New Invention: Truly Handheld Laser Wire Stripper
Handheld Laser Wire Stripper
While I am no longer a Laser Application Scientist at Control Laser Corporation, I still think about how to solve real problems with lasers and other technologies. I have created a new invention and am looking for funding to bringing it to market: a truly handheld laser wire stripper that solves the red plague issue. I wanted to create a truly handheld laser wire stripper; the only handheld laser wire strippers on the market do not have full independence of a larger unit; they are tethered via an umbilical to a large device that is anything but handheld. My invention, I estimate, would fit inside a 4D Maglite flashlight, however.
About the handheld laser wire stripper design
The handheld wire stripper that I have invented does not use moving parts, except for a mechanical shutter, and does not violate any patents. It is a design brought from my own mind and countless hours thinking about the problem: how to develop a laser wire stripper that can be held completely in the hand yet does not interfere with silver-coated copper wire, which could cause red plague. Laser wire strippers don’t need to be bulky and huge in order to be effective.
Handheld Laser Wire Stripper
My first laser wire stripping design revolves around two axicons and a parabolic reflector. Axicons are optics which turn a laser beam into a circular beam. Such optics are used in eye surgery and also in a laser process called trepanning. In my design, the laser is turned into a ring light. The wire is inserted opposite of the laser propagation plane (if x is the laser propagation, -x is the direction the wire is inserted), and the parabolic reflector bounces the laser light and focuses it onto the wire insulation. The wire insulation is burned off, which creates a point where the remaining insulation can be removed manually when the wire is ready to be connected to a connector. A nitrogen rich environment prohibits oxidation of the burned insulation, which reduces or eliminates the carbonization of the material. The process takes a few seconds to complete with the tested laser. I am purposely not providing which laser I am considering for this product as it is a trade secret. However, I can say that the wavelength is one that will not interfere with the integrity of the wire at all.
Laser Wire Stripper Funding
I am presently looking for funding that will allow me to create a prototype and subsequent product which can be then brought to market. Initially, an industrial strength product would be brought followed by a lower-cost version for the consumer market. I sincerely believe that this product will be in demand for a long time to come. The price point will initially be high, but as production units are sold, and the cost of materials are reduced perhaps by the acquisition of new equipment, the price should decline to reach the greater market. In any case, the price point will be competitive with other similar, but less capable, wire strippers presently on the market.
It all started when I watched my dad fix a very expensive RC car after I ran it to death, when I was a kid.