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YOU CAN BUILD YOUR OWN LASER INSTRUMENT THAT IDENTIFIES CHEMICALS - OPENRAMAN

Shine a laser at a pill or powder and read the molecular fingerprint — the same technique labs use to catch counterfeits, now published with every drawing and part number.

by Luc Boussemaere (The Pulsar)

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

ScienceOpen-hardware

difficulty
●●●●●
time
multiple weekends
license
CC BY-SA 4.0
repo
repo ACTIVE0 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

OpenRAMAN is a complete open publication of a benchtop Raman spectrometer. Raman spectroscopy identifies substances by their molecular scattering signature: point a laser at a sample, collect the scattered light, read the spectrum. This build uses Thorlabs cage optics, a 532 nm laser module and a FLIR machine-vision camera, with exact parts in per-assembly BOMs. The documentation is thorough: CAD files with PDF drawings and STEP exports, recommended suppliers, post-processing instructions, assembly, laser safety, calibration with a neon lamp, and the project's own SpectrumAnalyzer software. The roughly one-hour assembly video shows real parts being put together. The hard parts are the custom mechanical parts - ordered from a CNC or 3D-print service and then post-processed to the toleranced features in the drawings - and the optical alignment, which is unforgiving. This is a research-grade instrument build for someone with optical bench experience or the will to learn it the slow way. The documentation publishes no total cost, so price the BOMs before you commit. The licence permits commercial use. The single biggest mistake would be ordering all the Thorlabs parts before you have sorted out the custom mounts.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —CAD files (SolidWorks, STEP, PDF) and per-assembly BOMs (as .csv in the download) are published under CC BY-SA 4.0; the SpectrumAnalyzer software is GPL, with libraries under LGPL/BSD.
  • —Custom mechanical parts are ordered from a CNC or 3D-print service (the docs list suppliers) and then post-processed to the toleranced features shown in the drawings.
  • —The docs publish no total cost; Thorlabs cage optics, the laser and the FLIR camera are the main purchases.
  • —The project includes its own SpectrumAnalyzer software (GPL) for capturing and calibrating spectra from the FLIR camera, documented on the site.
  • —Active maintenance (last commits March 2026), but this is a research instrument build, not a turnkey kit.
  • —CC BY-SA 4.0 permits commercial use with attribution and share-alike terms.

Parts to buy

7 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • Thorlabs cage systemFind
  • MountsFind
  • LensesFind
  • Dichroic and filtersFind
  • FLIR machine-vision cameraFind
  • 532 nm laser moduleFind
  • Custom machined or printed parts and fastenersFind

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Can I build this?

Printnothing required
BuyThorlabs cage system, mounts, lenses, dichroic and filters, a FLIR machine-vision camera, a 532 nm laser module, custom machined or printed parts and fasteners - exact parts in the per-assembly BOM CSVs
ToolsA CNC or 3D-print service for the custom parts, drills, precision reamers and taps for post-processing, an ultrasonic bath for degreasing, a stable optical surface, 532 nm laser safety glasses, a neon lamp for calibration
Skillsintermediate CAD reading, advanced optical alignment, patience with laser safety and iterative tuning — this is not a first optics project
Timemultiple weekends: machining lead time (if outsourced), assembly per the one-hour video (which will take longer the first time), and optical alignment, which is the real time sink
CostHigh; no total is published. Thorlabs optics, the laser and the camera dominate, and custom-part costs depend heavily on the service and how many copies you order.
SafetyClass 3R laser (532 nm, 4.5 mW in the base version; some upgrades are stronger) — never look into the beam, use wavelength-correct safety glasses during alignment, remove reflective jewellery, and keep children and untrained people away. No high voltage.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

OpenRAMAN Starter Edition Assembly Tutorial (Full)

one-hour assembly walkthrough showing machined baseplate and cage optics; the real build, not renders

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Gallery

open-raman.org (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Luc Boussemaere, thepulsar.be
Samy Kamkar (github.com/samyk/openraman, CERN-OHL-W-v2)
Samy Kamkar (github.com/samyk/openraman, CERN-OHL-W-v2)

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the full documentation (CAD files, BOMs, supplier list, assembly, safety and software are here)
  2. 2.Confirm CNC access or get quotes(Upload both the STEP and the PDF drawing to the service so tolerances are respected; ordering optics before solving the custom parts is the most common mistake)
  3. 3.Watch the assembly video (one hour of real assembly; your first pass will take longer)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Ordering the full Thorlabs BOM before the custom parts are sorted - order them from a CNC or 3D-print service first, and budget time to post-process holes and threads to the drawings.
  • Underestimating optical alignment time — the light path runs through a steering mirror, dichroic mirror, cuvette lens group, edge-pass filter, slit, grating and imaging lens; each interface matters, and the edge filter has to be rotated to the right angle.
  • Skipping laser safety planning — the base version uses a 4.5 mW Class 3R green laser (upgrades can be stronger), and reflections off samples, optics or jewellery are a real eye hazard; owning a Class 3R laser is even restricted in some countries.
  • Assuming the FLIR camera is optional — it is the spectrograph detector; substituting it requires recalculating the optical design.
  • Skipping the driver step — SpectrumAnalyzer needs the specific FLIR Spinnaker driver version the docs provide (2.0.0.147); a newer SDK can stop the camera from connecting.
  • Building this as a first optics project — if you have never aligned a multi-element optical path, this will be a semester-long learning curve, not a weekend.

What can I actually identify with this?

Anything with a Raman-active molecular signature: polymers, pharmaceuticals, minerals, solvents. You compare the measured spectrum against a reference library (RRUFF for minerals, in-house for pharmaceuticals). It will not identify metals or elements directly — Raman reads molecular bonds.

Do I need to build the whole thing or can I buy some assemblies?

Yes. The OpenRAMAN shop sells a ready-made base spectrometer, cuvettes and an educational kit. If you build it yourself, the Thorlabs parts are off the shelf, the custom mechanical parts are ordered from a CNC or 3D-print service, and the documentation assumes you assemble everything from the per-assembly BOMs.

Is there software included?

Yes. The project's own SpectrumAnalyzer software handles acquisition, blank subtraction and wavelength calibration, and is documented step by step; it needs the FLIR Spinnaker camera driver. Identifying substances still means comparing spectra against reference libraries.

Can I use a different laser wavelength?

Theoretically yes, but the dichroic mirror, filters and camera are chosen for 532 nm, and the upgrades page only covers 532 nm lasers. Changing wavelength means redoing the optical design (the project uses OSLO) and sourcing different filters.

How does this compare to a used commercial Raman?

A used commercial instrument comes with software, calibration and support, but you cannot modify it. OpenRAMAN is fully open and modifiable; if you build it, you also align and troubleshoot it yourself (the project also sells ready-made units in its shop). The docs publish no build cost, so price the BOMs yourself.

Community builds

No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

OpenRAMAN puts a full Raman spectrometer on an open design with published part numbers and its own analysis software. What would you use a home Raman setup for: minerals, polymers, mystery powders?

CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the documentation site at docs.open-raman.org hosts the CAD files and per-assembly bills of materials with exact supplier part numbers. Hardware and documentation are CC BY-SA 4.0, which permits commercial use, while the software modules carry their own BSD, LGPL or GPL licences. Software is included: the project provides its own SpectrumAnalyzer program for acquisition and calibration, which needs the FLIR Spinnaker driver for the camera. The roughly one-hour assembly video by ThePulsarBE shows the real optics being assembled, not renders. The base version uses a 4.5 mW Class 3R green laser, so treat eye safety seriously. The biggest scheduling trap is ordering the expensive optics before you have sorted out fabrication of the custom mechanical parts; check the drawings and line up a machining or printing service first. This is a research instrument designed by Luc Boussemaere, not a kit. Photo note, 22 August 2026: this page had no images. We added 4 photographs of this specific build, each credited above; nothing here is a stock shot or another project. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.

Luc Boussemaere (The Pulsar)

Luc Boussemaere designed OpenRAMAN and publishes it as a community edition with full CAD, documentation and software under open licences; the assembly videos are on his ThePulsarBE YouTube channel.

Web

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