CNC Lasers

Make your own there are kits and great instructions online. If you know basic electronics and how to read/write g-code you can follow steps on youtube.

If you can't Glowforge

>>1232246
I've got some vslot rails as I had planned to also make an engraver, but I really never found good instructions for that. And definitely not so much for a good CNC.

I've built 3D printers, but I'm no electrician I can follow simple directions. Seems like it would be easier to modify a Chinese one. I'm already working on a CNC Mill machine so I was hoping for something a bit more out of the box since I'm not looking for DIY with the machine like the 3D Printer and the Mill, but rather the things I can build with it would be the DIY part. Already have a software workflow for all the vector art.

If you know a good tutorial I'll give a shot though. Free time is limited due to a current miserable job, part of why I want to start my own thing with a few different machines. Turn something I like into work if I can manage it.

1) buy chink shit
2)rip out controls
3)put in your own controllers and drivers
4)???
5)profit

Unless you can make a 1 thou accurate setup this is the easiest route. For diy, I reccomend kmotion controllers.

>>1232449
I'm considering this as an alternative. My only real worry is buying something a little too shitty that may electrocute me or burn down my shop.

Cheap because it takes a learning curve is fine, I have a 3D printer like that. I've gutted and redone alot of it over time, but I liked that it worked mostly out of the box to learn first with a working device. It was low cost because it wasn't a friendly model, but was well made enough and effective. Cheap because its a fire hazard is something I'ld rather avoid. Though in either case I do expect the tube to die fast.

I'm thinking aligning mirrors and setup may not be bad. People said alignment and leveling on 3D printers was annoying, but I got mine set well enough that I rarely have to worry about it now.

The mill I'm making is just going to run off an arduino, but that is a road traveled enough that my novice ass will be okay.

If you are considering a glowforge pro, just get a rabbit laser.

FSL (Full spectrum laser) is hit or miss quality and CS

Epilog is awesome but pricey

Heard decent things about Automation Technologies Incorporated lasers, plus they carry a crap ton of parts

if you do go the full DIY route, please be careful you can really fuck up your eyes and start a serious fire.

>>1232783
Lot of that is way out of the price range. Its a startup business, but I'm not gambling my house on it until I know it will work.

>>1232785
Most lasers are pricey just due to venting, and chillers.

for best bang for your buck check automation tech, maybe a chink k40 if you are willing to rip out half its guts and controller

check out buildlog.net should prove a huge resource

>>1232788
Current one on order is about 2.5k for what seems good, but damn if it will ever come out. Part of why I don't mind chinese ones, I don't care if its unfriendly I'ld just be using my own software anyway and I'm good enough to replace a board if I have too.

I'll check that out. Had considered gutting a k40, I do have some openbuild rails and shit laying around.

Was mostly trying to find out if something in that 2k range like the OP were passable if you knew what to expect. That being a tube you'll need to replace soon after and not run at full power as they tend to over sell a 40W tube as 50w or 50w as 60w etc. And the possible need to swap a board or the machine if it arrives in chinese. But otherwise could do a decent cut and job once you adjust for that factor.

Some other things I have are that way. You do your own toolchain and just use theirs for the final input type thing. Or a few modifications later and you are pretty well set with a decent machine for cheap. Wasn't sure if that applies to these things as well or not.

>>1232759
If you're that good, fuck arduino. Check kmotion. Tom Karek is fucking awesome.

>>1232930
I'm not nearly that good. Just good enough to copy and paste and follow the directions of another.

The router mill is being built off a general home CNC design that uses general hardware and 3d printed parts. Its neat and works for that, but wouldn't work for a real laser. I've seen it used for 3W ones but nothing more. I'm not nearly that clever I'm just good enough to copy the work of others to put shit together. No soldering expert, but can plug jumpers in following a diagram.

Have link? Google is just getting results to software for kmotion but not really a build or design.

Much of the DIY or modification lasers I come across are cool, but often seem to leave out steps or feature broken links to where to find parts.

>>1233177
http://dynomotion.com

It's their hardware controller/driver/io stuff. The software is free, and everything is open source except the controller firmware. Will run with Mach/kmotion or your own creation. Will support and drive up to 8 axes. For diy, it's by far the most controllable, granular platform I've ever come across for the price point.

The one thing I like about it is that the company supports their product via bulletin boards such as yahoo or cnczone, and they answer things quite well from hw implementation to software. The man has enormous patience and has helped many achieve some cool shit.

But as for laser, see for yourself what another user did.

https://youtu.be/0IAdQSrvc2g

What do you guys cut for yourselves? I just designed a neat box that doesn't require glue and the hardest part for me was getting a picture to engrave properly. Fuck that shit, it took me a week to perfect a single image for engraving.