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I also used a large and thick piece of aluminum plate for a 315M-100. The laser head and controller were both screwed down with heat sink compound. The heat sink compound I used was:

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Techspray/1978-DP?qs=1wQRf3HkBjxFbT7M7AQk%2Fg%3D%3D

In the US, thick aluminum plates can be bought from:

https://www.mcmaster.com/

I might suggest something like 1/2 inch thick aluminum (~13mm) by around 12 X 12 inches (~30 X 30cm) or larger, to be on the safe side. A large mass of metal is fine, no fan is required. My 315 has been working well for many years.

We had a 315M. My wife bought a brick-sized block of aluminium, drilled holes in it and screwed the laser on. You need to insulate the aluminium and laser with some heat sink paste. Aluminium is better than steel, since it's easier to drill into. We also made DCG holograms, and our home-made heat sink lasted all day, about 8 hours, with little rise in temperature.

If you want to buy one commercially, you might look at Adafruit ( https://www.adafruit.com )

Hi there, I have a Coherent Compass 215M-20 laser with power supply but no heatsink. I have turned it on briefly and verified that the laser functions but am concerned about running it for the time frames I need to make DCG holograms without a heatsink. I tried searching the forums and also looking on eBay but couldn’t figure out where to buy a proper heatsink for this laser. Do people make their own? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!