60 mm Cage Cubes and Accessories

Build 2D and 3D Cage Systems with Cage Cubes
Mount 2" Optics Inside Cage Cubes

Application Idea

LC6WR Cage Cube with Optic and SM2 Lens Tube
in 60 mm Cage System Assembly

LC6WR

60 mm Cage Cube

LB3C

Mounting Platform

LB1C

Blank Cover Plate

LB5C1

Ø2" Optic Mount

LB6C

Cube or Prism Clamp

LB4C

Kinematic Platform
(Bottom View)

LFFM1

Rectangular Filter Mount

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Overview
Cage Overview
Feedback

Alternative Size Options
16 mm Cage Cubes
2" Wide 30 mm Cage Cubes
1.5" Wide 30 mm Cage Cubes
60 mm Cage Cubes

Features

Cage Cube for Holding Optic Mounts in 60 mm Cage Systems
Mounts for Ø2" Mirrors or Rectangular Optics from 30 to 53 mm Long
Clamp Available for Beamsplitter Cubes and Prisms
Optic Mounting and Kinematic Mounting Platforms Available

The LC6WR cage cube offers four internally SM2-threaded ports and 60 mm cage compatibility. Two faces are machined with Ø6 mm through holes for cage rods, while the other four faces feature 4-40 tapped holes for securing cage rods. Two of these faces feature 8-32 tapped holes for compatibility with a variety of cage cube accessories. The through holes allow the cube to be translated along the cage rods, then locked in place with the included setscrews.

We also offer accessories for this cube including blank and SM2-threaded cover plates (for the top and bottom of the cube), rigid and kinematic platforms for prisms and beamsplitters, and rectangular and Ø2" optic mounts. These accessories are particularly useful when working with beamsplitters in a 60 mm cage system.

Cage System Overview

The 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 Standards

Thorlabs 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 accommodate 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 Threads

The 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.

Standard Cage System Measurements
Cage System	16 mm	30 mm	60 mm
Thread Series	SM05	SM1	SM2
Rod to Rod Spacing	16 mm (0.63")	30 mm (1.18")	60 mm (2.36")
Total Length	25 mm (0.98")	41 mm (1.60")	71.1 mm (2.80")

Cage Components
Cage Rods	16 mm	These rods are used to connect cage plates, optic mounts, and other components in the cage system. The SR Series Cage Rods are compatible with our 16 mm cage systems, while the 30 mm and 60 mm cage systems use ER Series Cage Rods.
	30 mm
	60 mm
Cage Plates	16 mm	These serve as the basic building blocks for a cage system. They may have SM-threaded central bores, smooth bores sized for industry standard optics or to accommodate the outer profile of our SM Series Lens Tubes, or specialized bores for other components such as our FiberPorts.
	30 mm
	60 mm
Optic Mounts	16 mm	Thorlabs offers fixed, kinematic, rotation, and translation mounts specifically designed for our Cage Systems.
	30 mm
	60 mm
Cage Cubes	16 mm	These cubes are useful for housing larger optical components, such as prisms or mirrors, or optics that need to sit at an angle to the beam path, such as beamsplitters. Our cage cubes are available empty or with pre-mounted optics.
	30 mm
	60 mm
Replacement Setscrews		Replacement setscrews are offered for our 16 mm (SS4B013, SS4B025, and SS4B038) and 30 mm (SS4MS5 and SS4MS4) cage systems products.
Post and Breadboard Mounts and Adapters		Mounting options for cage systems can be found on our Cage System Construction pages. Cage Systems can be mounted either parallel or perpendicular to the table surface.
Size Adapters		Cage System Size Adapters can be used to integrate components from different cage system and threading standards.
Specialized Components		Thorlabs also produces specialized cage components, such as Filter Wheels, a HeNe Laser Mount, and a FiberPort Cage Plate Adapter, allowing a wide range of our products to be integrated into cage-mounted optical systems. Explore our Cage Systems Visual Navigation Guide to see the full range of Thorlabs' cage components.

Posted Comments:

user (posted 2024-08-01 11:10:53.57)

Hi, You should set in Cage Overview the material used to fabricate these products,

jdelia (posted 2024-08-02 09:26:00.0)

Thank you for leaving this feedback. Our cage components are mainly made of anodized 6061-T6 aluminum and will contain hardware made of other materials such as stainless steel depending on the particular product. If you wish to know all the materials that make up a certain part, please contact your local tech support team.

Huang Junkun (posted 2022-03-07 15:46:56.467)

Hello. I have bought an LB3C, but I need to adjust the orientation of the whole cage system and LB3C cannot do that. For the platform LB4C, will it provide pitch & yaw to the whole cage system? Or will it provide pitch & yaw only to the optical component mounted on it? If the latter is true, do you have any suggestions on giving the degree of freedom to the cage system to let it rotate freely in the 3D space? Thanks.

ksosnowski (posted 2022-03-08 01:30:43.0)

Thanks for reaching out to Thorlabs. Adjusting LB4C will only move the optics mounted on it, but not the rest of the cage system. For moving a small cage section you may use the post-mount tap on the bottom of LB3C to hold your system at arbitrary angles with respect to table using posts. For moving a large cage section, it may be necessary to support it on a 66mm rail or keep sections short to minimize torque. However our cage systems are intended to be fixed in place rather than freely moved in 3D. I have reached out directly to discuss your application in more detail.

Greg Whitfield (posted 2021-03-04 00:04:53.997)

I would like to know how to couple two LC6W cubes together without using SM2 tubes, if possible.

YLohia (posted 2021-03-05 09:52:26.0)

The LC6W cage cubes are designed to be connected to other cage components (or each other) using cage rods: https://www.thorlabs.com/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=4125

Adam Wyatt (posted 2020-01-30 07:18:01.37)

The outer lip around the edge of the LB3C/M (the one without the cutouts) is unnecessary and gets in the way of screwing up the locking screws. I recommend removing this.

llamb (posted 2020-01-31 10:36:51.0)

Thank you for your feedback. The design intent for the lip is to provide some captivity for the locking screws so that they do not fall out as easily when fixing this platform to the bottom of a cage cube, but we understand the inconvenience from this outer lip for tightening those same screws. I have added this idea to our internal product forum for further review.

user (posted 2019-08-06 12:48:55.34)

Is it possible to have a M4 tapped hole at the center of the top surface of LB4C/M? We would like to mount BP207 to the top surface of LB4C/M. Can BP207 be positioned into LC6W? Thanks

llamb (posted 2019-08-07 01:14:15.0)

Thank you for contacting Thorlabs. An M4 hole can indeed be tapped in the top surface of the LB4C/M, just keep in mind that the LB4C/M's top plate is only about 5 mm thick. However, the BP207 is too large to fit inside the LC6W at its intended 45° angle on the LB4C/M. This pellicle mount would be better suited outside of a cage system. I have reached out to you directly to discuss your application and some alternatives further.

user (posted 2019-06-19 10:26:40.717)

I was wondering if you have any "60 mm" versions of B3CR/M or B4CRP/M?

YLohia (posted 2019-06-19 12:04:14.0)

Hello, unfortunately, we do not offer 60mm versions of these at the moment. That being said, I have posted your request on our internal engineering forum for further consideration as a future product.

syed.aljunid (posted 2018-09-25 00:32:02.633)

Hello, from the drawings of the LC6W, it seems that the position of the 4-40 setscrews to hold the ER rods are a bit close to the 4-40 tap for mounting another ER rod on the perpendicular face. Is it possible to still loosen/tighten the 4-40 setscrew to slide the cube in 1D once the perpendicular face has rods connected? Thank you for your answer.

llamb (posted 2018-09-28 10:34:31.0)

Thank you for your feedback. Yes, it is possible to utilize both mounting holes at the same time. Once a cage rod is screwed into the #4-40 tap, there will still be enough space to access the #4-40 set screw next to it to tighten/loosen its hold on the perpendicularly inserted cage rod on the other face. The spacing is close, but it will not interfere.

pangelm (posted 2018-02-13 13:42:38.543)

good afternoon I want to mount inside an LC6W an optical window at 45 ° to divide a beam. I have two optical windows that I want to try. One is 12.7mm (SM05) and the other is 1.035 '' (SM1). What would be the proper assembly? Thanks for his help

YLohia (posted 2018-03-29 02:21:42.0)

Response from Yashasvi at Thorlabs USA: Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. We recommend using the LB3C platform and LB5CT1/LB5CT2 mount along with AD2T adapter for SM1 threaded optics. For SM05 threaded optics, we recommend using SM1A6 or SM1A6T adapter in addition to AD2T. Please be sure to double-check the optic thickness since I don't know the specific thicknesses of the optics you intend to use with these parts.

kwestla (posted 2017-11-20 13:58:39.173)

Any chance we could get this hollowed out a little more so we can fit a full 2 inch cube style beam splitter inside?

nbayconich (posted 2017-12-28 04:07:16.0)

Thank you for your feedback. I will reach out to you directly to discuss our custom capabilities.

ms293 (posted 2017-04-28 18:26:11.17)

Hello Are there any plans to introduce the magnetic cage-compatible beam turning cubes for the 60 mm cage system? The whole 60 mm cage system seems to lack the functionality to quickly and reliably (with respect to position and rotation) exchange optical components. Best Wishes - Marcel

tfrisch (posted 2017-05-16 11:23:34.0)

Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. I have posted your feedback in our internal engineering forum and will reach out to you directly about your application.

aklossek (posted 2014-07-24 09:04:47.827)

Dear ladies and gentlemen, Does the LC6W include the needed 8-32 and 4-40 screws? Best regards André Klossek

myanakas (posted 2014-07-24 08:34:04.0)

Response from Mike at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. The LC6W comes with eight 4-40 setscrews that are used for securing cage rods that pass through the through holes of the cage cube. It does not include 8-32 cap screws. The 8-32 tapped holes are for attaching cover plates or platforms, such as our LB1C or LB3C, respectively. Each of the plates and platforms come with 8-32 cap screws for mounting to the LC6W.

tcohen (posted 2012-10-15 11:52:00.0)

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Pellicles are extremely fragile and handling it from the front face with contact from screws can cause the film to be damaged. In order to mount the BP245B1 we have the BP207 and KM200BP. These are fixed and kinematic options respectively which handle our 2” pellicles via the clearance slots and the #2-56 tap on the pellicle housings. I will contact you directly to discuss possible options in your setup.

czl0579 (posted 2012-10-14 23:19:40.017)

Hi, we want to mount a 2in pellicle beamsplitters onto LC6W. But it seems BP245B1 cannot fit into LB5C. Do you have any suggestions? We need a 2in pellicle beamsplitter.

jlow (posted 2012-08-02 11:43:00.0)

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: There are three seats in the LB4C and they are as follows: 1) One seat made from two hardened steel dowel pins. 2) One seat made from a flat disc, hardened steel as well. 3) Last seat is a cone milled into the moving plate, and the plate is made from 6061 aluminum (black anodized).

jcesnik (posted 2012-07-31 20:51:33.0)

Question - does the LB4C have hardened steel or sapphire seats? These would be great for ultra-low-profile mirror mounting to the face (via adhesive) in an OEM application. I know this is not the intended use, but these would be perfect for what I have in mind if the quality is there. Thanks in advance.

tcohen (posted 2012-06-14 10:56:00.0)

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for sharing your idea! We are currently working on a similar design that includes fine rotation adjustment to the cage cube platforms in the same footprint as the B3C. If this would be suitable for your application we would love for your feedback on this new product and I will contact you to keep you updated.

amordova (posted 2012-06-12 21:41:13.0)

Would be great to have a part similar to LB4C but with fine rotation adjustment. Wil make my life much easier!

60 mm Cage Cube

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Cage Rod Mounting Options

Four Internally SM2-Threaded (2.035"-40) Ports
4-40 Tapped Holes on Four Faces for Securing Ø6 mm Cage Rods
Ø6 mm Through Holes for Ø6 mm Cage Rods

The LC6WR 60 mm Cage Cube is designed for building 2D and 3D cage systems while providing a means to mount optics such as beamsplitters inside. Two opposing faces offer Ø6 mm through holes, while the other four faces have 4-40 tapped holes to accept cage rods. The through holes allow for 1D translation of a section in a cage assembly. There are four 8-32 tapped holes (see photo to the right) on the top and bottom of the cube for connecting various accessories, such as cover plates or platforms, which can be found below. The 8-32 cap screws needed for mounting these accessories are included with the individual accessory and not the LC6WR Cage Cube. The four internally SM2-threaded ports allow the cubes to be integrated with other accessories, such as our Ø2" Lens Tubes; unused ports can be closed off with an SM2CP2 Port Hole Cover.

Eight M4 setscrews with a 5/64" (2.0 mm) hex are included to secure the cube to the cage rods that pass through the through holes of the cage cube.

60 mm Cage Cube Cover Plates

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LB1C Light-Tight Blank Plate

LB1C(/M): Blank Cube Cover Plate; 1/4"-20 (M6 x 1.0) Tapped Hole for Post Mounting
LB2C: SM2-Threaded Cube Cover Plate for Attaching SM2 Lens Tubes and Accessories
Compatible with LC6WR Cage Cube
4-40 Tapped Holes for 60 mm Cage Systems

Two cover plates are offered for the LC6WR cube. The LB1C(/M) is a blank cover plate that is designed to provide a light-tight environment within the cube via a rubber o-ring. The opposite side of this plate features one centered 1/4"-20 (M6) tapped hole for mounting purposes. The LB2C is an internally SM2-threaded cage cube plate, which allows SM2-threaded components to mate to the top or bottom faces of the LC6WR cube.

Four 8-32 cap screws are included for attachment to the LC6WR Cage Cube sold above.

Rotatable Cage Cube Platforms

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Mounting Platform Fits into the Top or Bottom of LC6WR Cage Cube
LB3C(/M) Features Sixteen 6-32 (M4) Tapped Holes
LB4C(/M) Offers ±3° Pitch, ±3° Yaw, and 0.25" (6.35 mm) Z Translation and Eight 6-32 (M4) Tapped Holes
Ideal for Mounting Beamsplitter Cubes, Prisms, or 2" Optics (Mounts Sold Separately Below)
Bottom-Located 8-32 (M4) Tapped Hole for Mounting to Ø1/2" Posts

The LB3C(/M) and LB4C(/M) platforms mount into the top or bottom of our LC6WR cage cubes. Four cutouts in the platforms enable them to be secured to the LC6WR via the four included 8-32 locking screws. The LB3C platform features sixteen 6-32 (M4) tapped holes, while the LB4C has eight 6-32 (M4) tapped holes, which can be used to mount the optic mounts sold separately below. These tapped holes may also be used with a PM3(/M) or PM4(/M) clamping arm to hold prisms.

The LB3C platform is rigid and allows coarse manual rotational positioning, while the LB4C platform has three adjusters to provide pitch, yaw, and 0.25" (6.35 mm) Z translation in addition to manual rotational positioning. The LB4C's kinematic adjustment comes from three 1/4"-80 adjusters which have a 5/64" (2 mm) hex. The bottom of each platform has an 8-32 (M4) tapped hole, allowing it to be mounted onto a Ø1/2" Post.

Cage Cube Clamp

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	Min Thickness	Max Thickness
LB6C with LB1C(/M)	1.23" (31.3 mm)	2.63" (66.8 mm)
LB6C with LB3C(/M)	1.10" (28 mm)	2.50" (63.5 mm)

Clamp Objects Within LC6WR Cage Cube
5/32" (4 mm) Hex Socket on Screw Clamp
Delrin®* Swivel Head Clamp

The LB6C cage cube clamp is compatible with the LC6WR 60 mm cage cube. The clamping mechanism comes from a 5/16"-18 screw with a Delrin swivel tip to help avoid marring the clamped object. This adjuster features a 5/32" (4 mm) hex socket to loosen or tighten the clamp. The cube clamp plate features an O-ring, which can be used to form a light tight cage cube when used with the LB1C blank plates and C4W cube. Please note that a blank cover plate (LB1C) or cage cube platform (LB3C, LB4C) must be used in conjunction with the clamp. This clamp is best suited for use with rectangular objects and other objects with parallel top and bottom surfaces. The maximum and minimum object thicknesses are listed in the table to the right.

Four 8-32 cap screws are included for attachment to the LC6WR Cage Cube sold above.

*Delrin^® is a registered trademark of DuPont Polymers, Inc.

Rectangular Filter Mount

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View Imperial Product List

Item #	Qty	Description
Cage Cube Retangular Filter Holder
LFFM1	1	60-mm-Cage-Compatible Rectangular Filter Mount
LC6WR	1	60 mm Cage Cube
LB3C	1	Mounting Platform for 60 mm Cage Cube, Imperial Taps
ER8-P4	1	Cage Assembly Rod, 8" Long, Ø6 mm, 4 Pack
NE210B	1	Unmounted 2" x 2" Absorptive ND Filter, Optical Density: 1.0

View Metric Product List

Item #	Qty	Description
Cage Cube Retangular Filter Holder
LFFM1	1	60-mm-Cage-Compatible Rectangular Filter Mount
LC6WR	1	60 mm Cage Cube
LB3C/M	1	Mounting Platform for 60 mm Cage Cube, Metric Taps
ER8-P4	1	Cage Assembly Rod, 8" Long, Ø6 mm, 4 Pack
NE210B	1	Unmounted 2" x 2" Absorptive ND Filter, Optical Density: 1.0

LFFM1 Rectangular Filter Holder shown mounted to a LB3C Cube Platform in a LC6WR Cube.

Holds Rectangular or Square Filters Up to 4.0 mm Thick
Accommodates Filters up to 2.5" (63.5 mm) Tall and 30 - 53 mm Long Inside a LC6WR Cage Cube
Two Spring-Loaded Clamping Mechanisms Secure Optic's Position
Compatible with LB3C(/M) and LB4C(/M) Platforms

The LFFM1 Cage-Compatible Filter Holder is specifically designed to hold rectangular or square filters up to 2.5" (63.5 mm) tall and 30 mm - 53 mm Long inside a LC6WR cage cube (see photo to the right). When used with the LB3C or LB4C mounting platforms, this mount enables dichroic filters, colored filters, beamsplitters, or ND filters to be placed at any angle with respect to the incident light.

Rectangular filters up to 4.0 mm thick can be held using two spring-loaded clamping arms designed to avoid scratching of a filter's interference coating; simply apply a horizontal force to the spring-loaded clamps, seat the optic into the channel created, and release the clamps, which leaves the optic wedged between a stop and a clamp at each end.

The LFFM1 can be directly mounted to Ø1/2" posts via the #8 counterbore which accepts 8-32 (M4) cap screws. Two 6-32 cap screws and two M4 cap screws are included for securing the holder to the LB3C(/M) or LB4C(/M) mounting platforms. The outside and inside engraved witness lines help line up the LFFM1 with the mounting positions for the LB3C(/M) and LB4C(/M) platforms. The optic and filter mount should be installed onto a mounting platform before being inserted into the cage cube.

Cage Cube Optic Mount with Nylon-Tipped Setscrew

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LB5C1 Mount with Ø2" Beamsplitter on LB4C Platform in LC6WR Cage Cube

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Coated Side of Optics Aligns to Engraved Witness Lines

Holds Ø2" (50.8 mm) Optics Thicker than 0.12" (3.0 mm)
Compatible with LB3C(/M) and LB4C(/M) Platforms

The LB5C1 Optic Mount uses a setscrew to hold Ø2" optics on our 60 mm Cage Cube Rotatable Platforms. The nylon-tipped setscrew that holds the optic in place has a 5/64" (2.0 mm) hex. The mount is attached to imperial cage cube platforms using a 6-32 button head screw (7/64" hex) and washer and to metric cage cube platforms using an M4 screw (3 mm hex) and washer (all mounting hardware included).

When used in an LC6WR cage cube, the mount can center the optic within the cube. This is particularly important when mounting a mirror in the cube. Witness lines are engraved on the sides of the mount for aid in alignment. These witness lines mark the position of the optic's front surface when inserted into the mount with the front face directed towards the screw's mounting slot.

Cage Cube Optic Mounts with SM2-Threaded Bore

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Ø2" Mirror Mounted in LC6WR Cage Cube using an LB5CT2 Mount and an LB3C Platform

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Coated Side of Optics Aligns to Engraved Witness Lines

LB5CT1 Holds Ø2" (50.8 mm) Optics up to 0.26" (6.6 mm) Thick
LB5CT2 Holds Ø2" (50.8 mm) Optics up to 0.48" (12.3 mm) Thick
SM2-Threaded with Included SM2RR Retaining Ring
Compatible with LB3C(/M) and LB4C(/M) Platforms

The LB5CT1 and LB5CT2 SM2-threaded Optic Mounts hold Ø2" optics on our 60 mm Cage Cube Rotatable Platforms. The LB5CT1 and LB5CT2 Mounts hold optics up to 0.26" (6.6 mm) or 0.48" (12.3 mm) thick, respectively, using an SM2RR retaining ring (included). The deeper design of the LB5CT2 mount reduces the clear aperture when used with transmissive optics such as beamsplitters, making it ideal for mounting mirrors. Each mount is attached to imperial cage cube platforms using a 6-32 button head screw (7/64" hex) and washer and to metric cage cube platforms using an M4 screw (3 mm hex) and washer (all mounting hardware included).