laser cutter/engraver rebuild build log

**gavztheouch** · 22-05-2014

Adding in some more specs for the machine.

Needs to be moveable by two men or forklift/pallet truck. Forklift needs space for tines
Welded steel frame with self leveling epoxy mounts for the rails and ballscrew bearings.
£1000 rebuild cost.
40w laser tube.
belt driven X axis, ballscrew driven y axis (single )
Thinking about using igus drylin for the fast moving X axis.
There needs to be some way of tramming the X axis so it is level and square to the table.
Servos would be nice but they would blow the budget so I'm thinking about using a hybrid stepper with encoder for the X axis as this would be the axis to most likely lose position when rastering an image.
shields for the laser, the gantry design makes it difficult to fully enclose the machine.

**gavztheouch** · 15-06-2014

Click image for larger version.

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Simple 3d layout

**gavztheouch** · 14-11-2014

Found these nice modular parts for laser cutters. Thought it was worth a share as they look very well designed, the only neagtive would be the high mass of the laser cutting head.

http://www.buyneto.com/?ua=ncG1vJloZ...a21qZpipuq0%3D

**gavztheouch** · 12-12-2014

I ended up buying the setup advertised on Aliexpress. It arrived today and I very pleased with the quality of the parts. It certainly beats the build quality of the countless cheap lasers I have used in various fablab around the UK, not as nice as the American stuff as I would say the parts on the mjunit stuff are a little heavy, I think a laser should be fast and light but I hope this will do me just fine, time will tell.

One thing that annoyed me was the customs guys slashing open one of my boxes and then just making a crap job of sealing it back up. Cutting the box destroyed its strength and the delivery guy had it slung over one of his shoulders and it was bent like a banana, I feared the worst but the rails look straight.

**gavztheouch** · 12-12-2014

Next job is to weld up a frame to hold the rails and mount the electronics onto. Then I need to source some nema 23 steppers or servos. What do you think about these chinese servos

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Leads...989514984.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Leads...854636877.html

The reason I was thinking about servos or closed loop steppers is mainly for the faster rastering axis. At fast engraving speeds the quick change of direction may cause a stepper to lose position. These chinese servos look cheap but are they any good, I haven't seen anyone use them before?

Rebuild costs so far £750 leaving me £750 to complete.

**calida** · 01-02-2015

Need your brains!!!
I've got a cheapo laser cutter and am having problems with it....anyone around Derbyshire /Manchester way I could pay to help fix it? Or even a few miles out I'll cove cover travel of course. Please help me :(

**gavztheouch** · 12-03-2015

Started making the frame today out of 100mm box section. Not much else to say.

**gavztheouch** · 21-03-2015

Little update on the laser build. Finished welding the basic frame and have made a start on the movable table/z-axis. My laser will be a little different as usually a laser table is raised and lowered via four screws, one in each corner. My design is more like a knee mill with one large linear bearing and screw. I am relying on the mech being stiff enough to resist twisting. The large linear bearing was originally a secondary z-axis carrying a 5hp router on a big cnc router so it should be up to the job. There is only one bearing in the picture, but I have two to prevent twisting.

**Boyan Silyavski** · 21-03-2015

Nice, cant wait to see that finished. So you are making it a kind of like 3d printer? The bed i mean. But whats the purpose behind that? Different height, big entire objects for cutting or engraving?

**gavztheouch** · 22-03-2015

Originally Posted by silyavski

Nice, cant wait to see that finished. So you are making it a kind of like 3d printer? The bed i mean. But whats the purpose behind that? Different height, big entire objects for cutting or engraving?

Exactly that yes, if you want to laser thick foam or engrave a deep box you can drop the table. Some machines also have a fixed focus lens so you use the bed to focus the laser at the right height. My laser has an adjustable head but the table will be handy for larger items.

I am trying to simplify the z-axis/table cause the normal way of doing it looks complicated. Google it to see what I mean. Mine is more like a knee mill, I plan to use a car sissor jack to move the knee/table.