How to make a laser We make a laser engraver with our own hands. DIY laser engraver - a great solution for the workshop Laser engraver assembly
There is no limit to the imagination of modern craftsmen. They are able not only to create a CNC machine from cd-rom, but also to make a laser module, which can then be used in a programmable engraver. They are capable of more difficult experiments. Some people have already managed to make a 3D printer, taking a CNC machine as a basis, and then installing a print head. You can implement the most fantastic ideas if you wish.
Second life for old drives
Many are interested in the secondary use of equipment components with the status of obsolete. There are already interesting publications on the Internet about where to find a use for old CD or DVD drives.
One of the craftsmen made a CNC machine from a dvd-Rom with his own hands, although a CD-ROM is also suitable for control. Everything that is available is used. The machine is designed for the manufacture of printed circuit boards in electronics and milling-engraving of small workpieces. The sequence of work can be formulated as follows:
- It will take three DVD-ROM drives for precise positioning to coordinate machine move along three axes. Drives must be disassembled and unnecessary elements removed. On the chassis should remain only stepper motor along with the sliding mechanism.
IMPORTANT! The chassis of the disassembled drive must be metal, not plastic.
- Since the DVD motor is bipolar, it is enough to ring both windings with a tester to determine their purpose.
- Some people doubt whether the power of the motor is enough, did it move the right distance? To reduce the engine effort, it is important to decide that the table will be movable, and not of the portal type.
- The base of the bed is 13.5x17 cm, and the height of the bars for the vertical stand of the machine is 24 cm. Although DVD drives from manufacturers may differ in size.
- Next, you need to take stepper motors to solder the control wires (it doesn’t matter if these will be motor contacts or a cable loop).
- Since the connection with screws is not acceptable here, wooden rectangles (future platforms) that will move along three axes must be glued to the moving parts of the engine.
- The spindle will be an electric motor with two screw clamps. It must be extremely light, otherwise it will be difficult for CD / DVD mechanisms to lift it.
Can you do a laser engraver?
To build a laser module, a program goal is set: it must have easy focusing, a fairly rigid structure, and it is made using only improvised materials.
This is a simple matter, but the performer must have accuracy and accuracy in order to homemade device in his hands it looked beautiful and, most importantly, it worked.
Worth a look brief instructions proposed by another home master.
You will need to stock up on such components:
- electric motor from DVD drive;
- a laser diode and a plastic lens from a dvd drive (up to 300 MW so that it does not melt);
- metal washer with an inner diameter of 5 mm;
- three screws and the same number of small springs from a ballpoint pen.
In such an engraver there are two movement mechanisms, vertical movement for the laser is not needed. The laser LED is used as a cutting or burning tool.
ATTENTION! You need to know the intricacies of the laser. Even its occasional glare can harm your eyesight. Extreme caution is needed.
Since the diameters of the laser diode and the holes in the motor housing are slightly different, the smaller one will have to be expanded. The conductors soldered to the diode should be insulated with heat shrink tubing.
The diode is pressed into the hole so that good thermal contact between them is achieved. The laser diode from above can be closed with a brass sleeve taken from this engine. Three cutouts are made in the washer for the screws. The lens inserted into the hole of the washer is carefully glued, avoiding getting glue on it.
The lens is attached to the body. After making sure that it is able to move freely along the bolts, the position is fixed. Using the screws, focus the beam as accurately as possible. Such a laser dvd drives used in engraving.
How can Arduino be used
A small board with its own processor and memory, contacts - Arduino - is used in the design process electronic devices. In a way, this is an electronic designer that interacts with environment. Light bulbs, sensors, motors, routers, magnetic locks to doors can be connected to the board through contacts - everything that is powered by electricity.
In a previous article, I described the experience of assembling and setting up an engraver from a Chinese kit. After working with the device, I realized that it would be useful in my laboratory. The task is set, I will solve it.
There are two solutions on the horizon - ordering a kit in China and developing your own design.
DESIGN FAILURES WITH ALIEXPRESS
As I wrote in the previous article, the set turned out to be quite efficient. The practice of working with the machine revealed the following design flaws:
- Poor design of the carriage. In the video in the previous article, this is clearly visible.
- The rollers of the movable units are mounted on the panels with M5 screws and connected to the panel on one side only. At the same time, no matter how you tighten the screws, there is a backlash.
PLASTIC PARTS
Since the frame from the machine tool profile is quite worthy, it was possible to eliminate the identified shortcomings by processing plastic parts.
I described the laser holder quite well in. I also added an additional detail to the design, connecting all four rollers on the right and left panels. The detail made it possible to eliminate backlash when moving the panels.
All parts have enough simple shapes and do not require supports and other printing difficulties.
To order a set of plastic parts, go to the online store:
Models of plastic parts for printing are available:
DEMONSTRATION OF WORK
The work of the engraver and his appearance can be seen in the next video.
ENGRAVER DESIGN
The frame of the engraver is built on a machine aluminum profile 20x40. The parts that carry the moving parts of the engraver are made on a 3D printer. The moving parts move on standard rollers. The carriage carrying the laser module allows you to adjust the height of the laser above the desktop, which allows you to focus the power of the laser beam in a fairly large range.
The assembly of the structure is shown in 3D PDF format.
ASSEMBLY
The design is very simple. For this reason, a lot of time and torment for assembly will not go away if you follow the recommended assembly sequence.
STEP 1. FRAME
As described above, the frame is built from a 20x40 structural profile. Internal corners are used to twist the profile together.
On longer parts, in the central holes of the ends, a thread is cut for mounting legs and side panels (at an average length).
The frame is twisted at the corners, with short parts inward. At this stage, do not fully tighten the screws - it is better to do this after installing the legs.
The legs are attached with screws at four points. This is done so that the frame is assembled without possible distortions.
First you need to secure all four legs, again without fully tightening the fasteners.
Now we need to find the maximum flat surface! Expose all the details in such a way that the frame "stands" tightly, without playing on the surface.
We stretch all the fasteners, starting with inner corners and controlling possible distortions with a square.
STEP 2. RIGHT PANEL
Before assembling the right panel, a flexible coupling must be installed on the motor shaft.
Then you need to screw the stepper motor through a plastic spacer.
The position of the cable outlet and the spacer are clearly visible in the figure below.
STEP 3. LEFT PANEL
To assemble the left panel, you only need to press the bearing into the hole.
I tried to eliminate the gluing operation. To do this, "let off a wave" on the surface of the hole for installing the bearing. For this reason, it is necessary to push the bearing in with force.
STEP 4. MOUNTING THE LEFT PANEL
Then install the assembly on the profile.
And fix the bottom rollers. The figure clearly shows that the mounting holes of the screws for fastening the rollers have a stroke of several millimeters. This is done so that the upper and lower rollers can be pulled together well on the profile, eliminating play. The only thing is that you need to act carefully and not overtighten. In this case, the stepper motor will require excessive force to move the panels.
STEP 5. MOUNTING THE RIGHT PANEL
The following parts are required for installation.
First you need to install the upper rollers.
Then install the assembly on the profile and install the lower rollers. Further installation is identical to the installation of the left panel.
After tightening the screws, you will need to check the progress of the panel. It should move easily enough and at the same time there should be no backlash.
STEP 6. MOUNTING THE CARRIAGE GUIDE
Both panels are used in this design to transmit movement along the Y axis. In order not to use 2 stepper motors, the torque is transmitted to the left panel through a shaft with a diameter of 5mm. After preparing the details, let's get started.
First, the connecting shaft is installed and clamped with the locking screws of the flexible coupling.
When installing, make sure that the pulleys are not forgotten. There is no need to hard fasten them at the moment. Adjustment will be required when tightening the belts.
STEP 7. CARRIAGE
The assembly of the carriage is discussed in detail in a previous article ...
Assembly is not difficult.
STEP 8. MOUNTING THE CARRIAGE TO THE RAIL
First you need to collect all the necessary details.
All mounting operations are identical to panel mounting operations.
STEP 9. INSTALL THE BELTS
The belts are attracted by screws under the profile nuts. You will need to cut 3 belts in place and prepare fasteners.
To begin with, the edge of the belt is located in the niche of the profile with the tooth down. After that, the nut is installed. It will take some force to install the nut.
While tensioning the belt, you will need to set the position of the pulley. The pulley is set so that the belt rubs against the side faces of the pulley as little as possible throughout the course.
To install the carriage guide belt, it is better to raise it as shown in the figure below, since it is still better to install the nuts in the niche from the end.
After the guide is lowered to a regular place.
Before tightening the second "tail" of the belt, make sure that the belt is tight enough.
This completes the assembly of mechanics.
CONTROLLER
I plan to prepare a description of the controllers for controlling the engraver in a separate article. Follow the publications!
ASSEMBLY KIT AND TURNKEY LASER ENGRAVER
Since December 2017, I have been accepting orders for a complete assembly kit and an assembled, configured and completely ready-to-use laser engraver described in the article. Information is available in the online store.
If the article helped you and you want to support new projects, the support link:
Engravers are widely used in various industries production not only for engraving various materials, but also for drilling miniature holes, polishing, grinding, milling. The same operations with their help can be performed at home. If this is required only occasionally, or you just need to save money on buying a tool, then a mini-drill can be made independently from unnecessary equipment, which often lies unused in garages or storage rooms. With the help of home-made drills, it will be possible to perform the same operations as with a factory tool of similar power, only you will need to use the appropriate nozzles.
According to the features of their functioning, engravers are divided into milling and laser engravers. In the first, the material is processed with various nozzles. In laser models, all the work is done by a laser beam - this is non-contact engraving. At the same time, such a device belongs to the category of high-tech equipment. But homemade engraver it is possible to do at home.
To create a laser engraver with your own hands, you will need the following parts, tools and materials:
- stepper motors from a dvd drive;
- computing platform Arduino;
- Proto Board with display;
- limit switches for motors;
- laser module (for example, with a power of 3 W);
- a device for adjusting the magnitude of the constant voltage;
- laser cooling system;
- MOSFET (transistor);
- boards for assembling motor control elements;
- frame;
- toothed pulleys and belts for them;
- various sizes of bearings;
- wooden boards: 2 pieces measuring 135x10x2 cm and two more - 125x10x2 cm;
- 4 round metal rods with a section of 10 mm;
- lubricant;
- clamps, bolts with washers and nuts;
- vise;
- locksmith tools;
- drill;
- electric jigsaw or circular saw;
- files or sandpaper;
- computer or laptop.
Stepper motors can be taken not only from DVD, but also from a printer that is practically not used.
The machine is assembled according to the following algorithm:
- create a foundation;
- mount guides with movable carriages;
- collect wiring diagram;
- establish desired programs on computer;
- carry out adjustment (adjustment) of the laser head;
- check the functionality of the machine.
Connection diagram stepper electric motors taken from inkjet printer or DVD, shown in the photo below.
The entire sequence of actions that allows you to assemble a laser engraver on arduino is shown in detail in the video below.
The created CNC engraver will cost much cheaper than any factory-produced laser models. It can be used for making stamps, for photoresist, for working with wood, plywood, plastic, cardboard, polystyrene foam and cork sheets. Metal engraving is also possible.
Assembling an electric engraver with a tripod and a flexible shaft
An electric engraver is the most common type of this kind of tool at home. To make a functionally complete device on your own, capable of competing with analogues industrial production, you will need an electric motor that runs on alternating current 220 V. Such electric motors can be taken from the following equipment:
- Soviet-style reel-to-reel tape recorders;
- DVD players;
- washing machines;
- angle grinders;
- electric sewing machines.
The latter option is optimal, because it is possible to adjust the speed in a fairly wide range using the built-in rheostat.
For domestic use a drill with an idle speed of up to 6 thousand revolutions per minute is enough.
Holding an electric motor from any of the listed types of equipment in one hand is inconvenient, and in most cases it is simply impossible. Therefore, it will be necessary flexible shaft for engraver. Wherein general form the future device will turn out, approximately, as in the photo below.
The functionality of the created device for engraving will depend on the materials and mechanisms used in the assembly. The motor can be put on the table, but it is more convenient to do tripod for engraver, or rather its likeness.
Production of a flexible shaft
With a flexible shaft, everything is relatively simple. It can be done in several ways:
- from an old drive shaft, for example, from a dental drill;
- using the speedometer cable of a motorcycle or car.
The shaft attachment can also be used from a drill or make your own from different materials, for example, from wood, textolite, plastic pipes. From textolite a device (handle) for holding the snap is done like this:
- cut off 2 textolite platinum (sheet thickness should be about 1 cm) about 2 by 10 cm in size;
- connect them together and grind them with a file or sandpaper on the outside to make a cylinder;
- pierced with inside grooves;
- metal rings fix the parts with each other;
- a tube is inserted into the front of the handle, under a cartridge consisting of two separate halves connected with a bolt.
As a result, you get a handle, as in the photo below.
The internal hole made between the textolite plates must be of such a section that it does not interfere with the free rotation of the cable. It will be possible to insert nozzles with a shank diameter from 2 to 5 mm into the chuck.
Assembling the engraving machine
It is very easy to make a tripod (base for installing an electric motor) from plywood or the same textolite. To do this, proceed as follows:
- cut out from a sheet of material several pieces (4 is enough) of the size corresponding to the electric motor;
- a motor is attached to one of the fragments using clamps;
- collect a box;
- a hole is drilled in the front for a flexible shaft.
The created structure is suspended from the wall.
Convenient to use factory clamp holder for the engraver, if the size of the electric motor allows. Mount connects to any table. But such a device will need to be purchased additionally.
Further assembly of the engraving device is performed in the following sequence:
- using a coupling created from a drilled bolt, the cable is connected to the motor shaft;
- put a rubber hose of the appropriate diameter on the cable and attach the handle made to it;
- install the start button;
- connect the equipment to the network;
- check the performance of the device.
A homemade drill will allow you to process wood, bone, metal, glass, plastic, ceramic blanks, as well as different metals, natural and artificial stone.
You can also use electric motors to create home-made straight grinders, rated for 380 V, but if they can be adjusted to 220. In such cases, you will need to tinker extra. Information on this issue a lot both on the Internet and in books on electrical engineering.
Making a mini drill from a motor
It happens that at home it is required to make small holes in wood or plastic, while drills from a drill are not suitable. In such cases, a homemade mini-drill from a motor will help. It can also be used to wood engraving. And if there is an interest in amateur radio, then using the created tool, you can drill and cut boards.
To create makeshift fixture, you will need to take a miniature electric motor from an old tape recorder. even fit various models motors from children's toys. If you use a mini-engine from a 12 V tape recorder as a drive, then you will also need the following materials and parts:
- power supply unit or several batteries (accumulator) with 12 V output;
- a piece of plastic pipe (about 10 cm long) with such a cross section that a miniature electric motor can be inserted inside;
- heat-resistant glue;
- power button;
- wiring for electrical connections.
Do-it-yourself mini-drill is assembled according to the following algorithm:
- using an electric drill or a knife, make a hole in the tube for the switch;
- lubricate the motor with glue to fix it inside the future case;
- insert the motor into the tube;
- any of the wires through which the motor is powered is protruded into a hole previously drilled in the housing, and the other end is left on the back of the housing;
- one wire from the power supply is inserted into the hole for the button;
- solder the switch to the protruding ends with a soldering iron, carefully isolating the contacts;
- the two wires remaining from the end of the tube (from the button and the motor) are connected to the connector for connecting the power supply;
- cut off the neck of any plastic bottle;
- make a hole in the center of the cover for the connector and glue these parts together;
- glue the neck to the tube;
- connect the assembled mini drill to the power supply;
- by pressing a button, they check the performance of the homemade product.
Supply unit voltage should be selected so that it matches the operating voltage of the electric motor used.
To make a mini drill autonomous, it is enough just to adapt batteries to it.
Homemade dremel from a drill and a blender
If you have an old or unnecessary blender, then it is also easy to make a mini-drill out of it. This household appliance already have a comfortable handle. In addition to the blender itself, you will also need such devices and additional parts:
- tools to disassemble the device (screwdrivers with different tips, pliers);
- caliper or ruler;
- collet;
- soldering iron with soldering kit;
- file for finishing, sandpaper;
- switch.
You can do without the last detail, but then you will need to constantly hold the power button with your hand while working with a straight grinder.
An engraver from a blender is created like this:
- neatly disassemble household appliances;
- take out internal parts: electric motor and printed circuit board, which controls the operation of the device;
- using a caliper, measure the diameter of the spindle in order to purchase a collet chuck suitable for it;
- if the electric motor is contaminated with something, for example, rust, then it is carefully cleaned with care so as not to damage the windings;
- fix the purchased collet chuck (or made by yourself) on the spindle;
- the power button already on the blender is replaced with a switch: solder the wire contacts;
- adapting a hole in the housing of the household appliance for a new switch;
- install the electric motor with the board in their places inside the case;
- collect the tool.
Depending on the model of the blender you are converting, you may need to do additional holes in its case, or expand existing ones with a file. Doing this won't be a problem.
The entire described process of assembling a dremel from a blender is demonstrated in detail in the video below.
You can not remake the blender, but simply connect a flexible shaft for a factory-made engraver to it. The docking method is shown in the video below.
You can also make an engraver from a drill. The assembly of variants with and without a flexible shaft is shown in the following videos.
Making an engraver from a 3D printer
An ordinary 3D printer is a good basis for creating an engraver with which you can cut various materials, do crafts and perform other operations. To upgrade an existing device, you will need an additional install fee, which will feed the operational circuits of the equipment and the laser module.
An engraving machine created from a 3D printer is demonstrated in the following video.
In addition to the considered simplest ways to create a homemade engraving machine from a 3D printer, a small electric motor, a small electric motor, a blender and a drill, there are also other options. At the same time, both this technique and other power tools are used as a basis. Craftsmen constantly come up with new modifications, showing design imagination. Implementing in practice any of the above options or independent development, one should provide security created homemade. To do this, it is necessary to isolate the electrical contacts well and to reliably assemble the equipment.
Sometimes it is necessary to beautifully sign a gift, but it is not clear how to do it. The paint spreads and quickly wears off, the marker is not an option. Engraving works best for this. You don’t even have to spend money on it, since anyone who knows how to solder can make a laser engraver with their own hands from a printer.
Device and principle of operation
The main element of the engraver is a semiconductor laser. It emits a focused and very bright beam of light that burns through the material being processed. By adjusting the radiation power, you can change the depth and speed of burning.
The basis of the laser diode is a semiconductor crystal, above and below which are P and N regions. Electrodes are connected to them, through which current is supplied. Between these areas is a P - N junction.
Compared to an ordinary laser diode, it looks like a giant: its crystal can be examined in detail with the naked eye.
The values can be deciphered as follows:
- P (positive) area.
- P - N transition.
- N (negative) area.
The ends of the crystal are polished to perfection, so it works like an optical resonator. Electrons flowing from the positively charged region to the negative region excite photons in the P-N transition. Reflecting from the walls of the crystal, each photon generates two similar ones, which, in turn, also divide, and so on ad infinitum. Chain reaction, flowing in the crystal of a semiconductor laser, is called the pumping process. The more energy is fed into the crystal, the more of it is pumped into the laser beam. In theory, you can saturate it indefinitely, but in practice everything is different.
During operation, the diode heats up, and it has to be cooled. If you constantly increase the power supplied to the crystal, sooner or later the moment will come when the cooling system can no longer cope with heat removal and the diode will burn out.
The power of laser diodes usually does not exceed 50 watts. When this value is exceeded, it becomes difficult to effective system cooling, so high-power diodes are extremely expensive to manufacture.
There are semiconductor lasers with 10 or more kilowatts, but they are all composite. Their optical resonator is pumped with low-power diodes, the number of which can reach several hundred.
Composite lasers are not used in engravers, as their power is too high.
Creating a laser engraver
For simple jobs, like burning patterns on a tree, complex and expensive devices are not needed. A homemade laser engraver powered by a battery will suffice.
Before making an engraver, you need to prepare the following parts for its assembly:
Remove the write head from the DVD drive.
Carefully remove the focusing lens and disassemble the head housing until you see 2 lasers hidden in heat-distributing shrouds.
One of them is infrared, for reading information from a disk. The second, red, is the writer. In order to distinguish them, apply a voltage of 3 volts to their terminals.
Pinout:
Before checking, be sure to put on dark glasses. Never check the laser by looking at the diode window. You need to look only at the reflection of the beam.
It is necessary to select the laser that lit up. The rest can be thrown away if you do not know where to apply it. To protect against static, solder all the leads of the diode together and set it aside. Saw off a 15 cm piece from the profile. Drill a hole in it for the tact button. Make cutouts in the box for the profile, charging socket and switch.
The schematic diagram of a do-it-yourself DVD laser engraver is as follows:
Tin the contact pads on the charge control board and holder:
Using wires to the B+ and B- terminals of the charge controller, solder the battery compartment. Contacts + and - go to the socket, the remaining 2 - to the laser diode. At first hinged mounting solder the laser power circuit and insulate it well with adhesive tape.
Make sure that the conclusions of the radio components are not shorted to each other. Solder a laser diode and a button to the power circuit. Place the assembled device in the profile and glue the laser with thermally conductive glue. Fasten the rest of the details to Double-sided tape. Install the pushbutton in its place.
Insert the profile into the box, bring out the wires and secure it with hot glue. Solder the switch and install it. Follow the same procedure for the charging socket. Use a heat gun to glue the battery compartment and charge controller into place. Insert the battery into the holder and close the box with a lid.
Before use, you need to set up the laser. To do this, place a piece of paper 10 centimeters away from it, which will be the target for the laser beam. Place the focusing lens in front of the diode. Moving it away and bringing it closer, achieve a target burn. Glue the lens to the profile in the place where the greatest effect has been achieved.
The assembled engraver is perfect for small jobs and recreational purposes such as lighting matches and burning balloons.
Remember that the engraver is not a toy and should not be given to children. The laser beam, if it enters the eyes, causes irreversible consequences, so keep the device out of the reach of children.
CNC tool manufacturing
With large volumes of work, a conventional engraver will not cope with the load. If you are going to use it often and a lot, you will need a CNC device.
Assembling the interior
Even at home, you can make a laser engraver. To do this, stepper motors and guides must be removed from the printer. They will drive the laser.
Full list necessary details as follows:
Wiring diagram for all components:
View from above:
Explanation of designations:
- Semiconductor laser with heatsink.
- Carriage.
- X axis guides.
- Pressure rollers.
- Stepper motor.
- Leading gear.
- Toothed belt.
- Guide fasteners.
- Gears.
- Stepper motors.
- Base made of sheet metal.
- Y axis guides.
- X axis carriages.
- toothed belts.
- Mounting supports.
- Limit switches.
Measure the length of the guides and divide them into two groups. The first one will have 4 short ones, the second one will have 2 long ones. Guides from the same group must be the same length.
Add 10 centimeters to the length of each group of guides and cut the base according to the dimensions obtained. From scraps, bend the U-shaped supports for fasteners and weld them to the base. Mark and drill holes for the bolts.
Drill a hole in the heatsink and glue the laser into it using thermally conductive glue. Solder wires and a transistor to it. Bolt the radiator to the carriage.
Install the rail mounts on the two supports and fix them with bolts. Insert the Y-axis guides into the mounts, put the X-axis carriages on their free ends. Insert the remaining guides with the laser head mounted on them into them. Put the fasteners on the Y-axis guides and screw them to the supports.
Drill holes in the mounting points of the electric motors and gear axles. Install the stepper motors in their places and put the drive gears on their shafts. Insert axes pre-cut from a metal rod into the holes and fix them epoxy glue. After it hardens, put on the gear axles and pressure rollers with bearings inserted into them.
Install the timing belts as shown in the diagram. Pull them tight before attaching. Check the mobility of the X-axis and the laser head. They must move from little effort, rotating through the belts all the rollers and gears.
Connect the wires to the laser, motors and limit switches and tighten them with cable ties. Lay the resulting bundles in movable cable channels and fix them on the carriages.
Bring the ends of the wires out.
Case manufacturing
Drill holes in the base for the corners. Step back from its edges 2 centimeters and draw a rectangle.
Its width and length repeats the dimensions of the future case. The height of the case must be such that all internal mechanisms fit into it.
Explanation of designations:
- Loops.
- Tact button (start/stop).
- Arduino power switch.
- Laser switch.
- 2.1 x 5.5mm jack for 5V power supply.
- protective box DC-DC inverter.
- Wires.
- Arduino protective box.
- Body fasteners.
- corners.
- Base.
- Feet made of non-slip material.
- Lid.
Cut out all the body parts from plywood and fasten them with corners. Use the hinges to attach the cover to the case and screw it to the base. Cut a hole in the front wall and push the wires through it.
Assemble protective covers from plywood and cut holes in them for the button, switches and sockets. Place the Arduino in the case so that the USB connector lines up with the hole provided for it. Set the DC-DC converter to 3V at 2A. Attach it to the housing.
Reinstall the button, power socket, switches and solder the electrical circuit of the engraver together. After soldering all the wires, install the casings on the body and screw them with self-tapping screws. For the engraver to work, you need to upload the firmware to the Arduino.
After the firmware, turn on the engraver and press the "Start" button. Leave the laser off. Pressing the button will start the calibration process, during which the microcontroller will measure and store the length of all axes and determine the position of the laser head. After its completion, the engraver will be completely ready for work.
Before you start working with the engraver, you need to convert the images into a format that the Arduino understands. This can be done using the Inkscape Laserengraver program. Move the selected image into it and click on Convert. Send the resulting file via cable to the Arduino and start the printing process by turning on the laser before that.
Such an engraver can only process objects consisting of organic matter: wood, plastic, fabrics, paint coatings and others. Metals, glass and ceramics cannot be engraved on it.
Never turn on the engraver with the lid open. The laser beam, getting into the eyes, concentrates on the retina, damaging it. Reflex closure of the eyelids will not save you - the laser will have time to burn out a section of the retina even before they slam shut. In this case, you may not feel anything, but over time, the retina will begin to peel off, which can lead to complete or partial loss of vision.
If you catch a laser "bunny", contact an ophthalmologist as soon as possible - this will help to avoid serious problems further.
It took the author 4 months to assemble such an engraver, its power is 2 watts. This is not too much, but it allows you to engrave on wood and plastic. Also, the device can cut a cork tree. The article contains all necessary material to create an engraver, including STL files for printing structural components, as well as electronic circuits for connecting engines, lasers, and so on.
Video of the engraver:
Materials and tools:
Access to a 3D printer;
- rods from of stainless steel 5/16";
- bronze bushings (for plain bearings);
- diode M140 for 2 W;
- radiator and coolers to create diode cooling;
- stepper motors, pulleys, toothed belts;
- Super glue;
- wooden beam;
- plywood;
- bolts with nuts;
- acrylic (for creating inserts);
- G-2 lens and driver;
- thermal paste;
- protective glasses;
- Arduino UNO controller;
- drill, cutting tool, self-tapping screws, etc.
Engraver manufacturing process:
Step one. Create the Y axis
First, in Autodesk Inventor, you need to develop a printer frame. Then you can start printing the elements of the Y axis and assembling it. The first part that is printed on a 3D printer is needed in order to install stepper motor on the Y-axis, connect the steel shafts and slide along one of the X-axis shafts.
After the part is printed, two bronze bushings must be installed in it, they are used as sliding supports. To reduce friction, the bushings need to be lubricated. This perfect solution for such projects because it is cheap.
As for the guides, they are made from 5/16" diameter stainless steel rods. Stainless steel has a low coefficient of friction with bronze, so it is excellent for plain bearings.
A laser is also installed on the Y axis, it has a metal case and heats up quite strongly. To reduce the risk of overheating, install aluminum radiator and coolers for cooling. The author used old elements from the robot controller.
Among other things, in the block for the 1"X1" laser, you need to make a 31/64" hole and add a bolt to the side face. The block is connected to another part, which is also printed on a 3D printer, it will move along the Y axis. toothed belt.
After assembling the laser module, it is installed on the Y-axis. Stepper motors, pulleys and timing belts are also installed at this stage.
Step two. Creating the X Axis
Wood was used to create the base of the engraver. The most important thing is that the two X-axes are clearly parallel, otherwise the device will wedge. A separate motor is used to move along the X axis, as well as a drive belt in the center along the Y axis. Thanks to this design, the system turned out to be simple and works perfectly.
You can use superglue to attach the cross beam that connects the belt to the Y-axis. But it is best to print special brackets on a 3D printer for these purposes.
Step three. Connecting and testing electronics
The homemade product uses a diode such as the M140 diode, you can buy a more powerful one, but the price will be higher. To focus the beam, you need a lens and a regulated power supply. The lens is mounted on the laser using thermal paste. Work with lasers only in protective glasses.
To check how the electronics work, the author turned it on outside the machine. Used to cool electronics computer cooler. The system works on the Arduino Uno controller, which is connected to grbl. In order for the signal to be transmitted online, the Universal Gcode Sender is used. To convert vector images to G-code, you can use Inkscape with the gcodetools plugin installed. To control the laser, a contact is used that controls the operation of the spindle. This is one of the most simple examples using gcodetools.
Step four. Engraver body
The side faces are made of plywood. Since the stepper motor extends slightly outside the case during operation, a rectangular hole must be made in the back face. In addition, do not forget to make holes for cooling, power supply, and USB port. The edges of the top and front of the case are also made of plywood, with acrylic walls installed in the central part. Above all the elements that are installed at the bottom of the box, an additional wooden platform is attached. It is the basis for the material with which the laser works.
Acrylic is used to make the walls. orange color because it perfectly absorbs laser beams. It is important to remember that even a reflected laser beam can seriously damage the eye. That's all, the laser is ready. You can start testing.
Of course, complex images are not of very high quality, but the simple engraver burns out without difficulty. You can also use it to cut cork wood without any problems.
