Ep2: Back on Track? The DIY Laser Cutter/Engraver Build Series

The documentation is now ready!
www.furtherfabrication.com/re...
After a bit of a hiatus I'm back working on the DIY CO2 laser cutter/engraver.
It's just a quick one this week as I blow the dust off and get things back on track.
BTS and more info:
further_fabrication
furtherfabrication.com/

[@RazorSkinned86]

Thank you for planning to open source your build. Always love watching videos where the complete details are available.

[@yura979]

Did he plan to? He is not open sourcing it...

[@randyfisher873]

sorry to be so off topic but does someone know of a tool to get back into an Instagram account? I stupidly forgot the account password. I would love any help you can give me!

[@turnerdanny6762]

@Randy Fisher Instablaster =)

[@randyfisher873]

@Turner Danny i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and Im in the hacking process atm. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@randyfisher873]

@Turner Danny It worked and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thank you so much you saved my ass!

[@AndrewTann]

So good to see this back, completely understand not passing up awesome opportunity. It's been hard not to rush out and buy everything before the series end. Keep up the great work. Looking forward to the next one...3d printer at the ready

[@rickbolin]

So glad you’re continuing on this project. I had worried you’d given up after just one video. Keep up the good work! 🙂👍

[@AlysiasArtStudio]

So genius! It’s amazing to see all the mechanics and artistry that is involved in building these! It’ll change the way I understand my next laser. Thank you so much!

[@lucascampbellst.laurent7764]

Can't say enough how amazing this series is, and how easy to follow it all it even with so much detail - 10/10. Keep up the amazing work!

[@thenotionlab]

I am glad to see you back. looking forward to the plans.

[@eggy_ramen]

I'm glad you're back! Looking forward to the next episode!

[@rivalskygames8314]

Congrats on the contract, and thanks for kicking on with this series! I just went looking on your channel to see if there was an update, and was stoked to see it had just dropped on the weekend :)

[@ramsing1]

I just found your vidios and Im really exited. Wanted to buy a K40, but there seem to be so many quality issues with those. This is exactly what Im looking for. Pls keep posting this build.

[@TorqueRolln]

perfect timing, just starting to look at building one, vids are great, helped alot already, thanks for putting them up.

[@davidthomas7284]

Happy to hear that the reason for the delay was a happy one. Psyched to see how this works!

[@erasermiceinteractive6435]

So glad you're back! Gotta prioritize, we understand!

[@ShadeAkeley]

Yay can't wait for the finished result :D

[@hotfuzz1913]

Nice to see that you're back at it. Keep up the good work

[@Weird_guy79]

sweet great to see your back at the laser build, have been looking forward to it.

[@SeamusMcNeil]

Nice one mate - Thanks so much for sharing your progress with this. Cheers Jim

[@UnexpectedMaker]

Great to see you back! Congrats on the film gig - but it's good to have you back making :)

[@TheBmpenn3]

Glad your back

[@onacustomsurfboardsvalenci665]

It really helps to have a detailed step by step guide like this, and fun to watch too! Great editing skills, keep it up!!!

[@FurtherFabrication]

You're welcome! and thanks for the comment dude, I really appreciate the feedback!

[@DreitTheDarkDragon]

1:05 - notice one in center, second row. It looks like ones you use, but is smaller and have piece of metal acting as spring. You can push it from side into profile and spring will hold it in any position you choose. I used those in company I work in and they're just great :)

[@kweels9027]

Woo! Finally! I’ve been waiting for so long for the next episode! I was planning on making a laser cutter myself but nobody had any guide that an average person can follow. Keep up the good work!

[@FurtherFabrication]

Woo! awesome, hopefully I can help with that!

[@Dunc]

Thanks for the video. I had subscribed and totally forgot about this until it popped up in my feed just now.

[@TheBowmite]

First off Thank You for your time and sharing. I have a comment on the drop in Tee Nuts. If you get a small block of Beeswax and just run the threads across it then put the Tee Nut on, that will grip the nut and will twist until locked in! Also on another unrelated note, you can use this same trick on wood screws. It will lubricate them and takes less effort to drive them in when working with really dry or dense wood!

[@Cephalon_Shade]

yo dude, congrats on the huge job you had! that's awesome. and take your time, don't get burned out on this project :)

[@zonaqrmarketing9208]

Gracias ... Video extra bien detallado y los acercamientos ESPECTACULARES .... Felicitaciones !!!

[@easymac79]

7:22 Looks very smooth. Excited to continue in this series. I've been browsing a distributor's site which has a great PDF that explains really everything you need to know to get started working with t-slot aluminum. I will probably start with a 3D printer, but a laser cutter is next on the list of projects I want to work towards. Cheers.

[@alartelaser8453]

Perfect timing!

[@jerometramaille1020]

Will probably never build a laser cutter myself but to be absolutely honest, I'm watching your videos more because I like seeing people do stuff and find creative solutions to engineering problems. Basically, what I mean is... Good job :)

[@FurtherFabrication]

haha thanks for the comment! I do the same thing with car restoration videos!

[@erasermiceinteractive6435]

I just got access to a laser engraver/cutter at the University, so I guess I'll focus on finishing my expanded xcarve while watching you finalize and build your laser!

[@yoctoflop]

Between episode 1 and 2 I decided to build one myself, designed one, and am about 90% done with it lol

[@FurtherFabrication]

Nice one! haha

[@originaltrilogy1]

It just gave me more time to save up for parts, so all good :)

[@similac95]

You can pop the bearing shields off with a razor blade and properly clean/lube those sealed bearings. Not going to get much in or out of them with the dust shields on as they are designed to keep stuff out. Following this closely! Appreciate the time and effort your are putting into it. Will you have a donate option for the plans when released?

[@Rockhopper1]

Hi I am a SFX designer, following along with your laser cutter just bought a 3d printer and building a laser cutter so I can work freelance. Thank you for doing these videos. Really helpful.

[@FurtherFabrication]

No problem! Awesome, I've found the laser cutter to be one of my most useful tools in my own freelance work as well

[@lars-sorensen]

Fantastic news to see you back! Btw. glad to hear that your absence was only caused by something stupid like work! 😃

[@jzr0x673]

Nice Episode, i look forward to the next. For myself i Buy me a little K40 to play with and upgrade it. After that i will see if i CAN do a Build like this.

[@FurtherFabrication]

Awesome, I started with a k40 too, great way to get into it!

[@michaelmerrell8540]

Perhaps the X axis is often the long axis so the laser can be installed along the longest dimension of the chassis. That allows for longer tubes without awkward extensions.

[@ruftime]

Perfect timing! I’ve been eyeing a Chinese 900x600 laser for cutting foam board. I’d rather build one!

[@idankk]

Nice progress! Something I noticed with large laser cutters is that the distance that the beam travels can lower the cutting power once you get to the far end of your work area. I have a 900x600mm bed, and I rarely use the farthest area from machine origin because of this.

[@FurtherFabrication]

Thanks! and thanks for sharing your experience - that's something I've noticed as well, literally 90% of the cutting I do is in the quarter closest to the tube head as well

[@rmworldnews5430]

Hello sir your videos are great and easy to follow along I’m hoping to start buy the needed parts for the built I wish you could build a big 3d printer and sell the needed information just as you did in all this series to help people more thank you sir

[@copperdolphin5291]

I always use a drop or so of Blue Locktite on the bolt going into those kind of drop in T-nuts. Then I let it dry overnight, this does not impair the bolt from screwing into the T-Nut but it causes the T-Nut to positively spin in the extrution and gives you 100% of the time a 90 degree turn on the T-Nut.

[@FurtherFabrication]

That's a great tip, thanks! Getting that 90 degree spin can be a real pain sometimes

[@meckanikai1097]

As a mech. engineer it's such gore to see you dry out those bearings :P Check factory datasheets for suggested greases. They're made of really hard materials which will scratch easily with slightest movement. Great videos tho mate! Really helpful and your designs are worth it 100%! I'm super lazy on CADing. :D Planning on building my own revision on your design, fantastic starting point! Keep it up mate!!

[@donnersm]

Just wondering about how to de-Greased the gearings... Aren’t the ones in the video sealed? Dropping them in pertrol is that enough to remove the Grease?

[@joebywan]

Curious why you went with 4 wheels per v slot plate. Most I've seen go three wheels so adjusting the tension is much easier. 2 on one side, 1 on the other.

[@mohamed_fawzy]

keep awesome

[@elcriticoperu273]

Good morning my much appreciated and admired Mr. Further, I wanted to ask you a little question: how can I lubricate the bearings at minute 3:17, I have noticed that maybe MDF smoke has entered and it is a bit hard, in advance I appreciate your answer, greetings from Peru.

[@davidriley7659]

Odd that the linear rail is not working well. Maybe it might be worth dropping the idea and using rails like the other axis? Not sure if your rails have the feature, but I think some can be adjusted based on the end screws?? Anyway great build

[@FurtherFabrication]

hmm I'll look into it. yeah plan B would be to go back to the v-wheel setup for sure

[@chebhou]

I'm building one as well but smaller

[@issambatti9836]

Hello, Is there a major impact on the Y-400 design if I install the laser tube along the X axis ? Thanks

[@originaltrilogy1]

For the linear rails, buy a box of accurate bearings, they only cost a few bucks and are vastly better than the bearings that come in the cheaper linear rails, it will make a massive difference.

[@FurtherFabrication]

Thanks for the tip! I'll look into it

[@tracypilon5530]

LOVE YOUR BUILD HOPE YOU WILL DO A 3D PRINTER

[@boshypatry]

How do you color code the different components in Fusion 360? It is the first time I see that

[@AsEr90100]

I love you brother ... I have a problem that we have done everything ... the problem is the axis Y shaking Is there any solution or method

[@ricardasmikuckis574]

Why you didn't use liner bearing for all axes? XYZ? isn't liner bearingbetter?

[@jeremycejka22]

In this video you mentioned releasing the open source information (step by step, parts list, cad drawings) I cannot seem to find them exactly on your website. Version 1 is listed but in the comments its states for Version 2 go here. however, the link directs us to the video series, and not the much needed data. Are you still providing these? Would be great to see the details of your design. Thank you, Great series, has me eager to get to building.

[@FurtherFabrication]

Yeah they'll be made available once I've finalised all the parts at the end of the project

[@jeremycejka22]

@@FurtherFabrication Thanks. From the video it seemed like the product was complete, what else was left?

[@davidrandle5362]

Glad your back on track with the vid's. thought you'd forgotten , when it's all finished will you also put the cad file up for download. Your using Fusion 360 right?

[@FurtherFabrication]

haha yeah it'll all be available for download. Yup that's right - though i'll export it into other formats as well.

[@davidrandle5362]

@@FurtherFabrication great to hear

[@BrianLeeWho]

Make sure you put a grease (zerk) fitting on that Hiwin bearing. The bearings roll against each other inside the truck races and can wear the bearing out quickly if not lubricated. I couldn't tell if that was a real Hiwin bearing or a Chinese knock-off. Doesn't look right to me. (Unless Hiwin changed their design since the last time I bought mine.)

[@FurtherFabrication]

Thanks for the tip! it's a Chinese knock off - but that's kind of the theme of the build haha

[@BrianLeeWho]

@@FurtherFabrication Nothing wrong with Chinese products. The quality of their products have improved immensely over the years.

[@originaltrilogy1]

@@FurtherFabrication Look at getting some accurate bearings as well, it is an easy modification and makes the cheap rails much closer to the Hiwin ones.

[@perspectivex]

@@originaltrilogy1 You mean like this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWWXhmSBfKeXmdU

[@advicevice]

The bearings you're using for the gantry are not meant to be mounted in that direction. The force vectors you're putting on them mounting like that are 90 degrees to what they are designed for. I think AvE has a video on different types of bearings. Your simplest solution would be to rotate mounting the carriage plates 90 degrees, and run the v-wheels in the top and bottom track of the extruded aluminum.

[@FurtherFabrication]

hmm very interesting, thanks for the comment! It's pretty common to see rails mounted like this though. My last laser cutter used the vertical v-wheel configuration, so I'm curious to see whether it's a noticeable difference.

[@AngrySkyBandit]

Welcome back! Can we know eventually which movie you worked on?

[@FurtherFabrication]

Thanks! yeah once the NDA's are lifted

[@MichaelEdmond]

Question... Why use rollers and not linear rails? And why have the short axis rail vertical and not horizontal to reduce flex across the rail?

[@FurtherFabrication]

Good question! Cost basically. Rollers are cheap and do an ok job. The less mass flying around on gantrys, the better I reckon.

[@FernandoRosentalski]

are the linear rails so much better? I'm in doubt in which one to go

[@MichaelEdmond]

@@FernandoRosentalski I have two machines one with linear rails one with runners, issue is when runners and the nylon wheels wear a bit they loose accuracy, whereas the rails 'remain tighter' for longer

[@MrDazza72]

I know your planning on lists and plans etc at the end , but i am interested in the laser head assembly you attached to the mgn12 block? I have only found ones to go on mgn15. Could i possibly have a link for this please? Ali-express i am assuming.

[@FurtherFabrication]

The linear rail is an mgn15 H. Hope that helps

[@MrDazza72]

@@FurtherFabrication Ah ok the MGN15h rails i have require M4 screws and T nuts to install , i thought you used M3 so assumed it was the smaller rail.

[@jurgenbergman6887]

What is the part coast?

[@ThedulcimerguyMatthew]

Am I missing something or is there a parts list you’ve compiled yet? Do you have plans or blueprints available?

[@FurtherFabrication]

I'll make all the documentation available at the end of the build.

[@matthewdickerson5079]

@@FurtherFabrication Thanks so much. I went back and watched the beginning of the video and found you had mentioned that already. My mistake for skipping around. I find your work intriguing. Keep up the good work. Btw, would this build work for CNC as well?

[@sz72909]

Just made myself a sandwich (after almost 4 months of being on a hunger strike/ water diet)!!! Yummmmmy!! Thanks for the video.

[@FurtherFabrication]

Haha sorry about that! glad to hear you made it through though

[@ronbunker5778]

Can I cut styrofoam with a unit like this?

[@justkiddin1980]

Hmmm...now i want to know which movie you were working on?

[@bensoloart]

theres no bearings and v block wheels on your items list....

[@vkjnrokis]

You dont need to assemble these bearings. Unless you will have servo mottors and plan to run it more than 700mms

[@tombouie]

Thks but you didn't mention the movie you worked on??????????????

[@ahmedrtAhmedrt-kq7zo]

☝👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@AndriyMisuyrak]

Hi, do you work for weta ?

[@markclynch]

@furtherFabrication can we get a ballpark on the cost of this?

[@FurtherFabrication]

My one's going to be around NZD$3k (~USD2k), but plenty of opportunity to spend more or less depending on how you spec it

[@AlysiasArtStudio]

Further Fabrication I wish I had the shop to build this! So perfect! My mind is blown

[@colby4390]

What movie?!

[@sochek2]

Thanks so much for the video! I thought about assembling a laser on aluminum profiles, but everyone says that this is impossible, they don’t. But saw your video, you are super !! Now for sure I will assemble the same machine !! Thanks you Yes, a gesture at 0:24 among Russians means "fuck you" ))))

[@FurtherFabrication]

Aluminium profiles work great for this kind of thing! Oh no! I had no idea

[@sochek2]

​@@FurtherFabrication I did not think that the rollers for aluminum have a high accuracy in the position of the X and Y axes. Tell me, what is the accuracy of the laser 0.01 or 0.05? Maybe it depends on the belt? thank