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V-slot CO2 Laser (60-100w)

Discussion in 'Laser Cutters' started by openhardwarecoza, Aug 9, 2014.

  1. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Depends on the bracket/panel thickness.
    Best to have an assortment on hand :) - screws are cheap enough
     
  2. Shearder

    Shearder New
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    Lekker - Thanks Peter. This is really just for the corner pieces into 2020 - sometimes 10mm is too long and hits the inside of the channel
     
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  3. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Yeah, 8mm is "most used" i'd say. But to be honest I have one of those hinged storage boxes with all the sizes and I really should pay more attention that "That one looks like the right length" lol!
    Bottoming out sucks though as you think its tight...
     
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  4. Shearder

    Shearder New
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    Yeah from building 3D printers the bottoming out is SOOOO tiring lol. Ok I'll order 200 8mm. Inhave a pile of 10mm already like around 100.
    BUT you are right. I have anything from 2mm to 6mm socket head in a multitude of lengths. ALWAYS comes in handy. Oh and brass inserts hahaha and 4mm and 5mm tnuts or hammer nuts.
     
  5. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    And rivnuts. I can never do a project without needing a rivnut somewhere lol
     
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  6. Shearder

    Shearder New
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    Ooooooo RIVNUTS!!! I may need some of those
     
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  7. DanW

    DanW New
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    Would it be rigid enough if I make the working area around 130 x 100cm? Is it worth having the laser on the left side? Sticking out as its going to be 80W. This way I could make it much longer. But then again, it would stick out in front.
     
  8. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Should scale nicely, at the time I did the build there was no way to ship pieces over 1m to ZA.

    Adjust any other lengths till the tube fits. Hanging out is bad: fragile glass and high voltages. Better if its enclosed
     
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  9. Jasonpgr

    Jasonpgr New
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    Question about the z axis. I'm looking to create a laser cutter and I like this design the most from what I've seen, and it works with most of the parts I already have on hand, but I'm wondering if the lack of a Z axis will become frustrating down the road? How long is the typical focal distance for a co2 laser? Can I use paper thin material up to something that's a couple inches thick without having to adjust the Z height for focus?
     
  10. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    Laser heads have adjustable focus built in. A Z axis is hard to do with Flying Optics. If you do decide on some sort of Z a bed that can raise and lower is a better idea. Must make sure it stays planarly flat and parallel (usually leadscrew at each corner, and constrained with linear guides / vslot / etc to prevent the table from shaking
     
  11. Jasonpgr

    Jasonpgr New
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    When you say laser heads have adjustable focus built in, do you mean that's something you'd set manually at the beginning of each job based on the material, or can focus height somehow be changed mid job using gcode commands for cutting thicker materials in multiple passes?

    I definitely wouldn't want to add a Z axis to the laser head, that sounds like a recipe for problems. Any ideas for how to incorporate a z bed into this specific design? I'd prefer to use Vslot rather than linear rails or rods just for the sake of using off the shelf openbuilds parts I already have in my garage.
     
  12. ARKHAN_74

    ARKHAN_74 New
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    Good Evening To All,
    I read your post, and found intresting , and i want to know what if I want to install 130Watt tube, like it will longer somehow, electronics will be of higher power to be installed, will it be worth.
     
  13. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    You can run a larger tube, but plan ahead by checking in CAD as you will need to resize the machine to fit the larger tube. Use this as inspiration only, as is its not going to handle a 130w

    And as its been a couple years since (this is an old profile of mine, before I joined OpenBuilds) - these days you'll run a laser on a BlackBox with the PWM wiring going to TH on the Laser PSU. Your 130w tube supplier will be able to recommend a suitable Laser PSU.
    130w will also need a larger head and larger mirrors, typically
     
    ARKHAN_74 likes this.

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