Make your own laser cutter using a Picaxe

sid

Senior Member
I want a laser cutter but I can't afford one, not even a cheap one from China via ebay, so I looked around youtube and watched a few diy laser cutters and thought that perhaps I could make the hard ware but how do you get a 2d drawing from the pc to control the cutter. Obviously some sort of interface between the pc and the cutter converts the drawing into x and y coordinates via stepper motors which leads me to ask my learned friends of the Picaxe forum
1. Is this possible to do with a Picaxe
2. would it be possible using Google sketchup as the cad
3. If not does anyone know of a suitable but free 2d cad program that could be used.
4. Any ideas anyone
 

Jamster

Senior Member
  • I belive it would be possible with picaxe
  • I dont think Google scetchup can output to cutters
  • I personly would create my own designer for 2d designing as it would be a lot easier to connect to the picaxe. i personly dont understand the cad system but it shouldnt be too hard to interface to (westaust?).

Jamster
 
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hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
I personly would create my own designer for 2d designing as it would be a lot easier to connect to the picaxe.
I'd perhaps consider a 'bridge between CAD and the PICAXE' something which can take what the CAD software can put out and then draw that as if a pen plotter. That might be a generated file or emitted live. Then you can use any CAD which supports that.

I hope it goes without saying that the usual caveats and cautions for using lasers apply. And in that respect I would implement something which can push a pen about before even thinking about replacing that with an actual laser.
 

SAborn

Senior Member
Research CNC which is what you need to build regardless if its a router, foam cutter, or a profile cutter.

There is many not so expencive driver cards avaliable on flea bay, and i would go that way rather than trying to use a picaxe.

For instant to cut a circle it could be 360 to 10,000 lines of code and to use a picaxe is just stupid.
 

sid

Senior Member
Code:
I hope it goes without saying that the usual caveats and cautions for using lasers apply. And in that respect I would implement something which can push a pen about before even thinking about replacing that with an actual laser.
The pen plotter idea is the sort of thing I was thinking about, and I agree, lasers should be used taking all necessary precautions.
Any suggestions for the bridge
 

SAborn

Senior Member
Code:
Any suggestions for the bridge[/QUOTE]

As i said buy a driver board and it will have a bridge and everything else needed to just plug into a parallel port to run it direct from the PC.

As many do....you are not seeing the real needs for this to be a powerful, usefull tool.

I have built several desk top cnc machines and know just how important it is to have a good driver interface, that will allow for 1/2,1/4,1/8 or micro stepping.

Anything less than 0.1mm accuracy is not worth building and really you require 0.01mm accuracy or better.
 

Rickharris

Senior Member
http://www.instructables.com/pages/search/search.jsp?cx=partner-pub-1783560022203827%3Anpr2q7v5m6t&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=laser+cutter

Have a number of instructions on how to do laser cutters. It may actually cost more than you think.

The tube has a finite life depending on how much you use it - you need to filter and evacuate the fumes - To be sensible you need a mechanical system that will give you a high level of accuracy.

Chasing Ebay may show you you can buy from china cheaper than making (with the risk of course) Some smaller A4 laser cutters will not cost as much as you think.

For 60% of what you do with it a CNC router may well serve you better. Indeed when at school we dabbled with a router on a pantograph so the kids could use it - following the outline of a drawing outside the enclosure with the other end of the pantograph. It works well enough for a rough try but we didn't pursue it as we got the funding to buy a CNC machine anyway.

IF your local school has a laser cutter they may let you have access for a moderate price.
 

sid

Senior Member
Thanks all,
I can see from the replys that it's probably going to be quicker,cheaper and safer to either go down the cnc route or wait until the price comes down.
I did ask the local school who do have a cutter but they wern't to keen on the idea, even when I offered them money, which kind of defeats the object as I might just as well use one of the firms out there who turn your designs into laser cut objects without the need to learn cad etc.
For those who are interested this is quite a neat device
http://store.makerbot.com/3d-printers/cupcake-cnc.html
Again the time spent building and learning coupled to the cost probably outweighs the cost of using a professional company for the couple of times I might want to use such a tool.
Rgds,
Sid
 
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