventional Co2 scalpels.

Fiber requirements

After some research that we have made, we came up to the idea that a few options can be used: a polycrystalline silver halide optical fiber can be used to transmit the laser radiation from a carbon dioxide laser.

There are a few links to those products:
https://artphotonics.com/product-category/optical-fibers-cables-bundles/optical-fibers/

https://www.molex.com/polymicro

Tech solutions

#1 Art photonics GmbH

For wavelength 10.6 um, the Polycrystalline PIR fibers can withstand up to 50W laser power.
Fiber Cable: HP-PIR900/1000-100-TI/HP-SMA-TI/HP-SMA-PE32
Fiber: High Power PIR AgCl:AgBr polycrystalline fiber, core 860±20µm clad 1000+0/-25µm, NA=0.20±0.03
Length: 1±0,05m
Termination: SMA 905 connector, titanium ferrule, free fiber ends, epoxy-free, with SMART8/12 AR fiber end surface treatment
Protective Tubing: PEEK tubing, OD 3.2mm

AP11357
Fiber Cable HP-PIR600/700-50-TI/HP-SMA-TI/HP-SMA-MP37
Fiber: High Power PIR (Pcw<30W) AgCl:AgBr polycrystalline fiber, core 600±20µm clad 700+0/-20µm,
NA=0.20±0.03
Length: 0,5±0,05m
Termination 1: SMA 905 connector, titanium ferrule, free fiber end, epoxy free, with SMART8/12 AR fiber end surface treatment
Termination 2: SMA 905 connector, titanium ferrule, free fiber end, epoxy free, with SMART8/12 AR fiber end surface treatment
Protective Tubing: metal with black OVC, OD 3.7mm

AP10436
Fiber Cable HP-PIR900/1000-50-TI/HP-SMA-TI/HP-SMA-PE32
Fiber: High Power PIR (Pcw<40W) AgCl:AgBr polycrystalline fiber, core 860±20µm clad 1000+0/-25µm,
NA=0.20±0.03
Length: 0,5±0,05m
Termination 1: SMA 905 connector, titanium ferrule, free fiber end, epoxy free, with SMART8/12 AR fiber end surface treatment
Termination 2: SMA 905 connector, titanium ferrule, free fiber end, epoxy free, with SMART8/12 AR fiber end surface treatment
Protective Tubing: PEEK tubing, OD 3.2mm

AP10024
FOCO-ZnSe-8/12-F20
Fiber Optic Collimating Objective with Z-axis lens positioning
IR-Lense Material: ZnSe
ID=15,0mm; F=20,0mm; AR-Coating: 8-12µm
Z-translation stage adjustable in ±5 mm range Lens parameters

AP10095
FORO-ZnSe-8/12-F10
Fiber Optic Refocusing Objective with Z-axis lens positioning
IR-Lense Material: ZnSe
ID=15,0mm; F=10,0mm; AR-Coating: 8-12 µm
Z-translation stage adjustable in ±5 mm range lens parameters

PIR-Fiber-Cables (PDF)

Refocusing Collimating Fiber Lens Objectives

#2 by PROTECH OPTIC PRODUCTS GmbH

Another option As a fiber, we can recommend the fiber IR quartz fiber 400 / 440μm PI, NA: 0.22.
Laser cable LCS S05free-400/2M
– fiber silica/silica
– ø core 400 µm, cladding 440, NA 0,22
– length: 1000 ±20 mm
– both side SMA connector type 905
– fiber free, optic sanding and polish according to DIN 10110, P3
– stainless steel protection tube with PVC jacket, blue
– included both side connector protection caps

#3 by Optoknowledge

Another fit for our application would be ID = 1000 micron hollow core fiber with LW coating. Hollow core fibers are far superior to other solutions for Co2 lasers. They do not reflect back to the laser, the hollow fibers also have higher transmission, higher power handling capability, and are much, much more robust. In addition, they are the only fibers to offer single-mode.

The ID = 1000 micron can transmit a maximum power of 100 W.

#4 by Molex

We might be going with a 1,000µm ID HSW with a single SMA905 termination and a precision cleaved end unit;
https://www.molex.com/mx_upload/superfamily/polymicro/pdfs/Working_with_Hollow_Silica_Waveguides_Nov_2006.pdf

#5 by Polymicro Technologies

The waveguides consist of a fused silica capillary tube with an optically reflective internal silver halide coating. For protection, the capillary tube is coated with an external jacket of acrylate, which improves the strength and flexibility of the waveguide.

Because typical silica-based fibers heavily absorb light with wavelengths above 2.1 microns, a different technology is required. The Hollow Silica Waveguide (HSW) is a good solution for mid to far infrared applications, such as power delivery for CO2 and Erbium YAG lasers, and spectroscopy making use of the unique hollow structure.

Polymicro Technologies’ waveguides have been optimized for low optical power loss operation at either CO2 (10.6 µm) or Er:YAG (2.94 µm) wavelengths, although relatively low loss operation is possible in the intervening wavelength band. These waveguides are available with core diameters of 300, 500, 750, and 1000 microns. They can also be built into custom assemblies with protective outer jackets and connectors.

#6 by irflex

IRF-Se Series Chalcogenide Long-wave Infrared (LWIR) Fiber (1.5 to 10µm)

Chalcogenide glass is based on the chalcogen elements (sulfur, selenium and tellurium) with the addition of other elements such as arsenic, antimony, or germanium). It offers promising properties such as transmission in mid and far infrared regions of spectra, lower values of phonon energies, high refractive index and very large nonlinearities as compared to silica. Chalcogenide glass fibers are the ideal candidates for mid-infrared applications that require high power laser delivery, chemical sensing, thermal imaging and temperature monitoring.

IRflex’s IRF-Se Series long-wave infrared (LWIR) fiber, made from extra high purity chalcogenide glass As2Se3, is specially designed and manufactured to generate and/or guide mid-infrared wavelengths from 1.5 to 10µm with high transmission efficiency and nonlinearities about 1000 times that of silica glass fiber.

IRF-Se-100 multimode LW mid-IR fiber has transmission range from 1.5 to 8µm, with minimum loss of 0.29 dB/m at 3.95µm wavelength.

IRF-Se-100 (R&D) multimode LW mid-IR fiber has broadest transmission range from 1.5 to 10µm wavelength, with 0.58 dB/m minimum optical loss at 5.98µm wavelength.

The standard fiber cables are terminated with stainless steel ferrules, FC/PC, FC/APC or SMA905 connectors. IRflex’s FC/B® connector – the FC connector at Brewster Angle enables perfect coupling without reflection with polarized laser beam, is also available upon request.

The protective jacket can be stainless steel, stainless steel with PVC sheathing or clear FEP sheathing, PVDF and PVC.