Two sub topics, fire, and home brew laser cutter
First subject:
On the subject of fire when cutting plywood.. could you use C02 as the purge gas instead of compressed air? A bottle of CO2 seems cheap compared to replacing a shop.
Second subject:
Building my own CO2 laser cutter/engraver. I have been looking at the cost of laser components from:
http://www.lightobject.com/CNC-CO2-Laser-C11.aspx
Building a laser cutter would require a dedicated enclosure, and a good beam stop. I cant see where I couldn't build the enclosure with the bot, and probably the beamstop also. Anodized aluminum.. (dark black) should absorb the laser energy pretty well. Also it can hold a "bed of nails" to support the work.
Figuring I could build the laser I want for about $3000, vs purchase one for about $30000 and up, its getting its share of brain time. Its a whole lot easier to come up with enough $$$ to build one. Plus if it breaks, I know exactly how to fix it.
Dave R if you are really interested in building one, maybe we should chat.
I have also been thinking about building a machine that runs about 100 watts for cutting 1/2 and 3/4 plywood in one shot. Then later replacing the laser and optical components with about 400 or 500 watts and being able to cut steel and other metals.
Any thoughts?
D
"The best thing about building something new is either you succeed or learn something. Its a win-win situation."
--Greg Westbrook