Help kickstart Open Source Laser cutters!

[Erik de Bruijn]

There's another initiative to develop an Open Source Laser Cutter:
Those willing to help out financially can do so through Kickstarter.
http://bit.ly/fundOSHWLaser

Needless to say, if you cannot help out financially, there are more
direct ways such as contributing knowledge.

Note that this particular project is not formally affiliated with
http://RepLab.org. We do, however, endorse development of open source
hardware that will make fabrication technologies more accessible with
the benefits of the systems being open and modular at many layers of
their technology stack. Inherent benefits are that the technologies
can be built upon to create new ones, implementations can be
customized to fit a specific need and more rapid progress can be
expected because of better allocation of human capital (due to
voluntary self selection and being very open to external input).

This is also a good resource for those who want to build an open
source Laser Cutter:
http://www.buildlog.net/cnc_laser/index.php

There are many resources documenting DIY laser cutters, feel free to
add good ones and to discuss how we can lower this barrier to
production of production methods!

[VDX]

Hi Erik,

i'm busy with my 5Watt-Diodelasermodules - one prototype with a simple
optical head is running (images in the Laser-Wiki:
http://objects.reprap.org/wiki/Laser_Cutter ) and i'm testing cutting
thin (dark) plastic sheets and sintering different powders from
plastic, colour pigments, metals to ceramics.

As posted in the RepRap-forum too, i will offer the sets and modules
slightly over cost price and maybe in the loan sets too, so this could
be an easy start too ;-)

Viktor

[John Griessen]

VDX wrote:
i'm testing cutting
> thin (dark) plastic sheets and sintering different powders from
> plastic, colour pigments, metals to ceramics.

It's been a while since I used .9 micron IR lasers and green goggles.
What are the goggle safety requirements with focused 5 Watts?
when you make a pump system with 60 Watts worth do you need more thickness of
green absorber material in your goggles? What kind do you use?

John

[VDX]

Hi John,

... i have a old Laservision shell-goggles with following ranges
specified:
- D 750-110nm L5
- IR 750-1100nm L8
- D 10600nm L3
- I 10600nm L4

Its perfect suited for the diodes, the 50Watts fiber-laser and CO2-
lasers, but costs around 300 Euros, so not really common in DIY-
area ...

I think if using the diodes mounted in the cutter/printer (pointing
only down on the working area) you can go away with the 'application'-
goggles against diffuse radioation for 40 to 60 Euros ... if applying
a light-tight housing you don't need goggles anyway ...

Viktor

[John Griessen]

On 06/02/2010 01:38 AM, VDX wrote:
> Hi John,
>
> ... i have a old Laservision shell-goggles with following ranges
> specified:
> - D 750-110nm L5
> - IR 750-1100nm L8
> - D 10600nm L3
> - I 10600nm L4
>
> Its perfect suited for the diodes, the 50Watts fiber-laser and CO2-
> lasers,

The ones on ebay have different spec terminology now.

Terms like
OD 5+ at 1064nm
OD 4+ at 2100nm
OD 4+ at 2900nm
OD 4+ at 10600nm

that would imply good for UV, and not so good at 900nm...

Do the L5 ratings mean same as OD 5?

JG