Laser-Cubes Engraver & Cutter Machine

Thanks to this new concept I have been able to manufacture a more compact machine that covers a much larger printing area. Now it is possible to make engravings and cuts on different types of surfaces or materials such as clothing, wood, some metals, cardboard, foam, plastics, among others.Another advantage of this machine is that it can be manufactured in MDF wood, colored acrylic or aluminum, since I have been able to think of a technique on which it is not necessary to machine a single block of material, but I have sliced each block to manufacture each section of the machine taking into account the spaces of the internal components such as motors, cables, control circuits, drivers, etc. In this way, I have been able to create two almost solid blocks that give rigidity to the machine, but that at the same time contain inside electronic and mechanical components such as shafts and bearings, and that are assembled with a very simple, fast, efficient and economic.

I always wanted to build a laser machine, and with a little research and enthusiasm, I began to design the parts that would make up a desktop machine that had to have at least a printing area of 12 "x 12". This would imply that at least 50% of the available space in my strium would be occupied by this machine.
Another of the objectives that I had at that moment of inspiration was to make the machine visually beautiful and closed to be able to use an air assistant to extract the gases that are generated when making a laser cut or engraving. To summarize a bit, and graphically explain the result, here is a video of the first version of the machine:

With an Arduino UNO controller and GRBL V1.1, this machine really worked very well, however the size of it ended up being absurd in my opinion, so I decided to completely dismantle it and start over with a more compact design.
Some ideas went through my head, until it finally occurred to me that I could simplify space, and components if I made the whole machine slide on the Y axis.

This was my first attempt, with only 4 wheels, and two 3D printed side bases, I was able to put together all the necessary components to make this "Free-Rolling" machine work, as one of my subscribers to my YouTube channel has called it. . It is observed in this design that the motors, cables, circuits and the 2.5 Watt laser are all in sight. It was just a concept test, and it actually came out really well.

Once the concept was tested, the next question was: How to hide the motors, cables and circuits?

Hiding all the components meant having to design two large side pieces for the 3D printer, large for machining on a lathe, and large for the pocket $$$.

It was then that I decided that these pieces should also be a complete laser cut, so I thought, why not slice the pieces in the 3D design, and cut each one of them in 5 mm thick MDF wood, obviously, leaving the internal spaces to be able to introduce the motors, cables and electronic circuits.

I am not sure if this method exists among inventors, but I think it was an ingenious solution that has worked well to avoid having to go to the lathe to sculpt a cube of wood or aluminum for three or four times the price of what he has given me. It was costly to cut these slices of wood on a CO2 laser machine at a local business. A great advantage to consider of this technique has been that I have managed to cut the entire machine in a few hours (6) and I was immediately able to go to my laboratory to start building the laser machine, which I could assemble in just two hours.

In this video you can see a small animation of the concept described above:

In addition, I have been able to include four other central duedas, which are adjusted along the X axis, in order to be able to engrave cylindrical pieces such as plastic tubes, stainless steel thermos, wooden sticks, etc., turning the machine as shown in the following video:

Another advantage of my design is that the machine can roll over a very long area:

This is a feature that will allow you to make long and precise cuts. An example for this application is the cutting of patterns of pieces in sewing workshops, that is, a garment production can be made by cutting the patterns in fabrics and then manufacturing clothes in series.

The cutting area on the X axis in this machine model is 350 mm, and on the Y axis, the length of your table. However this machine can be built with 800 mm long shafts.

Another good feature is that we can install a laser from 2.5 Watts to 80 Watts with ease and make engravings on different types of surfaces, for example, on glass:

MDF:

and others like:

• Laser cutting in Plywood up to 5 mm in a single pass with the 30 Watt laser, or in plywood up to 10 mm in a single pass with the 80 Watt laser.
• Laser cut in synthetic leather and professional engravings in real leather.
• Laser cut in Acrylic 5 mm thick with the 30 Watt laser.
• Laser cut cardboard, paper, foam, and any soft craft material.
• Professional quality laser engraving of photographs on MDF wood.

In this parts list I have selected the components that can be used according to the budget available for the laser power.

I hope you can comment on this idea, with your comments and suggestions I can continue to be encouraged to make new improvements to share with you. Building this machine is very easy and simple.

The total cost of this machine with a 2.5 Watt laser can reach US $ 180, which seems to me the most reasonable if we look at the cost-benefit ratio.

If we choose a 30 Watt laser, to be able to make clean cuts in 5 mm playwood, this machine could cost about US $ 290.

Anyone who is interested in this design may be able to do it for little money and few hours of drawing in Fusion 360, in the program of their choice.

I would like to see your ideas and designs based on this concept.