Axicons to combine diodes for a single beam.

[sbk]

Count me in too!
But only if it will not reach >100$...

[buffo]

Maybe someone who's already managed group buys, and is trusted, known to have no motive to run off with the money, and who also has some knowledge of contract and patent law.

Hmmm... You're thinking a *lot* farther ahead than I was. I assumed that you were going to approach an optics manufacturer directly and just ask them to make a small run of these things. (IE: Start with a glass substrate, machine the faces and the hole, and then coat the faces with dielectric to your specs.) Granted, if you need to make 1000's of these things then there are more efficent ways to do it, but if you only need 10 (or even 50), it's reasonable to machine the faces by hand rather than setting up a production line.

Of course, you'd need to have some specialized equipment to work the glass, and you need to be precise enough in your machining that the faces are optically flat. (Which means an optical test bench and a set of optical flats, at a minimum.) Then too, the vacuum deposition of the dielectric requires it's own special gear. But all of this equipment is readily available at a decent optics manufacturer. The question is really how much they would charge to do the work.

Hell, a decent university could probably make these things for us. Anyone here have a friend that is either enrolled or employed at a large university that might be able to help?

Perhaps our best shot is to try to get a firm like Edmund Optics interested. The price could rise, but so might quality, and security could be ideal, and continuity and availability of parts for small orders could be guaranteed.

This is exactly what I was talking about, though Edmund would not be my first choice. I have a feeling we'd end up paying outrageous sums of money to get them to do this for us. However, several people here have been in contact with various Chinese companies to inquire about getting all sorts of custom laser optics made. (Polarizing beam-splitter cubes, dichros, and KTP/LBO crystals, to name just a few.) Surely one of these companies would also be able to manufacture something like this for us?

Hey Spec! You once talked about some optical hardware you ordered from China... What do you think? Got any contacts that might be able to help us here?

Adam

[The_Doctor]

Post deleted, to avoid time wasting.

[allthatwhichis]

but I don't get it... but it is not you or your definition, it's me...

How many do you start with and what is the result?

[The_Doctor]

Post deleted, to avoid time wasting.

[steve-o]

If you were to start with a mirror (front surface >98% ref) and have it cut by a jeweler or diamond /glass cutting specialist, the dielectric depositation problem would be no more. This would have to be 7 extremely precise "knife-blade" cuts and bonds with the hole in the middle still for the center beam. Just poking around with other ideas...

This place has interesting mirrors.

[werner1619]

not to sure how you intend attaining the powerfull red, but if it works you can count on my money/ contribution...

werner

[The_Doctor]

Post deleted, to avoid time wasting.

[MechEng3]

What about using this.....http://www.gemcad.com/ I us it to experiment with designs for new cuts on stones. It shows the refractive indices as you design the cut as so not to window a facet. It may be of help for this project. If a single piece of material were to be designed I would be glad to cut it out of whatever material will work best. I have lots of YAG of about all colors as well as other synthetics....

[steve-o]

Can this not be done with lenses? Or combination lenses/mirrors?
(sorry for the sloppy drawings)