Note: Fast compact laser shutter using a direct current motor and three-dimensional printing

Abstract

We present a mechanical laser shutter design that utilizes a direct current electric motor to rotate a blade which blocks and unblocks a light beam. The blade and the main body of the shutter are modeled with computer aided design (CAD) and are produced by 3D printing. Rubber flaps are used to limit the blade’s range of motion, reducing vibrations and preventing undesirable blade oscillations. At its nominal operating voltage, the shutter achieves a switching speed of (1.22 ± 0.02) m/s with 1 ms activation delay and 10 μs jitter in its timing performance. The shutter design is simple, easy to replicate, and highly reliable, showing no failure or degradation in performance over more than 108 cycles.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2015
Source ID
10.1063/1.4937614

Entities

People

  • Akio Kawasaki
  • Boris Braverman
  • Grace H Zhang
  • Vladan Vuletić

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Army Research Office
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • National Science Foundation

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Vision Science/Vision Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy