Printing and Graphic Arts Equipment For Sale

How many mW are required for a laser to show a beam or burn objects?

I need to know which laser diodes will 1) produce a visible beam in clear air, and 2) start to burn/leave marks on objects.

Lasers direct energy into a beam; their power output is measured in watts, yes--but usually in milliwatts (mW). A thousand mW is one watt.

I've toyed with a number of laser pointers of varying intensity and power. To see a beam in "clear" air--air that is reasonably free of dust and such--will depend on the ambient lighting. In a darkened room, you can get away with about 50mW. Of course, the more dust or smoke you have in the air, the more the beam will interact with it, and be more visible.

To burn objects, I've found that, under ideal, completely stable conditions, a 100mW laser can pop balloons or light matchheads at close range. It also shows up fairly well in a room with normal lighting.

To literally set fire to things or be visible in bright sunlight, you'll need something substantially more powerful, more on the order of half a watt or more--500mW or even greater.

Some sample lasers can be found here: http://www.wickedlasers.com/

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