Precision Glass Cutting

Have you tried here ? Maybe you could get the rough cut, then find someone to fine tune the thing ?

There was some good stuff in the diamond world, but I can't find it now. How about these guys ?

If you have the time, DIY may not be as mad as it seems. Most sites are about mirrors for astronomy, but some similar principles are involved.

Try your local camera shop to locate a lens maker. They should be able to cut and polish the glass to your desired specs.

Vermin...

You're not going to use that bit of glass to try making a backyard fusion reactor are you? Or a giant laser to carve your avatar onto the moon? Because that's really naughty, you know. Do we need to call your mum?

I can't think of a specific name or company but I can point you in one or two directions:

• An episode on the Discovery Channel described the fabrication of the mirror for the Hubble Space Telescope. Okay, they messed up on the original but that was probably an exceptional case. Maybe you could try contacting NASA for a name?
• Alternatively, another episode described how they made the two giant mirrors for the world's largest binocular reflecting telescope (precise to less than a hair's width - if I remember correctly). Can't remember where the telescope was constructed but the Discovery Channel might be able to help you.

Not very helpful but worth a try, eh?

regards,

Vulcan

You could contact a lapidary club.

They usually have a saw for cutting anything up to diamond. (Diamonds often use a bronze wheel with a slurry of diamond chips.)

If you want precision, you will probably have to cut it then polish to finish dimensions. Tedious but you can get exceptional accuracy.

Good luck

I would think that any of the companies who specialise in ultra high pressure water cutting would be able to cut with the precision you require, certainly close enough that lap polishing can be used to fine tune the shape.

Pete.

Worth trying Ultra sonic glass cutting followed by Ultra sonic glass polishing for getting high accuracy on angular cuts/ Bevels.

Suggest Google search "Water Jet Glass Cutting".You may find a solution.

You will find this very interesting:

Choice Electrophysics
Email: jhays@choiceelectrophysics.com
Phone: (409) 599-1354

Almost any good precision optical shop should be able to meet your requirements. Try and find someone who specializes in laser type optics. This is a very common process.

Try Carl Ziess..........

hi

im not sure about your area so just search for diamond or gem cutters i think what you need is a lap machine ..or at least talk to a proffesional cutter of gems they would offer the best methods i should imagine

or perhaps a precision cnc company might machine it for you

Hi, good going on getting your hands on that block of YAG crystal. Hope it wasn't from ebay......

I have done this sort of job before with much thinner yag crystals. Mine were broken in half and I wanted twon pieces to build two smaller lasers.

My advice is that you search for companies that manufacture laser optics materials, they are usually keen on taking up jobs for laser crystals too. I do not believe that anyone else will ever understand the importance and aspects optical polishing and angle precission. They might charge a bit more, but for the piece I see in the picture it will worth it. Otherwise you are wasting your time and your material.

Here are a few people you could contact:

http://www.vloc.com/

http://www.lasersos.com/

http://www.novotech.net/

http://rmico.com/

Ask for your crystal to be reconditioned, and pass on your specifications (angles, parallelism, coatings)

Good Luck!

Maybe Los Alamos?

I just want to know how you got ahold of something like this! I must just not be hanging out with the right folks!...Vermin is going to take over the world with his fusion reactor...And I'm stuck here in podunk-low-techville....grumble grumble....grumble grumble...

from the pile next the dumpster likely...

Ahhhh...So true, so true... I knew super villians got their supplies from somewhere!

A Canadian company located in Ottawa, Canada called "Light Machinery" manufacture a machine that does precision water cutting and shaping/polishing for optics in the laser industry. Maybe they can help you.

Thanks. I'll check them out.

If someone is cutting a parabolic surface, they have to use this Ronchi system to determine the accuracy of the surface. I remember reading about it for the 200% mirror for Palomar. .but here is some images and description of how it works.. Apparently if a spherical surface is desired, then the pattern is perfectly parallel, according to this link.

http://nigel-eke.com/telescope/

Chris

it would cost you quite a bit, but Tinsley Laboratories in Berkeley, Ca. could do the job.

they do precision optics, build very large telescopes, make len's, etc.