Ep7: The External Frame. The DIY CO2 Laser Cutter / Engraver Build Series
2024 ж. 4 Мам.
126 403 Рет қаралды
The documentation is now ready!
www.furtherfabrication.com/re...
instagram.com/further_fabrication
In this episode of the DIY CO2 Laser Cutter / Engraver Build Series we finally get a look at what the completed machine will look like! Because it's time to build the external frame and add the windows and cladding.
I'm still working on the parts list and documentation, but when they're done they'll be available over on my website.
furtherfabrication.com
//It should go without saying that electricity and lasers are dangerous.
None of this video should be treated as professional advice.
Anxiously waiting for parts list!
Holly crap... idk why but I didn't expect the professional finish on the final build of the machine. With the external frame and cladding the fit and finish of the machine looks better than that of brand name commerical machines that cost up to 10X more.
haha thanks, I'm glad you like it!
One of the best DIY laser builds I've seen. Great work!
Thanks mate, Can't wait to get started building one.
I've been cutting paper by hand for hours, and this series is taking the sting out of it!
OMG! Such an amazing job. I watched all the episodes in the playlist at one go and I'm thrilled. I just bought the guide and parts list out of respect for your effort and beautiful way of sharing knowledge although I'm not sure if I can ever do this project.
wow! it's starting to look like a laser! Can't wait for all the files! thank you so much! Keep being awesome!
Just discovered this build. It looks really interesting I love the synchronised z axis adjustment
It's going forward and the firsts cuts looking great beautiful job 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Wow, it's almost done! Thanks for the new episode, I must have seen the previous one four or five times. This is brilliant!
Wooo! I'm really looking forward to getting it fully operational. Glad you're enjoying the series!
Wow this is looking amazing. I can't wait to see it complete and to drool over the build instructions. This is on my todo list for next year
This is turning out fantastically! I have to finish up a few projects to get ready to start building my own!
Can't wait to start making my own! One thing I would love to see in the future is a rotary attachment for the laser, for engraving mugs for example. That would be cool
Awesome! yeah it's definitely on the list
Looks like it is coming together great.
I’ve been curious about adding a CO2 laser to my Onefinity CNC and this now confirms that I can absolutely do that! Thanks for the content, now subbed! 😊
Was all set to buy a K40 and mod it up. Found your vids last week and started ordering parts this past Wednesday to build my own. Thank you for the inspiration and work you’ve put into this build. Hope to have my laser built out by months end.
Awesome dude, glad you've found them helpful!
I can't wait to see the next video, also I want to build both version, I am looking forward for the part list
Very nice video. As always your explanations make total sense and it's really easy to keep the track. Really well done like it's scripted. I can watch those videos literally for hours, I even plan to watch the full serie in one go for sure after the completion! Keep the good work mate!
Glad you're enjoying them and finding them useful! I spend a bunch of time trying to be as clear and concise as possible, so it's great to hear that it's making sense!
You are doing really a great job! Respect!
Waiting for BOM. will be building this project soon. Thank you for sharing.
Quality! Looking awesome!
clean design, looks great
Thank you for your awesome works!
Looking really good my friend!
Amazing job looks really professional
Hi this build has been great looking forward for the plans and parts list
Absolutely brilliant job loved following the lot of it brilliantly consistent (not like a lot of other people who seem to have not uploaded parts/episode 3,5,7,9 & have you fumbling for the content, best they remain nameless 🤪) just what I was thinking of as getting a sizeable cutter /cost so this has given me much options but I’m yet to see the build costs still I’m sure you’ll be thoroughly honest with that number, but either way your unit is far superior in a lot of ways & that I know from building things personally you’ve bridged the weak points of other units, ya know like adding a turbo to a slow motor this table looks neat build quality & sure it will preform even better many will envy your efforts but never taste the fruits unless they have you work on something 😉😁shame I’m in the uk or I’d have somet for ya to do best of luck & now on to the last episode-WHATS NEXT?
Nice and simple design
pro finish, will be building one with my dad soon thanks to your efforts. sweet as bro
Nice work bro. Thanks you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge with us :)
Awesome series and design !! Will be building some like this with a bed of 130 by 70 cms so it can work on 120 x 60 cms material (4 by 2 foot) wich is common size in the local DIY store. Awaiting the plans etc from your build so I can adapt those. Thanks again and grtz from The Netherlands !!
Glad to hear you're enjoying it! This machine takes 120x60cm sheets (it's standard locally here as well), so hopefully you won't need too much adapting
Awesome work man. Can’t wait for the plans so I can start building one of my own.
Thanks man. I'll try not to let you wait too long!
I'm getting more jealous by the video. That is looking seriously good! 👍👍👍👍👍
Hello from the other side of earth, sunny Egypt. I was seriously thinking on buying a laser for a very long time now and researched AliExpress for all options starting from diy diode kites to k40 co2 until finding your build video and i can only say that I'm waiting every episode like a kid waiting for Christmas, really thank you for your time and all the effort
Glad to hear you're enjoying them! I'm working on getting the plans and parts list ready for next episode, so hopefully you'll only have to wait another week or so!
@@FurtherFabrication it would be lovely if you can do it before 11/11 since most of the electronics is from AliExpress, and there is going to be a big discount up to 50% on 11/11 😉 2 birds one stone 😁
Definitely cuts acrylic, nice!
I saw this pop up on my phone just now, and I almost took it off my screen lololol. I'm glad to be a part of this man, this is truly an amazing series!
haha glad you're enjoying it dude!
That's looking fantastic! Well done mate!
Thanks bro
great video again and excellent project! DIY done professionally!
Thanks! glad you're enjoying the series!
cool build like the alpine horn
I was waiting for this episode and it's great as always. Nice to see you again Bro :)
Sorry it took so long, glad you liked it though!
Very cool video my friend and very well done. Really enjoying your channel. Keep up the good work.
neat trick - when trying to mark a pipe for a true square cut, just grab a piece of paper & wrap it around the tube/pipe, aligning the edges up so that they are straight will ensure it is a truely square guide, you can then mark it following the edge of the paper at the given length.
Great Job!
Good effort, I like the idea of the spring loaded t nuts, having a nightmare on my build with the normal ones.
Thanks. I was also toying with just drilling straight through the t-slot and bolting those gates on, as those nuts can be a real pain!
If you pick up my build you can hear a half dozen escapees in the slot rattling around, they are not going anywhere.
hahaha I've got a couple of those too
Great series, really enjoying you create this. I think I'll be building one soon 🤓
Awesome. Glad you're enjoying the series!
Great work! Looking forward to your plans and parts list. PS - Who's the ass that gave this video a thumbs down?
Love the video and build descriptions. I have the same thermometer as you but it came without documentation. Would you be able to share the power requirements?
Looking good.!!!! Wonderful job mate. Should have mine finished in about four weeks. Thanks for sharing :o)
Thanks mate!
Cant wait next video .....
Great work. Thank you. Where did you get the control panel, belt, servomotors, and the other stuff ?
As said before. Awesome project. Apparently it is in Australia things are happening with lasers, first you and now also Teching Tech. Great work!
Thanks dude! I'm a bit further away, down in New Zealand, which is the arch nemesis of Australia haha
Damn, never call an aussie a kiwi as they said in the movie. My bad.
All good mate, we're all secretly friends anyways
Been waiting for this video!!!
Sorry! it took a while to edit haha
Worth the wait. Love this series. Nice job!
Good Video, and some great ideas and tips!
glad you found it useful!
oh i am thrilled! i want to start building my own laser too! i am checking your website several times a day for the parts list so i can get started^^ thx for making such a nice build guide for free! amazing
Regarding the weight and using 3mm over 2 mm acrylic for weight savings, I think 3mm was good because you would ideally want the extra weight on non movable parts. The extra weight allows your equipment to resist vibrations and give it a sturdy bench, that's why you see industrial equipment all using cast metal parts, more weight, better, and more precise!
Wow awesome job if I did this it’ll likely take me a few years
Молодец мужик. Отличный аппарат получился 👍
THANK YOU! I cannot wait until you have the parts list available. What about the 3D printed item plans? I have been debating on getting a Chinese laser knowing that i'd need to spend weeks "fixing" it to run right, but after watching this series, I know I will build one from scratch based on your design.
you're welcome dude, glad they've been of use to you. Yup all the 3D printer files will be there, along with some alternatives to those without access to a printer.
I recommend installing a ZYE power supply with an integrated Ampmeter.
Saludos excelente tutoriales
I really like your cutter it perfect for what I plan on doing plus it looks like it would be entertaining to put together. I’m just glad I’m going bald cause by. The end of the build I will be lol.
Coming along great man. Really considering a build, I've got CNC Plasma, Router, and a half dozen 3d printers, but no laser
Thanks man, Oh you gotta complete the set!
It's a great machine and I want to build one. Can I get the fusion 360 model?
freaking AWESOME. When do you think you'll have the BOM and build guide ready? I'm stoked!
In the next few weeks I hope
Yesss!
I'm about to purchase my first laser. I would love to see you explore extraction and air assist in more depth. Including silencing methods. There's a few videos around on silencing compressors, i'm surprised no one actually sells these devices.
I went out and bought a 60 dB compressor just for my 40W, it's much nicer on the ears. What silencer devices have you seen?
Hey, I just looked up a bunch of terms like 'compressor silencing box' on youtube and skimmed through a bunch. The concept is pretty simple. Sound loses a lot of power when it has to make sharp turns, which air does not lose as much. I've also got a quiet compressor, its spec says 55db and I just received it yesterday. Very very quiet, so quiet it barely needs it's own box. The air filter unit (the fan specifically) is MUCH louder.
thanks bro
Great video! Way to give that step bit a workout :)
It was looking like it needed a runaround haha
It looks fantastic. I always look forward to your videos. Awesome job as always. Looking forward to the parts list and the final few things left to finish. This has re-sparked my desire to build one from scratch. Thank you for your videos! I too would be interested in the rotary attachment. I do have one question. Why did you choose to use a analog ammeter instead of a digital one? You might have mentioned it previously but I missed it if you did.
Glad to hear you're enjoying the series! That's a great question - and absolutely something I forgot to mention. Because the milliamperage tends to jump around a bit in the normal functioning of the laser, the digital meter is harder to get an accurate reading at a glance (as the numbers are constantly changing). The analog meter, because of its slightly slower reaction time, tends to smooth the jumpiness out, which make it easier to get an overall reading.
@@FurtherFabrication That makes perfect sense. Thank you.
Love the series! Really want to give it a go myself as soon as the list is done. 😁 Are you going to add some sort of auto focus pin?
It's not a priority, but that's totally something I can add. Good idea!
Will you be releasing the Fusion File as well? I am getting pretty good at Fusion, and would enjoy the jump start on my build.
Loving this series. Anyone know a cost effective place in Victoria Australia to get V slot extruded aluminium?
Have looked before for other jobs and it is a mixed bag. Anyone in the Industrial Automation business wants an arm, leg and a kidney and some of the imported Aluminium is less than accurate at the other end. Aurarum is well worth a look if you are in Melbourne aurarum.com.au/product-category/aluminium-extrusion-profiles/
I am going to do an 80W version of this, time to take my 40W Off my MPCNC ;-)
I would add some rubber corner molding to the edges of the aluminum. That way there is no risk of cutting a finger, hand or arm. Looking awesome though!
Yeah not a bad idea!
@@FurtherFabrication Got to thinking, that would also seal those edges up to help establish an atmosphere (pressure seal) inside the enclosure which is going to increase the effectiveness of your vacuum system. Along those same lines maybe some soft sponge rubber or some other means of sealing up the bottom?
Good train of thought. I've actually found that having intake ventilation, for maintaining airflow to the extractor, to be important for evacuating the smoke. So I'll often run it with the front sliding panels slightly open.
@@FurtherFabrication could also make a rounded/bent blade to cut a chamffered edge into the panels edges to round them off and seal with a bead of silicon or rubber gasket around the edge since you have that nice wide overlay on the frame. Even though you want air getting in for venting you want to be able to control where it gets in so you get a proper air flow. If you drill 4 small 1.5-2" holes on the side corners towards the front and screw an oversized disc of aluminum over it with one screw you have a nice sliding/rotating vent system that lets you control the air flow through the enclosure from the top/bottom right or left to bottom right, center or left creating a diagonal cross-flow. Love the project and will have to build my own at some point.
Awesome machine. What was the overall build cost?
Great series - thank you. Will you be able to share costings ? or even wet finger estimates ? NZ dollars will be fine.
thanks yeah no worries, so I've spent a bit over NZD$3500 including all the major components
Hey, Great series! Just curious where you're getting most of your parts from
A lot of them are from AliExpress, but I'll have the parts list finished shortly, so that will definitely answer your question!
Olá, boa tarde. Estou no Brasil e assistir seus vídeos na produção da máquina. Gostaria de saber se pode disponibilizar o arquivo da peça de acrilico para regular a altura para corte do material. Outra pergunta, qual a espessura da placa de alumínio que usou para fechar a máquina? Desde já agradeço pela atenção.
keep awesome
For the front, you could bend it using a hot acrylic gun and it would be a piece like this.
Do the shops still close at 5pm in NZ ????
Gas struts? You mean you have to manually lift the lid? By hand? I was sure you were going to use linear actuators controlled by Alexa. I'm so disappointed. Just kidding. I am thoroughly enjoying your build, watching from start to finish. You explain clearly and precisely the entire project. I will not be afraid to tackle this when I have made some room on my credit card. Thanks very much, saludos from Panama.
Seriously the BOM..please?? Thanks for the vids as well.
Where did you get that closed loop belt?
you can tell you asked a plumber for smoke extraction advice... 90 degree bends are not right- you loose suction... y bends are better. you could have placed the entire manifold inside the machine and usually you narrow the diameter as you go along so 100mm for the first intake, 80mm for the second and maybe 70mm for the last so they draw similar volume of air per second. blast gates give you the control to adjust this afterwards. This is somewhat overlooked by most manufacturers. Port sizing should be along HVAC guidelines...
I, like many others am anxiously awaiting the parts list. One quick important question about that if I can trouble you for a moment. I'd be curious to know where you sourced your closed belt for the Z axis. It looks like a 10mm GT2 belt (if I had to guess) but I am not having much luck finding one in the 2m range. Penny for your thoughts? PS. Great build series!
Glad to hear you're enjoying it, I'll try my best not to make you wait too long haha. Good guess! try AliExpress
Your videos are great! Are you located in Australia? Which supplier do you use for the aluminium extrusions?
Thanks dude, nah I'm in New Zealand, I just used a local guy
Could you send same link of the gates?
DUDE that's killa ;)
Awesome job!!!
YESSSS Been waiting for this.. Will be making my own soon tooo !! Would be good to get a discount deal code for a parts supplier ?! :D
Do you have any idea how much you’ve spent to build it, as it sits? I’m looking forward to giving it a go.
I'm at about NZD$3500 (US$2200) accounting for all the major components
Dont let the blue man group too close to that exhaust manifold :-)
This is an excellent series.. Until this one, which did not have captions enabled? Can you please turn them on? Deaf subscriber here!
Hi! This is your fingers, calling from the future. We would like you to sand off that acrylic edge under the lid handles. Thanks! :) Looooving the project! Will be exciting to see the complete thing, and pretend that it fits in my wallet.
haha good point! glad to hear you're enjoying the project!
Very nice indeed. Question: what CAD software did you use to model this?
Thanks. I used Fusion360
I understand that the flair ups while cutting can still damage your eyes, thats what the black tint is for. How did you choose what level of tint to use? what tint level are you using?
I went into the plastics supplier and just chose the darkest I could while still being able to see through it. Not sure what tint level it is. Just to be clear - I also recommend wearing laser safety glasses when operating as well, just to be doubly sure!
In opening 30 secs you mentioned it was 20/20 aluminium extrusion. I assume you meant 80/20; may want to correct that for people not familiar with the product. Love the vids, very relaxing and will defs use you as a resource if we are looking to build a cutter with a larger bed
Thanks, glad you're enjoying the series! it's 2020 aluminium t-slot as in 20mm by 20mm. I think I use one piece of 2040 in there as well though.
@@FurtherFabrication Ah right, seeing 20mm*40mm pieces made me think of the original manufacturer 80/20 Inc. (I think named as such due to the 80/20 rule/Pareto principle, not the product dimensioning). Their stuff includes a range of t-slot at different dimensioning, t-slot is typically referred to as 80/20 framing even from generic manufacturers
Admittedly an ambiguous and overloaded naming convention!
haha oh gosh that is a brain twister, I wasn't aware of its etymology
Hola. Tendrá todas las especificaciones. Igual me puede pasar los stl de favor. Gracias
That's one sexy looking enclosure. One thing I noticed about sheet metal in laser cutters is that it's usually painted to reduce risk of beam bouncing due to the slight mirror finish. Is that a concern here?
That's a good point! I'll watch out for it happening and see if a quick coat of paint on the inside is necessary