Self-manufacturing of a CNC laser machine. Do-it-yourself metal laser cutting machine: manufacturing process Do-it-yourself powerful industrial laser cutter

Turn your laser pointer into a cutting laser with a DVD burner emitter! This is a very powerful (245mW) laser and is the perfect size for the MiniMag pointer.

Please note that not all laser diodes (not all DVD or CD-RW models) are suitable for making this laser cutter.

CAREFULLY! As you know, lasers can be dangerous. Never point at a living creature! This is not a toy and should not be treated like a regular laser pointer. In other words, don't use it for presentations or animal play, don't let kids play with it. This device should be in the hands of a reasonable person who is aware of and responsible for the potential danger that the sign represents.

Handle laser radiation with extreme care. Any hit in the eye, due to refraction in the lens, has time to burn out a few cells in the eye. A direct hit will cause loss of vision. Dangerous is also reflected from mirror surface Ray. Scattered is not so dangerous, but still does not add visual acuity.

With a laser cutter, you can carry out interesting experiences. Lighting matches is not the most effective option. You can burn through paper, you can remotely pop balloons at demonstrations. Preferably a bead dark color, green or blue, red does not burst.

A focused beam leaves a rather deep groove on black plastic, and a small spot of white or mirror color appears at the focal point in transparent plexiglass. If such a diode is attached to the head of the plotter, then you can engrave on plexiglass.

For starters, you'll need a faulty DVD-RW (with faulty mechanics, not a laser). Although not every DVD can be broken, for example, Samsung is not suitable at all, there the diodes are unpackaged and the crystal is not protected by anything, it is disabled by simply touching the end.

For making a laser cutter with your own hands, LG drives are best suited, only different models different power diodes.

The power of the installed diode can be determined by the following characteristics of the drive: you need to look at what speed it writes dual-layer discs, if on the tenth, then the diode power is one hundred and eighty - two hundred, if on the sixteenth - two hundred and fifty - two hundred and seventy.

If there is no faulty DVD drive available, then first try to purchase a separate laser on the radio market. If it does not work out then we get a faulty DVD from junk dealers.

Although DVD drives are different, each has two rails that the laser carriage moves along. Remove the screws, release the guides and remove the carriage. Disconnect connectors and flat ribbon cables.

After removing the carriage from the drive, start disassembling the device by unscrewing the screws. There will be a lot of small screws, so please be patient.

Disconnect the cables from the carriage. There may be two diodes, one for reading the disc (infrared diode) and the actual red diode, with which the burning is carried out. You need a second one.

Attached to the red diode with three screws printed circuit board. Use a soldering iron to CAREFUL REMOVAL 3 screws.

You can test the diode using two AA batteries, taking into account the polarity. You will have to pull the diode out of the case, which will vary depending on the drive. The laser diode is a very fragile part, so be extremely careful.

This is what your diode should look like after "freeing".

Remove the sticker from the body of the purchased AixiZ laser pointer and unroll the body to the top and bottom. Inside the top is a laser diode (5 mW), which we will replace. I used an X-Acto knife and after two light strokes, the native diode came out. In fact, with such actions, the diode can be damaged, but I have previously managed to avoid this. Using a very small screwdriver, knocked out the emitter.

I used some hot glue and carefully installed the new DVD diode in the AixiZ case. With pliers, I SLOWLY pressed the edges of the diode towards the case until it was flush.

Make sure the polarity of the diode is correct before you install it and connect the power! You may need to shorten the wires and adjust the beam focus.

Install the laser pointer in a suitable two-battery flashlight. Insert the batteries (AA) into place, screw on the top of the flashlight (diffuser), including your new laser pointer! Plexiglas must be removed from the reflector. Attention!! Laser diodes are dangerous, so do not point the beam at people or animals.

DIY CNC laser cutter

Now that anyone can go online and get a pretty decent $200 3D printer, they're officially out of the "elite hacker's" arsenal and are common, albeit highly specialized, devices. This is generally good for the 3D printing community, but what about those who want to stay away from the technology? Telling people that you have a 3D printer at home won't cause as much astonishment as it used to. So what should an l33t hacker do? Doing laser cutter with your own hands.

Explore the laser cutter/engraver: it's similar to a printer, but easier to make and more capable of inflicting bodily harm! This laser module can also be used to engrave of stainless steel and cut thin wood.

Although there are a couple good options kits and turnkey builds, but as in the early days of 3D printers, some of the best cars still gathering at home.

In order to make a DIY laser cutter, in this case, four printers were dismantled and seven high-quality 8 mm diameter linear rods were restored, which in itself is great advice for saving money. Adding a few cheap LM8 UU bearings and 3D printed brackets for them, we put together a smooth running 2D platform for just a couple of hundred dollars. The frame of the machine is made up of aluminum pipe square section, which can be found in a hardware store. No costly extrusion.

For the laser itself, a 6-watt laser module was used. It has an integrated driver and cooling, so all you have to do is provide it with power and a stable means of moving over the workpiece. They even offer a magnetic docking station that allows you to remove the laser from its mount for maintenance or tool replacement without any tools. This laser module can engrave stainless steel and cut thin wood.

In every house there is an old worn-out technique. Someone throws it in a landfill, and some craftsmen try to use it for some homemade inventions. So the old laser pointer can be put to good use - it is possible to make a laser cutter with your own hands.

To make a real laser from a harmless trinket, you need to prepare the following items:

• laser pointer;
• flashlight with rechargeable batteries;
• old, maybe not a working CD / DVD-RW writer. The main thing is that he has a drive with a working laser;
• a set of screwdrivers and a soldering iron. It is better to use a branded cutter, but in the absence of a regular one, it may also work.

Making a laser cutter

First you need to remove the laser cutter from the drive. This work is not difficult, but you will have to be patient and pay maximum attention. Since it contains a large number of wires, their structure is the same. When choosing a drive, it is important to consider the presence of a writing option, since it is in this model that a laser can make recordings. Recording is done by evaporating a thin layer of metal from the disc itself. In the case when the laser works for reading, it is used at half strength, highlighting the disk.

When dismantling the top fasteners, you can find a carriage with a laser located in it, which is able to move in two directions. It should be carefully removed by unscrewing, there are a large number of detachable devices and screws that are important to carefully remove. For further work, a red diode is needed, with which the burning is carried out. To remove it, you will need a soldering iron, and you also need to carefully remove the fasteners. It is important to note that an indispensable part for the manufacture of a laser cutter cannot be shaken and dropped, therefore, it is recommended to be careful when removing the laser diode.

How will it be extracted main element future laser model, you need to carefully weigh everything and figure out where to place it and how to connect power to it, since a writing laser diode needs much more current than a diode from a laser pointer, and in this case you can use several methods.

Next, the diode in the pointer is replaced. To create a powerful laser pointer, the native diode must be removed, in its place it is necessary to install a similar one from the CD / DVD-RW drive. The pointer is disassembled in sequence. It must be untwisted and divided into two parts, on top is the part that needs to be replaced. The old diode is removed and the required diode is installed in its place, which can be fixed with glue. There are cases when it can be difficult to remove the old diode, in this situation you can use a knife and shake the pointer a little.

The next step will be the manufacture of a new case. So that the future laser can be conveniently used, connect power to it and to give it an impressive look, you can use the flashlight case. Installed converted top part laser pointer into a flashlight and power is supplied to it from rechargeable batteries, which is connected to the diode. It is important not to reverse the polarity of the power supply. Before assembling the flashlight, the glass and parts of the pointer must be removed, as it will not conduct the direct path of the laser beam well.

The last step is preparation for use. Before connecting, it is necessary to check the strength of the laser fixing, the correct connection of the polarity of the wires and whether the laser is level.

After completing these simple steps, the laser cutter is ready for use. Such a laser can be used to burn through paper, polyethylene, to ignite matches. The scope can be extensive, everything will depend on the imagination.

Additional points

Can be made more powerful laser. For its manufacture you will need:

• DVD-RW drive, can be in non-working condition;
• capacitors 100 pF and 100 mF;
• resistor 2-5 ohm;
• three rechargeable batteries;
• wires with a soldering iron;
• collimator;
• steel LED flashlight.

This is the uncomplicated kit that comes with the assembly of the driver, which, using the board, will bring the laser cutter to the required power. The current source cannot be connected directly to the diode, as it will instantly deteriorate. It is also important to consider that the laser diode must be powered by current, not voltage.

The collimator is a housing equipped with a lens, thanks to which all the rays converge into one narrow beam. Such devices are purchased at radio parts stores. They are convenient in that they already have a place for installing a laser diode, and as for the cost, it is quite small, only 200-500 rubles.

You can, of course, use a case from a pointer, but it will be difficult to attach a laser in it. These models are made from plastic material, which will cause the case to heat up and not cool enough.

The manufacturing principle is similar to the previous one, since in this case a laser diode from a DVD-RW drive is also used.

During manufacture, antistatic wrist straps must be used.

This is necessary to remove static from the laser diode, it is very sensitive. In the absence of bracelets, you can get by with improvised means - you can wind a thin wire around the diode. Next comes the driver.

Before assembling the entire device, the operation of the driver is checked. In this case, it is necessary to connect a non-working or second diode and measure the strength of the supplied current with a multimeter. Given the speed of the current, it is important to select its strength according to the norms. For many models, a current of 300-350 mA is applicable, and for faster ones, 500 mA can be used, but a completely different driver must be used for this.

Of course, any non-professional technician can assemble such a laser, but nevertheless, for beauty and convenience, it is most reasonable to build such a device in a more aesthetic case, and which one to use can be chosen for every taste. It will be most practical to assemble it in the case of an LED flashlight, since its dimensions are compact, only 10x4 cm. But still, you do not need to carry such a device in your pocket, as the relevant authorities may make claims. Such a device is best stored in a special case to avoid dusting the lens.

It is important not to forget that the device is a kind of weapon that should be used with caution and should not be directed at animals and people, as it is very dangerous and can be harmful to health, the most dangerous is the direction in the eyes. It is dangerous to give such devices to children.

The laser can be equipped with various devices, and then a fairly powerful sight for weapons, both pneumatic and firearms, will come out of a harmless toy.

Here are some simple tips for making a laser cutter. Having slightly improved this design, it is possible to make cutters for cutting acrylic material, plywood and plastic, and to engrave.

The possibility of making something useful from unused or worn-out equipment attracts many home craftsmen. One such useful device is the laser cutter. Having at your disposal a similar apparatus (some even make it from an ordinary laser pointer), you can perform decoration products from various materials.

What materials and mechanisms will be required

To make a simple DIY laser cutter, you will need the following materials and technical devices:

• laser pointer;
• an ordinary flashlight equipped with rechargeable batteries;
• an old writable drive (CD / DVD-RW) equipped with a laser drive (it is not at all necessary that such a drive be in working condition);
• soldering iron;
• set of locksmith tools.

Thus, it is possible to make the simplest device for laser cutting using materials that are easy to find in a home workshop or garage.

The manufacturing process of a simple laser cutter

Main working element homemade cutter The proposed design is a laser element of a computer disk drive. It is necessary to choose a writing drive model because the laser in such devices has a higher power, which allows you to burn tracks on the surface of the disk installed in them. The design of the reader-type disk drive also contains a laser emitter, but its power, used only to illuminate the disk, is low.

The laser emitter, which is equipped with a writing drive, is placed on a special carriage that can move in two directions. To remove the emitter from the carriage, it is necessary to free it from a large number fasteners and detachable devices. They should be removed very carefully so as not to damage the laser element. Except conventional tools, to remove the red laser diode (and to equip the homemade laser cutter, you need it), you will need a soldering iron to carefully release the diode from the existing solder joints. When removing the emitter from its seat, care must be taken not to subject it to strong mechanical stress, which can cause it to fail.

The emitter removed from the writing computer disk drive must be installed instead of the LED, which was originally equipped with a laser pointer. To perform this procedure, the laser pointer must be disassembled by dividing its body into two parts. At the top of them is an LED, which should be removed and replaced with a laser emitter from a writing computer drive. When fixing such an emitter in the body of the pointer, you can use glue (it is only important to ensure that the eye of the emitter is located exactly in the center of the hole intended for the beam to exit).

The voltage generated by the power sources in a laser pointer is not enough to ensure the efficiency of using a laser cutter, so it is not advisable to use them to equip such a device. For a simple laser cutter, rechargeable batteries used in a conventional electric flashlight are suitable. Thus, by combining the lower part of the flashlight, which houses its rechargeable batteries, with the upper part of the laser pointer, where the emitter from the writing computer drive is already located, you can get a fully functional laser cutter. When performing such a combination, it is very important to observe the polarity of the batteries that will power the emitter.

Before assembling a homemade hand-held laser cutter of the proposed design, it is necessary to remove the glass installed in it from the tip of the pointer, which will prevent the passage of the laser beam. In addition, it is necessary to once again check the correct connection of the emitter with the batteries, as well as how accurately its eye is located in relation to the exit hole of the pointer tip. After all structural elements are securely interconnected, you can start using the cutter.

Of course, with the help of such a low-power laser it will not be possible to cut a metal sheet, it is not suitable for woodworking either, but it is suitable for solving simple tasks related to cutting cardboard or thin polymer sheets.

According to the algorithm described above, it is possible to manufacture a more powerful laser cutter, somewhat improving the proposed design. In particular, such a device must be additionally equipped with such elements as:

• capacitors, the capacitance of which is 100 pF and 100 mF;
• resistors with parameters 2–5 ohms;
• collimator - a device that is used to collect light rays passing through it into a narrow beam;
• LED flashlight with steel body.

Capacitors and resistors in the design of such a laser cutter are necessary in order to create a driver through which electrical power will be supplied from the batteries to the laser emitter. If you do not use the driver and put the current on the emitter directly, the latter may immediately fail. Despite the higher power, such a laser machine for cutting plywood, thick plastic, and even more so metal, will not work either.

How to make a more powerful machine

Home craftsmen are often interested in more powerful laser machines that you can make yourself. It is quite possible to make a laser for cutting plywood with your own hands and even a laser cutter for metal, but for this you need to acquire the appropriate components. At the same time, it is better to immediately make your own laser machine, which will have decent functionality and work in automatic mode controlled by an external computer.

Depending on whether you are interested in your own hands or you need an apparatus for working on wood and other materials, you should correctly select the main element of such equipment - a laser emitter, the power of which can be different. Naturally, do-it-yourself laser cutting of plywood is performed by a device of lower power, and a laser for cutting metal must be equipped with an emitter with a power of at least 60 watts.

To make a full-fledged laser machine, including for cutting metal with your own hands, you will need the following Consumables and accessories:

1. a controller that will be responsible for communication between an external computer and the electronic components of the device itself, thereby providing control over its operation;
2. electronic board equipped with an information display;
3. laser (its power is selected depending on the materials for the processing of which the manufactured cutter will be used);
4. stepper motors, which will be responsible for moving the desktop of the device in two directions (stepper motors from unused printers or DVD players can be used as such motors);
5. cooling device for the emitter;
6. a DC-DC regulator that will control the amount of voltage supplied to the emitter electronic board;
7. transistors and electronic boards for controlling the cutter stepping motors;
8. Limit switches;
9. pulleys for installing toothed belts and the belts themselves;
10. housing, the size of which allows you to place in it all the elements of the assembled structure;
11. ball bearings of various diameters;
12. bolts, nuts, screws, couplers and collars;
13. wooden planks, from which the working frame of the cutter will be made;
14. metal rods with a diameter of 10 mm, which will be used as guide elements;
15. a computer and a USB cable with which it will connect to the cutter controller;
16. set of locksmith tools.

If you plan to use a laser machine for do-it-yourself metal work, then its design must be reinforced to withstand the weight of the metal sheet being processed.

The presence of a computer and a controller in the design of such a device makes it possible to use it not only as a laser cutter, but also as an engraving machine. With the help of this equipment, the operation of which is controlled by a special computer program, may with high precision and detailing to apply the most complex patterns and inscriptions on the surface of the workpiece. The corresponding program can be found freely available on the Internet.

By its design, a laser machine that you can make yourself is a shuttle-type device. Its movable and guiding elements are responsible for moving the working head along the X and Y axes. The Z-axis is taken to be the depth to which the workpiece is cut. For the movement of the working head of the laser cutter of the presented design, as mentioned above, stepper motors are responsible, which are fixed on the fixed parts of the device frame and connected to the moving elements using toothed belts.

Sliding support Head with laser and heatsink Carriage assembly

Placement of the carriage on the racks

Hi all. After buying a printer and understanding the principle of operation of CNC machines, I began to look at other types of machines. My father wanted a router, but I was more interested in engraving. Having considered how much a more or less sane milling cutter would cost, it became clear that an engraver would appear first. So I got a 2.5W diode laser.

I decided to make a bed with a margin and got a working field of 70x60cm. Carriages and other nodes were printed. After the start of operation, it became clear that I made the working field clearly with an excessive margin, in fact, I did not have to engrave more than the A4 format. Further, after one successful upgrade of the printer, I had a lot of profiles left, and from them a mini version of the engraver was assembled clearly in A4 format, how successful isn't it?)) And the large frame migrated to the wall where it spent half a year. For engraving, I used paid software that allows you to dynamically change the speed and power of the laser, this speeded up the process many times and the quality turned out to be excellent. Over time, I changed the design a little by putting the engines on the bed, I didn’t like that they make the carriages heavier and bend the belts. Why this epilogue? Moreover, at the time of collecting information on the cost different types lasers they announced to me that for the assembly of CO2 with less than $ 500 and do not come up. It so happened that I had a lot of free time, and having studied CO2 laser machines in more detail, there was a misunderstanding where $ 500 is. After thinking about what you can do yourself using a 3D printer, an almost complete assembly of the machine was modeled in SolidWorks. The conclusion was that, in fact, only laser components are needed in the form of the laser tube itself, a power supply unit for it, mirrors and a lens. Everything else could be printed or obtained)))

I decided to make carriages on wheels, firstly, if you don’t use branded controllers, then the speed of work is not too high, and the laser head turned out to be very light, and if the wheels can cope with the printer head, then why can’t the laser one, and secondly, I just had wheels with a double margin.

The cost of the laser component turned out to be only 12,000 rubles (including paid delivery). For the test, a laser tube of only 40 watts was ordered. I ordered on Ali, there were only 3 specialized sellers, and one clearly outweighed the orders, and after talking with him it became clear why, the managers are very sociable and quickly answer any questions. The order was made and it was a tedious wait, brightened up by the assembly of all other parts of the machine.

Quite a few different parts are left over from the Re-D-Bot build and subsequent modifications. I had to order mere little things like springs and bearings with bumpers. Finally, a large bed came in handy.

It was decided to make the body of the machine from laminated chipboard, I wanted the mill to be compact, as there is less and less space in the workshop.

I estimated the dimensions of the case based on the dimensions of the tube, a square of 105x105 cm came out from the bed, I decided to make it 20 cm high, this was quite enough to work with materials up to 50 mm. Cutting the sheet into the case and the table on which it will stand cost 2100 rubles (including the cost of the sheet itself).

Printing in full swing various nodes machine, since everything was modeled taking into account the subsequent printing and this helped to avoid the problems "the node does not fit in place". Although, all the same, some nodes had to be finalized, for example, the head had only 1 freedom of adjustment, in height, but getting to the nuts for tightening cost a lot of spent nerves, I had to refine it, it also turned out that the back of the head carriage does not seem to carry much loads, but with a fair stretch of the belts, it simply twisted.

Speaking of degrees of freedom. The factory mounts of the mirrors had 2-3 degrees of freedom (this is in addition to the ability to turn the mirror), which somewhat complicated the alignment of the mirrors. In my project, I gave them only 1 freedom each, head up / down, side forward / back, the laser mirror also down / up, that's all. Less mobility means less chance of making mistakes.

In the factory, the design is responsible for adjusting the focus lifting mechanism table, this option did not suit me, and I began to think that the focus could be adjusted on the head, so the collet clamp of the sleeve with the lens inside was modeled. Printing of all parts was made from PETG, the absence of shrinkage allows you to exhibit exact dimensions without worrying

that the parts will not fit together.

I must say right away that this assembly had to be redone, because if the lens gets dirty for some reason, then during operation it starts to heat up rather well, so once the lens melted into the cylinder and was broken when trying to remove it.

The toad did not allow buying a ready-made head, and suddenly an old lensed flashlight caught my eye, in it a node with an LED and a driver was perfect for clamping the lens, the dimensions matched, it only remained to cut off the excess part of the flashlight (by the way it was non-working, the money for it was returned)). There were also problems with the blower nozzle, it turned out that the beam heats up not only a point on the surface, but also the air around it, because of this the tip was constantly melting, it was decided to make an insert, for this the already damaged nozzles for the printer fit perfectly, it was only decided to drill to 2mm hole to leave room for installation error. The laser came a week before NG, the holidays promised to be fruitful)))

A large setup turned out with a shaft that was supposed to synchronize the Y carriages. They promised to make it, but they constantly fed breakfast until the 31st, and then they said that it would only be on the 9th ... The wait was unbearable and it was decided to temporarily use the hairpin, but since 8mm the stud is not 8mm at all, it was decided to use 5mm using bushings. This trick worked quite well (by the way, the shaft was given to me only on January 29, and then not 8mm, but 8.2 and even a curve).

Since the laser head is quite light, NEMA17 directly dealt with its movement, but for the Y beam, pulleys had to be installed, resulting in a 1: 2 gear ratio. Not thick, of course, but quite enough. I thought for a long time about cooling the tube, it was decided to do it on Peltier elements, but so far winter next room(garage) and so it is always +10 °, it was decided to simply bring the cooling tubes with the container there. The water was pumped by a small pump from Ali for 500 rubles, 800 liters per hour are declared, the optimistic Chinese, but it gives out about 200, and this is enough for us.

The design was assembled and the machine finally came to life. The disadvantage of my compact design was the terrible inconvenience of adjustment, for which I had to remove side wall otherwise you can't get to the screws. But these are all trifles. Half an hour of shooting in plywood and paper and all the mirrors are aligned. The first cuts showed that without a hood, you can only cut paper. An old 140x140mm fan perfectly suited it, I don’t know what it is from, but it blows extremely powerfully, and makes noise on a par with a vacuum cleaner. The hood test was carried out with an electronic cigarette (it was purchased for such purposes) and the result was excellent.

Further testing of the capabilities of the 40W tube began. The results surprised me a little. It's not worth talking about 4mm plywood. Plexiglas was found only 1mm, its laser cuts even at extremely low powers. In 1 pass it was possible to cut up to 8mm plywood, but slowly. It even turned out to cut 12mm, but in 3 passes, although it’s not worth talking about the quality of the cut ... Tests and test products were made from rather poor grade 44 plywood, which had lain in the garage for 2 years. When trying to buy a good one, I found out that in my city ONLY 1 office is engaged in this and the wait is 3 weeks. I'm sitting waiting

Oh yes, what to become about at all - the cost of the machine, taking into account the purchase of all parts, is less than 16,000 rubles. And this is with a field of 60x70cm. And the field can be almost any size.

You can see more photos by clicking on the link to the album. I also attach an “estimate” with links.