7.2.1 Laser Alignment

Position the laser at the left end of the bench and align the beam. You can adjust the laser so that the beam is parallel to the optical bench as follows:

1. Place a piece of masking tape or paper over the square hold on the front of a component carrier. Make a small dot on the tape/paper in the center of the square hole (1 inch from the top of the component shelf and 1.5 inches from the edge of the component holder).
2. Place the laser on the alignment bench and make sure it is reasonably parallel with the bench.
3. Place the component holder on the optical bench about 10 cm from the laser aperture. Make sure that the component carrier is flush against the alignment rail of the bench. The dot on the paper now marks the optical axis of the bench.
4. Turn on the laser, and move the aperture end of the laser sideways, as needed, so that the laser beam falls on the dot.
5. Move the component holder about 90 cm away from the laser aperture. Again, be sure the edge of the component holder is flush against the alignment rail of the bench.
6. Without moving the aperture end of the laser, move the rear end of the laser to recenter the laser beam on the spot. You may also need to adjust the leveling screws on the laser alignment bench in order to center the beam vertically on the dot.
7. Repeat items 3 through 6 until the beam is centered on the dot for both positions of the component holder.