Brief Guide to Laser Levels

Dot Laser Levels / Plumb Laser Levels

Rotary Laser Levels, Line Laser Levels (also called Line Generators), and Dot Laser Levels are the three most common types of laser levels used today (or Multi-Point Lasers). This article is about the details of how Dot Laser Levels work. Some of the lasers include 16 lines laser level and 5 lines laser level mainly. 

Dot Laser Level Output

Dot Laser Levels send out two, three, or five light beams. This lets the user find a point from the floor to the ceiling, a point that is level, and a point that is 90° from the floor. These little points of light are bright enough to see both inside and outside. Dot laser levels can be used to move a point from the floor to the ceiling when working inside. Dot laser levels are great for any job that needs to be level or for laying out 90° angles, both indoors and out.

The light beam is made by a device called a diode. In this case, a diode is just a semiconductor that gives off light when current flows through it. Every day, we see diodes in our CD players, computers, and the remote controls for our TVs.

Using a Laser Level

There are two ways to level dot laser levels. First, there is manual leveling, in which the laser is made level by the operator by adjusting the laser to bubble vials built into the laser. Accuracy will depend on how good the level vial is and how well the operator can see. Even though it can be off by 1/8 inch every 50 feet and takes longer to set up because you have to manually level it, it is the least expensive laser you can buy. Self-Leveling is the second way to level a dot laser. This means that the laser levels itself using a pendulum and magnets. Usually, the accuracy is 1/8 of an inch per 100 feet, which is better than manual.

Color (Laser Wavelength) (Laser Wavelength)

Technically, the color is determined by the laser’s wavelength, which is measured in nanometers (nm), or one billionth of a meter, because the laser is so short. The range of colors that people can see is from 380 nm (purple) to 750 nm (red). Most of the time, the laser is red (635 nm).

Intensity (Laser Classification) 

The level of laser light power, which is measured in milliwatts (MW), 0.001, or one-thousandth of a watt, determines how strong the laser is. Lasers in Classes I and II have low power, between 0.4 MW and 1 MW. Most laser levels are Class IIIA, which means that they have a power between 1 MW and 5 MW. At these levels, the laser is safe to look at, but you shouldn’t look at it too long. The brighter and more expensive your laser is, the closer it is to 5 MW. Class IIIB lasers, which have powers between 5 MW and 500 MW and need controls, and Class IV lasers, which have powers above 500 MW and are dangerous to look at in any situation, are not usually used for leveling tools.

Laser Level Accuracy

A dot laser level is accurate to within +/- 1/8 of an inch every 100 to 50 feet. This is more accurate than a spirit level or bubble level, but a spirit level can’t tell you how far away something is.

Laser Level Working Range

Most of the time, how far the dot laser goes is given in feet. The distance in any one direction is the radius, which is half of the distance given in feet. The range can be as big as 200 feet across.