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Cage System Filter Wheels![]()
Application Idea LCFW5 shown with Ø2" absorptive ND filters and six cage rods installed. Note that only the bottom two cage rods pass through the mount. On the top, two cage rods are installed on both sides. CFW6 30 mm Cage SCFW6 16 mm Cage LCFW5 60 mm Cage ![]() Please Wait Features
Thorlabs offers cage filter wheels for its 16 mm, 30 mm, and 60 mm cage systems that are SM threaded to accept Ø1/2" (Ø12.5 mm), Ø1" (Ø25 mm), Ø2" (Ø50 mm) filters, respectively. Unmounted filters can be secured in the six filter slots using the provided retaining rings. Thorlabs offers spanner wrenches for tightening the retaining rings. On each rotation of the filter wheel, a spring-loaded detent mechanism locks a filter into alignment with the bore that is centered along the cage system's mechanical axis. The centered bore is also SM-threaded on both input and output ports to allow lens tubes and mounted or unmounted filters to be connected to the main body. In addition, the bottoms of the filter wheels feature tapped holes that make them post mountable. The 30 mm and 60 mm filter wheel designs allow the two bottom cage rods to pass through the entire mount. The upper two cage rods terminate just before the filter wheel to allow the filter wheel to rotate unimpeded. The 16 mm cage filter wheel requires that all cage rods terminate at the mount to ensure unimpeded rotation of the filter wheel. The maximum thickness of the filters accepted by each wheel is given below. Cage System OverviewThe Cage Assembly System provides a convenient way to construct large optomechanical systems with an established line of precision-machined building blocks designed for high flexibility and accurate alignment. 16 mm, 30 mm, and 60 mm Cage System StandardsThorlabs offers three standards defined by the center-to-center spacing of the cage assembly rods (see image below). The 16 mm cage, 30 mm cage, and 60 mm cage standards are designed to accomodate Ø1/2", Ø1", and Ø2" optics, respectively. Specialized cage plates that allow smaller optics to be directly inserted into our larger cage systems are also available. Standard ThreadsThe flexibility of our Cage Assembly System stems from well-defined mounting and thread standards designed to directly interface with a wide range of specialized products. The three most prevalent thread standards are our SM05 Series (0.535"-40 thread), SM1 Series (1.035"-40 thread), and SM2 Series (2.035"-40 thread), all of which were defined to house the industry's most common optic sizes. Essential building blocks, such as our popular lens tubes, directly interface to these standards. ![]() An example of the standard cage plate measurements determining cage system compatibility.
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The SCFW6 is designed for our 16 mm cage system and has six SM05-threaded filter holders for Ø1/2" (Ø12.5 mm) optics. The spring-loaded wheel features indents that click into place, centering the filter in the cage. The stationary input and output ports of the main body are also SM05-threaded for compatibility with our Ø1/2" lens tubes. Each cage rod through hole is accompanied by a side-located locking 4-40 setscrew, which can be secured using a 0.05" (1.3 mm) hex key. For compatibility with standard optomechanics, the bottom contains an 8-32 and an M4 tapped hole, as well as two 4-40 and two M3 x 0.5 tapped holes. The filter wheel rotates around a 5/32" hex shoulder screw. The filter wheel can be removed by unscrewing the shoulder screw while gently holding the filter wheel. Lift out the filter wheel to easily add or remove filters, or to switch out for another 16 mm cage system filter wheel. To replace the filter wheel back into the main body, gently hold the wheel in place while reinserting and tightening the shoulder screw. To purchase additional filter wheels without the main body, please contact Tech Support. Please note that while the two bottom cage rods may pass through the mount, they will prevent the filter wheel from rotating freely. The two top cage rods cannot pass through, due to obstruction by the filter wheel. ![]()
The CFW6(/M) is designed for our 30 mm cage system and has six SM1-threaded filter holders for Ø1" (Ø25 mm) optics. The spring-loaded wheel features indents that click into place, centering the filter in the cage. The stationary input and output ports of the main body are also SM1-threaded for compatibility with our Ø1" lens tubes. Each cage rod through hole is accompanied by a side-located locking 8-32 setscrew, which can be secured using a 5/64" (2.0 mm) hex key. For compatibility with standard optomechanics, the bottom of the imperial version has two 1/4"-20 and four 8-32 mounting holes, while the bottom of the metric version has two M6 and four M4 mounting holes. The filter wheel rotates around a 3/16" hex shoulder screw that is locked in place by a nylon-tipped 5/64" hex setscrew located on the rear top of the main body. The filter wheel can be removed by first loosening the setscrew, and then removing the shoulder screw while gently holding the filter wheel. Lift out the filter wheel to easily add or remove filters, or to switch out for another 30 mm cage system filter wheel. To replace the filter wheel back into the main body, gently hold the wheel in place while reinserting the shoulder screw. Tighten the shoulder screw, and then retighten the 5/64" setscrew. To purchase additional filter wheels without the main body, please contact Tech Support. Please note that while the two bottom cage rods may pass through the mount, the two top cage rods cannot, due to obstruction by the filter wheel. ![]()
The LCFW5 is designed for our 60 mm cage system and has five SM2-threaded filter holders for Ø2" (Ø50 mm) optics. The spring-loaded wheel features indents that click into place, centering the filter in the cage. The stationary input and output ports of the main body are also SM2-threaded for compatibility with our Ø2" lens tubes. Each cage rod through hole is accompanied by a side-located locking 4-40 setscrew, which can be secured using a 0.05" (1.3 mm) hex key. For compatibility with standard optomechanics, the bottom contains a 1/4"-20 and an M6 tapped hole, as well as two 8-32 and two M4 tapped holes. The filter wheel rotates around a 3/16" hex shoulder screw. The filter wheel can be removed by unscrewing the shoulder screw while gently holding the filter wheel. Lift out the filter wheel to easily add or remove filters, or to switch out for another 60 mm cage system filter wheel. To replace the filter wheel back into the main body, gently hold the wheel in place while reinserting and tightening the shoulder screw. To purchase additional filter wheels without the main body, please contact Tech Support. Please note that while the two bottom cage rods may pass through the mount, the two top cage rods cannot, due to obstruction by the filter wheel. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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