Hi,
Im wondering if any of you have added a laser cutter head to a mpcnc. I am thinking of choosing the co2 type but am not really sure what basic components are necessary to make it work. I want to be able to use the laser cutter on different materials especially to cut through wood. Any suggestions or recommendations on what types of laser cutters work best would be much appreciated.
Thanks
There are a few videos and things on thingiverse for diode based laser add-ons. A CO2 laser is a whole different beast, you need the tube, power supply, optics and a great ventilation system, and shielding. I have wanted to do this but, I don’t really need to spend that kind of money when the $55 dewalt mows through wood much faster than a laser.
Keep us informed of the build if you go for it please.
Would it be cheaper in the case of getting a laser to get a high powered diode based? I see that they are only a couple of watts, does this mean they aren’t good for cutting?
As Ryan mentioned, there are some videos on youtube featuring the MPCNC with a laser. I think most of them are using one of the J Tech Photonics lasers. Here’s the one I’m hoping Santa (my wife) gets me for Christmas: http://jtechphotonics.com/?product=new-2-8w-laser-and-2-5amp-safety-compliant-driver-kit-with-us-style-power-adapter.
As far as cutting, I think it depends on what you want to cut. I intend to cut foam board, balsa, and thin plywood, and also plan to use it for engraving metal and wood. I also expect something of a learning curve, as I have no experience with high powered lasers and I think you have to modify the gcode or something to get it working.
What do you guys think of this? Looks like a cheaper alternative. It claims to be a 2.5W 445nm module for only $86.99 in USA. I still have a lot of research to do on lasers, but curious to hear about some input on this module.
Wow, that’s really interesting! I would be interested to hear from one of the folks with laser experience if this would be suitable. I know the J Tech Photonics one I linked to earlier has been used successfully. This one would sure be a lot cheaper if it would work. I wonder how you would turn it on and off with the ramps board.