NicoLase 2400 Enclosure Readme

This simple enclosure is sufficient to keep optics protected and lasers shielded from unsuspecting eyes.  This is good for research labs and equipment with a short user list.  If building for a facility or high-traffic area, the 1500 enclosure is recommended for longevity and ultimately better control of a potential stray laser. 

The breadboard is held off of the table by 4 pieces of 80/20 25 mm profile (part 25-2525), each 180 mm long and tapped for a M6 x 1.0 screw on each end.  These are secured to a metric optical table with long set screws (Thorlabs part SS6MS20).  With a bit of patience you can get the profile to thread flush to the table and be in line with the table top's hole grid. The breadboard is then secured on top of the profile using standard M6 cap screws.  

This configuration has sufficient clearance to hold under the breadboard a Coherent OBIS scientific remote (with the handle removed) with two Vortran Stradus power supplies on top, plus the Arduino + shield behind the OBIS remote (with mount files available at https://github.com/PRNicovich/3D-Printed-Optics-Lab-Parts/tree/master/Arduino%20Mount).  If you need more room it's no issue to increase the height of the supporting profiles.  

The surrounding panels are made of locally avaialble corrugated plastic sheet.  This material is easy to cut with a sharp knife into the desired shape and secure with hot glue.  Black foamcore readily available from Thorlabs or many arts+crafts suppliers (but sadly not economically in Australia) is an excellent substitute.  The panels were cut largely free-hand to fit the space required.  They are held in place with 3D printed magnet clips (files available at https://github.com/PRNicovich/3D-Printed-Optics-Lab-Parts/tree/master/Magnet%20Clips) and magnets, again held in place with hot glue.  Button head cap screws on the breadboard provide a convenient place for the magnets to attach. You should strive to have an enclosure in which the panels fit together well to avoid stray light, but that each panel does not depend on the others to stay in place.  This makes service down the line much easier.  

A full CAD drawing of the breadboard and optics is included as a .STEP file.  This is the native SolidWorks file format, but can be imported into other programs.  For example, we routinely use AutoDesk Fusion 360, which is free for those with academic email accounts.