Copper Mirrors
Copper
is the most popular material from which to make infrared
mirrors, and is the most common mirror type for CO2 laser
cutting, engraving and welding. Copper metal has high thermal
conductivity, high heat capacity, and when freshly polished
uncoated copper surfaces have a high natural reflectivity too.
Because polished copper surfaces react with the atmosphere and
lose reflectivity, most, but not all components, are generally
used with a coating, to improve reflectivity, durability, or
alter polarization on reflection. We offer several metal
reflector coatings:
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Laser Beam Products stock a wide range of mirrors that
are standard replacement parts for the most popular
laser cutting systems.
Meeting or exceeding the OEM standards, these also cost
less, as we are an optical manufacturer. We stock
reflective components for many European, US, and
Japanese metal cutting machines. |
To improve the laser damage resistance, and reduce scatter,
Copper mirrors have a thin intermediate layer of electroless
nickel deposited. This gives an amorphous, non crystalline,
surface of exceptional smoothness. Electroless Nickel also
protects the whole of the mirror from oxidation, and prevents
contamination of, or reaction with, the lasing gas, such as in
sealed resonators.
Copper mirrors are chemically polished, the surfaces are super
smooth and are free of imperfections from turning lines, fly
cutting arcs, and diffractive patterns common on diamond turned
optics. This gives a high laser damage resistant, super smooth,
low scatter surface.
Finally, our proprietary stress relieving and heat treatment
gives long term stability and performance, across a wide range
of operating temperatures.
For the highest powers, and for maximum stability, internal
water cooling channels can be machined into the mirror itself.
As Copper is readily machinable, we offer a huge range of mirror
shapes and sizes, such as prisms, axicons, rectangles, chopper
wheels, knife edges and shutters. By engineering in features
such as dowel holes, tapped and helicoiled holes, or flanges, a
well designed copper mirror can save costs in mounting and
assembly.
Used optics are generally reworkable to as good as new
condition. The raw metal material in larger mirrors, water
cooled , or mirrors with complex engineering can be a large part
of the cost of the optic, so refurbishment makes economic,
technical, and environmental sense contributing to ISO 14000.
See our newsletter for more details about reworking used CO2
laser mirrors
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Laser Optics Mirrors
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