3 ms·

The problem with laser modules is that they're expensive, fragile, fussy and consume a metric ton of energy. I saw some 150W+ CO2 tubes drop-shipped directly f

The problem with laser modules is that they're expensive, fragile, fussy and consume a metric ton of energy. I saw some 150W+ CO2 tubes drop-shipped directly from the manufacturer on AliExpress available with and without power supplies. These are water cooled so you'll need a very clean water cooling setup too. http://www.recilaser.com/en/index.php?m=&c=Index&a=lists&catid=7 http://www.recilaser.com/en/index.php?m=&c=Index&a=lists&cat... It's doable, but careful engineering principles have to be applied. Also, Class 4 lasers in the US require a lock and a very simple, contactor-based, big red emergency stop power kill switch would be a good idea too. Industrial emergency buttons can be found on AliExpress, eBay and AliBaba. Anyone with common sense will slap some biggun "Class 4 laser in operation" lights with some andons at all possible entrances and tie it in to the unit operating. Might be good to have some proven tested safety gargles to protect yer peepers and wear welding gloves/neck/chaps when nearby during operation. I figure a small budget gantry and system maybe had for $2500 US (with lots of scrimping and repurposing) or a nicer one for $4000-9000. A vacuum table, indexing (calibration/zeroing) system and 60° tilt table for floorspace compactness might help too.

mlyle 7y ago
> These are water cooled so you'll need a very clean water cooling setup too. This can be a $20 immersion pump, a 5 gallon bucket, a filter, and some tubing. This won't let you cut all day long in a warm room without a slope off in performance, but you can run several long jobs a day. If I wanted to cut more, I think I'd add more water before doing anything fancier like radiators or even chillers. Slightly harder is the air assist, but again cheap pumps will do it, and then there's the exhaust system-- usually you use a small industrial blower and dryer vent. > Class 4 lasers in the US require a lock and a very simple, contactor-based, big red emergency stop power kill switch would be a good idea too. Industrial emergency buttons can be found on AliExpress, eBay and AliBaba. Anyone with common sense will slap some biggun "Class 4 laser in operation" lights with some andons at all possible entrances and tie it in to the unit operating. Usually one just makes it class 1-- put it in a box, with a window opaque to infrared, and an interlock that disables the beam if the box is opened. E-stop is important because you will eventually have a fire. > A vacuum table, The whole nice thing with a laser is you don't need hold down because there's no cutting forces. > indexing (calibration/zeroing) Usually what you do is just combine a red diode laser onto where the beam goes. I do have a square fence I added to my laser that I can align work against, but I usually don't use it.
- kortex 7y ago
  > A vacuum table Zero cutting forces, but some veneers and thin plywood warp readily, which takes the workpiece out of the focal plane, leading to various inaccuracies.
  - mlyle 7y ago
    Yah. Sometimes you may need hold down of some kind, but overall this has been rare for me. I replaced the bottom of my laser with a piece of tooling plate (MIC6) with drilled and tapped holes at intervals, and sometimes will screw down to that and sometimes will put a piece of steel I magnet to in there. But this is like, 1 job out of 500 that I do something for hold down. IMO not even worth the work I put into the plate.

mlyle 7y ago

> These are water cooled so you'll need a very clean water cooling setup too. This can be a $20 immersion pump, a 5 gallon bucket, a filter, and some tubing. This won't let you cut all day long in a warm room without a slope off in performance, but you can run several long jobs a day. If I wanted to cut more, I think I'd add more water before doing anything fancier like radiators or even chillers. Slightly harder is the air assist, but again cheap pumps will do it, and then there's the exhaust system-- usually you use a small industrial blower and dryer vent. > Class 4 lasers in the US require a lock and a very simple, contactor-based, big red emergency stop power kill switch would be a good idea too. Industrial emergency buttons can be found on AliExpress, eBay and AliBaba. Anyone with common sense will slap some biggun "Class 4 laser in operation" lights with some andons at all possible entrances and tie it in to the unit operating. Usually one just makes it class 1-- put it in a box, with a window opaque to infrared, and an interlock that disables the beam if the box is opened. E-stop is important because you will eventually have a fire. > A vacuum table, The whole nice thing with a laser is you don't need hold down because there's no cutting forces. > indexing (calibration/zeroing) Usually what you do is just combine a red diode laser onto where the beam goes. I do have a square fence I added to my laser that I can align work against, but I usually don't use it.

kortex 7y ago
> A vacuum table Zero cutting forces, but some veneers and thin plywood warp readily, which takes the workpiece out of the focal plane, leading to various inaccuracies.
- mlyle 7y ago
  Yah. Sometimes you may need hold down of some kind, but overall this has been rare for me. I replaced the bottom of my laser with a piece of tooling plate (MIC6) with drilled and tapped holes at intervals, and sometimes will screw down to that and sometimes will put a piece of steel I magnet to in there. But this is like, 1 job out of 500 that I do something for hold down. IMO not even worth the work I put into the plate.