900 x 600 Laser Build (complete build log)

[WickedAndy]

Figure I would start a new thread, so here it is my Build of a 80w 900 x 600 Laser

First want to say thanks to Marco and this forum, everything I needed to know could be found here
to assist in the process.. That said, building a laser system from scratch isn't a super simple
endeavor, if your looking for an Ikea style unpack and go I suggest you buy a built system, but if
your up for some DIY fun, and something to exercise your, skills in Mechanics / Optics / Electronics / Plumbing / Air Delivery-Exhaust
then this this is prefect project for you!

Special thanks to Marco and LightObject staff, as all the parts I have purchased either arrived on
or ahead of schedule! fantastic service...

So here goes the build.. first is the parts list, this is what I ended up purchasing for the full build.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub ... utput=html

some quick specs
laser: 80w RECI Laser Tube
size: 900 x 600 Cut Area
days to build: 4


1) This is the crate the laser X-Y gantry arrived in.


2) Everything was well packed and arrived intact


3)Various Parts of the X-Y Gantry


4) Beginning assembly of the gantry, even without instructions it's fairly simple to figure out where things go..


5) The Assembled Gantry ready to rock.


6) Attached some cable chains to keep the air assist and other wires neat.. (I 3d printed a little bracket to attach the cable chain to the laser head)

[WickedAndy]

7) box for the laser frame arrived via freight, it was pretty heave weighing in at about 150lbs!


8) Again all neatly packaged and ready for some building.


9) parts part parts


10) some assembly required


11) lot's of fastners!

[WickedAndy]

12) Laser tube arrives, and is being inspected by the resident laser expert of the house.


13) again really well packaged.


14) and another layer of protection, well done...

[WickedAndy]

15) Frame building time!
note: At the time I received the frame there we not any instructions for how it's assembled, just a few pictures I found on this forum, given just
those few images, It wasn't super hard to figure out how everything should fit, if you arrange parts by size as in the below picture, then match
up the lengths to parts in a picture of the frame, it worked out perfectly... like a big kids erector set! (there are now plans here -> http://lightobject.info/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1980)



16) The bottom


17) The bottom, with sides


18) The bottom/sides, with mid layer started


19) top coming together.


19) almost got the frame assembled


20) X-Y Gantry / Honeycomb installed, and cover finished


Assembly took a full day from start to finish....

[WickedAndy]

21) Time for some shelving for all the components!, shelves made from 1/4" plywood


22) rough placement of components.
Middle shelf is all the electronics, 608, some relays, stepper drivers, 24/36v power supply, 12v/5v power, tube time, laser power supply.
Bottom shelf 10 gallon water tank, pump, and radiator for tube cooling.


23) quick temporary control panel, cut from 5mm MDF on my cnc router.
the panel has since been updated, with a 16x2 lcd that's wired to an arduino, that monitors water temp, and takes care of all the buttons (estop, air, red dot)
the pushbuttons are momentary switches, if you press the Air the Air Assist / Exhaust system turn on, if you hold it for 3 seconds, just the regular Air Assist turns on)
Trying to keep the panel as simple yet intuitive as possible.


24) the exhaust system (rear view)


25) the exhaust system (top view), the bottom is lined with black aluminum foil to absorb any stray laser energy..


26) the black foil I used for the lining...


27) installed a bright led strip I had laying around under the y-axis for some nice lighting.

[WickedAndy]

28) Time for the Laser Tube!, water flow goes through a pvc t-junction that has the temp sensor epoxy'd in, then through a flow meter.


29) Ready for laser alignment! but first....


30) laser power and beam test!!!! scrap block of acrylic, right in front of laser ( about 6" ), 80% power, 15 second burn.. fantastic beam profile!


31) printed out targets to help in alignment, if you use 15% laser power and a quick pulse, you can get about 3 shots per, before it catches fire!


32) target in mirror holder


33) under nozzle, slightly different target, that matches nozzle diameter...
note about alignment, can be a little frustrating at first, but like riding a bike once you get it, it's super easy to do again.

[WickedAndy]

34) beam focus testing, ramp of mdf, just drawing lines at 15% power to see where best focus is.... (then 3d print a little focus stick)


35) first pieces! success!


36) the aztec calander! because what else do you run first!?


37) timelapse video of the aztec calendar!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7ccqB6Vb8E

38)few more tests...


39) Engraving Glass.

and the video... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRcK8O4vz9E


Well there you have it! 4 days from a pile of parts to a awesome working laser system, a fun build as well! hope these images can help you on your way
to a great laser system... that said I'm still working out some nice side paneling for the laser, as well fine tuning the arduino code, and most likely will
integrate a small cheap laptop into the top control panel, to have a nice slick stand alone system...

-andy

[WickedAndy]

oh.... one more thing...


I'll leave this as a tease as it's not quiet ready for prime time yet....

3D Engraving with the AWC603..



-andy

and one more video, a overview of the laser in action, cutting 1/8" plywood... and showing the basic ardiuno display.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1o0VwvMZC4

[ivantandy]

I am very interested in the Arduino flavour to your build. Are you employing the board as a monitoring device that displays status output or is it actually parsing gcode to achieve 2.5D?

[intelinc]

This is an awesome post! Thanks for all of the detail, and for posting the BOM you used. I've been eying building a lasersaur for a while, but the costs there work out less and less. This is in the same ballpark spec-wise, but at under half the cost.

I'm curious about your use of the cooling block as opposed to a chiller. Clearly the former is less expensive, but it looks like the block is only rated for 60w. Was this simply an expected usage over cost calculation, or is this a viable option for the 80w tube without negatively impacting tube longevity? Thanks!

Ryan

[Tech_Marco]

I totally amazed that ivantandy built the machine within 1 week!! It is an outstanding job I ever seem. Great job!!!
Thank you for all you guys support and confidence on my products

Ryan: It is better to have water chiller for 80W unless my 'water cool design' work. Until the prototype water cooler (not chiller) and tested, I highly recommend to use a water chiller like the CW5000. BY the way, I'll launch my own version water chiller cooler than CW5200 but cheaper!


Regards,
Marco

[ivantandy]

Well ivantandy didn't build his own laser in one week wickedandy did... ivantandy is still struggling to get his k40 upgrade to work properly... seems I was a victim of the 40W power supply pull down resistor problem only recently discussed. I have used my PSU at 220 but mA is still low. The trim pot increased to 27000 results in 16mA on AX110 setting

[Tech_Marco]

Is it the original power supply (PSU) that came with the K40?

Everything take time to learn. Once you have completed the project, it would be a great accomplishment and you will be proud of yourself!
Don't worry, we all here are willing to help you should you have any problem.

Marco

[rafaelsela]

After looking around the LightObject website, I drafted a post containing a series of questions that a beginner is likely to ask... I saved it as a draft, and then found this build log which answered about 95% of my questions... BRAVO!

At a total cost of $4K, this is truly a bargin... and the build log really does take a lot of guesswork out of it.

I still have a number of questions, because for my own purposes I don't know whether I actually need an 80W machine. The main application for me would be cutting balsa and plywood (no thicker than 1/4" in either case) for making model airplane kits (mostly for my OWN use). For this, would a 40W machine be sufficient? I am also considering the size of the machine, and, given the size of my workshop, would have to settle for a 60x40cm bed.

Questions:

0) The 60x40cm is not as "long" as the 40W laser tube. I would have to offset it, so would it make sense to go with the 90x60 bed instead? Or... could I tuck some of the other electronic components in the space off the end of the bed?

1) Would I get adequate performance from a 40W laser? what am I giving up? Does higher cutting speed correspond to more refined, thinner kerf?

2) If I go with a 40W laser, can I get by with a simple radiator and fan cooling system? Also, does the water "go bad", or does the circulation through the laser tube sterilize it?

3) I am looking for reasonably good quality/precision in the cutting. 0.25 mm resolution (250 microns) would be great, but i don't know if it is realistic. would I get satisfactory resolution if I used the less expensive XY frame (There is a 60x40 model for under $250 on the website). Will the smaller motors, and the quoted lower travel speeds on that frame provide adequate performance? If I go with the less expensive model, I would also be able to use 2-phase stepper motor controllers that I already have... or that I could purchase for half the price of the ones required to drive the higher-quality XY frame...

4) Some of the wood sheets I could be cutting are quite thin, and flexible. Is it possible to include a "vacuum table" concept into the design to hold them down gently? With the airflow induced THROUGH the cut, is there increased risk of ignition?

5) What would I need in the way of additional safety precautions? (fire extinguisher handy, protective glasses, machine-stop logic...)

6) What kind of 'trouble' do I run into if I try to control the machine strictly from my PC through the parallel port driving a pair of stepper motor controllers? Will the $400 price tag of the controller you offer offset the time and aggravation for me? I want to build the machine, but I don't want to spend TOO much time tinkering with the logic...

Finally... the frame kit offered on the website is a masterpiece... but, at $550 for the 60x40 cm version, very expensive for me. I am also seeing that it would cost me a LOT to ship... is the $235 in addition to the $550 price tag? 1"x1" 6' long aluminum extrusions are available for about $20 apiece, and at moderate shipping costs for my location (East coast), so I could get about 30 feet of that material for about $150 (including shipping), but this still leaves me with the hardware needed to join them. My question is... is there an issue with building a "benchtop" version of the machine with a metal base, and constructing a wooden cabinet for it, except for aluminum extrusion and sheet metal for the parts that might be "inside the box" where the burning takes place? This would be considerably less expensive.

Without going through a detailed calculation, if I were to build a smaller machine as described above, could I build the device for around $2500? Is there a commercial offering out there for a comparable price that would match the quality of the parts I would put in the DIY version?

I know I ask a lot of questions... I hope someone can find the time to provide at least a FEW answers... I would really like to get started on this project. The main focus, for me, is to make parts for (reasonably small) model aircraft, but I also expect that building this equipment will be interesting in its own right. Any advice would be greatly appreciated... I have a reasonable background with 'building things', and with electronics. THANKS!

[Tech_Marco]

After looking around the LightObject website, I drafted a post containing a series of questions that a beginner is likely to ask... I saved it as a draft, and then found this build log which answered about 95% of my questions... BRAVO!

At a total cost of $4K, this is truly a bargin... and the build log really does take a lot of guesswork out of it.

I still have a number of questions, because for my own purposes I don't know whether I actually need an 80W machine. The main application for me would be cutting balsa and plywood (no thicker than 1/4" in either case) for making model airplane kits (mostly for my OWN use). For this, would a 40W machine be sufficient? I am also considering the size of the machine, and, given the size of my workshop, would have to settle for a 60x40cm bed.

Questions:

0) The 60x40cm is not as "long" as the 40W laser tube. I would have to offset it, so would it make sense to go with the 90x60 bed instead? Or... could I tuck some of the other electronic components in the space off the end of the bed?
Ans: the 600x400 can't fit the 830~850mm 40W tube but the over-all system should be good enough as there is some space need for DSP controller panel and power supply. You can't just have the XY stage running without attaching the power supply, DSP, and other parts

1) Would I get adequate performance from a 40W laser? what am I giving up? Does higher cutting speed correspond to more refined, thinner kerf?
Ans: You can't use longer focus lens for better 'cutting edge' on thicker object. 40W tube work well with 50.8mm focus lens but if you want to cut 1/2" MDF or plywood, you better to have 68.5mm or 75mm so that the cutting edge looks more 'flat' (it still show some inclination on the surface. Longer focus help to improve it and just a matter of how much of improvement)

2) If I go with a 40W laser, can I get by with a simple radiator and fan cooling system? Also, does the water "go bad", or does the circulation through the laser tube sterilize it?
Ans: Yes or not. It all depends on your room temperature. If you're working in a nice air-conditional cooled office, sure a radiator is good enough. But if it is operating in a warehouse without cooling somehow, you may use it in shorter time like 15~20min per cutting.

3) I am looking for reasonably good quality/precision in the cutting. 0.25 mm resolution (250 microns) would be great, but i don't know if it is realistic. would I get satisfactory resolution if I used the less expensive XY frame (There is a 60x40 model for under $250 on the website). Will the smaller motors, and the quoted lower travel speeds on that frame provide adequate performance? If I go with the less expensive model, I would also be able to use 2-phase stepper motor controllers that I already have... or that I could purchase for half the price of the ones required to drive the higher-quality XY frame...
Ans: It should be way better than that. I believe our stage can go as detail as 0.05mm or less but smaller than 0.1mm seems not practical as the finest of focused beam seems having 0.1mm in diameter

4) Some of the wood sheets I could be cutting are quite thin, and flexible. Is it possible to include a "vacuum table" concept into the design to hold them down gently? With the airflow induced THROUGH the cut, is there increased risk of ignition?
Ans: You just need to use honeycomb bed with a good exhaust fan and it will hold it in good posistion

5) What would I need in the way of additional safety precautions? (fire extinguisher handy, protective glasses, machine-stop logic...)
Ans: You make the call

6) What kind of 'trouble' do I run into if I try to control the machine strictly from my PC through the parallel port driving a pair of stepper motor controllers? Will the $400 price tag of the controller you offer offset the time and aggravation for me? I want to build the machine, but I don't want to spend TOO much time tinkering with the logic...
Ans: We don't use parallel port at all but solely USB. If you're not a DIY guy who enjoyed the fun of building things, then you should get a completed system instead. Because more or less you will encountered some issued here or there. Without patience or you need something in production great, then I highly suggest you not to do DIY

Finally... the frame kit offered on the website is a masterpiece... but, at $550 for the 60x40 cm version, very expensive for me. I am also seeing that it would cost me a LOT to ship... is the $235 in addition to the $550 price tag? 1"x1" 6' long aluminum extrusions are available for about $20 apiece, and at moderate shipping costs for my location (East coast), so I could get about 30 feet of that material for about $150 (including shipping), but this still leaves me with the hardware needed to join them. My question is... is there an issue with building a "benchtop" version of the machine with a metal base, and constructing a wooden cabinet for it, except for aluminum extrusion and sheet metal for the parts that might be "inside the box" where the burning takes place? This would be considerably less expensive.

Ans: Shipping already an extra on top of the price tag. If you can buy extrusion locally and make cut and drill holes sure you can do it. But what about the 'logic' things you mentioned on #6. as it take a lot of work to plan how to cut, where to cut, where to drill and ..... many many things that need to take int account. Notice that you need to buy a metal saw for cutting, a nice drill for making hole, make threaded holes for M screws, balancing.... it is not as easy as you though. If so, then I won't spend that much time of design the frame kit and ship it from China. Of course there are a lot of folks who has very good hardware skill and can do it from scratch like you said, buy those extrusion aluminum and make the cut them-self. It is totally "mission possible". It is just a matter of tooling you have handy and the extra time you can spare out for the extra work

Without going through a detailed calculation, if I were to build a smaller machine as described above, could I build the device for around $2500? Is there a commercial offering out there for a comparable price that would match the quality of the parts I would put in the DIY version?
Ans: If DIY with the Lite version XY stage, $2500 should be Ok. For the machine I let you do your own research.

I know I ask a lot of questions... I hope someone can find the time to provide at least a FEW answers... I would really like to get started on this project. The main focus, for me, is to make parts for (reasonably small) model aircraft, but I also expect that building this equipment will be interesting in its own right. Any advice would be greatly appreciated... I have a reasonable background with 'building things', and with electronics. THANKS!

Ans: You need to ask yourself how much time you have and what is your budget. Once you're in, you got no way out but finish it because I don't do refund for laser tube or optics. Even return shipping cost will cost you a lot if you decided to return it. You need to evaluate the cost vs time for doing DIY or buying a complete machine.


Marco