Homebuilt laser cutter pictures

[Tony Burch]

Hi all,

We have built a computer controlled C02 laser for cutting and engraving.

Thought some of you may be interested to have a look.

http://www.theblakelaser.com/

Any comments are welcome.

Cheers,

Tony

 

[[email protected]]

Well done tony - looks impressive.

Can I ask where you got the laser assy and what it's power
requirements are?

I'm cutting foam cores for model aircraft wings with a cnc machine
built from plans and have been thinking of a router table for cutting
plywood sections - a laser would be a considerable improvement. I just
assumed the cost would be prohibitive.

have fun,
cheers,
Sam T

 

[Parmin]

"Tony Burch" <[email protected]> while reading the NewsGroups,
found courage and express out opinion in

Hi all,

We have built a computer controlled C02 laser for cutting and
engraving.

Ingenious!!

Thanks for showing your work.

I wonder how long it takes for the laser to cut the plastic and
wether you could etch PCB with it

Par.

 

[Andrew]

We have built a computer controlled C02 laser for cutting and engraving.

Thought some of you may be interested to have a look.

http://www.theblakelaser.com/

Thanks for the photos, what I could see anyway. A bit slow of the dialup
conenction. (Would have ADSL if I could).

Might I suggest an index file first instead of huge pictures all on one
page.

Cheers,

Andy S
remixreality.zor.org

 

[Heywood Jablome]

Nice work. Can I borrow it?

 

[The Real Andy]

You may run into the same problems the bakery had
when they installed a laser bread slicer: TOAST!!

I would like to know where that laser came from!! I want one..

 

[Moses Lim]

Hi all,

We have built a computer controlled C02 laser for cutting and engraving.

Thought some of you may be interested to have a look.

http://www.theblakelaser.com/

Any comments are welcome.

1/ What other materials will it cut other than plastics?

2/ Are you gonna make one with the Z axis?

3/ Would it still work if you used a green bucket instead of blue?

 

[Kate Fights, I Cry]

Try "Light and it's uses" published
by Scientific American and edited by
C.L. Stong from memory. It has plans
for a CO2 laser strong enough to
shatter glass from thermal shock.

Wow home made death ray

Serious question though. Howcome countries like
the USA haven't yet created laser beam weapons?

 

[Franc Zabkar]

Wow home made death ray

Serious question though. Howcome countries like
the USA haven't yet created laser beam weapons?

Because Hollywood owns the patent?


- Franc Zabkar

 

[Clifford Heath]

You may run into the same problems the bakery had
when they installed a laser bread slicer: TOAST!!

The thinner the beam, the less bread gets burnt. You
could probably focus the beam well enough to make the
problem vanish.

 

[swanny]

The thinner the beam, the less bread gets burnt. You
could probably focus the beam well enough to make the
problem vanish.

Or you could use a 'cold' laser ...

 

[Clifford Heath]

Or you could use a 'cold' laser ...

Explain? How can you cut stuff without making some stuff vanish?
And then surely there must crispy stuff that "nearly" vanished.

 

[Mark Harriss]

I'm cutting foam cores for model aircraft wings with a cnc machine
built from plans and have been thinking of a router table for cutting
plywood sections - a laser would be a considerable improvement. I just
assumed the cost would be prohibitive.

You may run into the same problems the bakery had
when they installed a laser bread slicer: TOAST!!

 

[jrs]

Serious question though. Howcome countries like
the USA haven't yet created laser beam weapons?

Just a guess. Inverse square law for light and power requirements.

I'd bet that they've tested prototypes.

 

[Lord Garth]

Like this one?

http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/abl/

or

http://www.defense-update.com/news/MTHEL.htm

 

[Trevor Wilson]

Wow home made death ray

Serious question though. Howcome countries like
the USA haven't yet created laser beam weapons?

**Picture the following scenario:

A well armed US marine, carrying an automatic weapon, capable of firing 10
rounds/sec. He needs to carry about 10kg of equipment with him (+ life
support stuff).

How about:

A well armed US marine, carrying a laser, capable of killing another human.
He needs to carry about 5kg for the laser, plus around 100kg for power
supply and cooling system.

Get the picture?

And here's a little titbit for you: A firearm is just as effective in the
vacuum of space, as it is here on Earth, since the propellant (cordite) has
it's own Oxygen supply, bound up in it's structure.

Firearms are likely to be around for a LONG time yet. They're cheap,
lightweight and deadly.

BTW: I class the guns from Metalstorm as variants of firearms.

 

[Mark Harriss]

Try "Light and it's uses" published
by Scientific American and edited by
C.L. Stong from memory. It has plans
for a CO2 laser strong enough to
shatter glass from thermal shock.

 

[Terry Collins]

Wow home made death ray

Serious question though. Howcome countries like
the USA haven't yet created laser beam weapons?

Physics.

 

[Terry Collins]

**Picture the following scenario:

A well armed US marine, carrying an automatic weapon, capable of firing 10
rounds/sec. He needs to carry about 10kg of equipment with him (+ life
support stuff).

AFAIUI that life support stuff currently weighs about 50kg.

How about:

A well armed US marine, carrying a laser, capable of killing another human.
He needs to carry about 5kg for the laser, plus around 100kg for power
supply and cooling system.

Get the picture?

Yep, look up some of the planning for Future Warrior by the US.
that was where the comment about the MULE comes from.

Persoanlly, I think your 100Kg laser powered marine is doable in bicycle
technology, but hey, I'm a bike nut {}}}

 

[Mark Harriss]

The thinner the beam, the less bread gets burnt. You
could probably focus the beam well enough to make the
problem vanish.

The vapourised bread would form a plasma and transfer
heat to the bread cooking it anyway, it's been tried
so many times from bread to denim fabric to wood. With
cutting steel plate they stack a few sheets of steel:
the top couple of items are write-offs from the plasma
but the rest are ok.