Laser cutting 3d printer

If you want to create something more than just 3D printed parts, or simply expand the range of materials you work with, laser cutting and engraving is a great choice. It allows you to work with other materials and does not require special experience. nine0005

But perhaps the best part is that this technology can be easily used by upgrading your 3D printer. The motion system of 3D printers far exceeds the requirements for laser cutting, and laser diode modules can be as small as hot end nodes.

Converting a 3D printer into a laser cutter and engraver is a pretty big deal. In this article, we'll talk about laser technology in general, and then we'll discuss the main steps involved in converting your 3D printer. nine0005

What is laser cutting and engraving?

Laser cutting is a process in which a laser beam selectively removes material along a specific path by vaporizing it. Engraving is basically the same, but instead of removing material, it marks the surface, changing its appearance through oxidation.

Two laser technologies are mainly used for the manufacture of tabletop machines: CO2 and diode. CO2 lasers are powerful enough to cut most materials, including some metals, and are widely used in industry. nine0005

However, CO2 laser machines are bulky and require rather expensive and fragile equipment such as CO2 tubes, mirrors and lenses. On the other hand, diode lasers are lightweight and relatively cheap, since they consist mainly of one small module.

Diode lasers are much less powerful than CO2 and are best suited for engraving and cutting thin sheets of balsa and plywood. In comparison, a CO2 laser can deliver up to 400W, while diode lasers can only deliver 10W maximum. nine0005

Do you need to convert your 3D printer to a laser engraver?

Converting a 3D printer to a CO2 laser machine can be quite a challenge given the size of the tubes and the complex system of mirrors. For this reason, it is much better to use diode lasers.

However, please note that these lasers can only cut certain materials such as paper, cardboard, balsa and plywood with a thickness of 3 to 5 mm. Due to the wavelength of the laser, it cannot cut or engrave transparent materials such as acrylic. nine0005

Also be aware of the safety requirements when using lasers. Class 4 lasers are dangerous to the eyes, so the use of safety goggles is mandatory. In addition, the products of combustion emitted during the operation of the laser can be harmful to our health, so enclosure and proper ventilation are required.

Take all of this into account before deciding to convert your 3D printer to a laser machine. Given the risks involved, it is especially important to take precautions. nine0005

How to turn a 3D printer into a laser cutter/engraver?

The process of converting a 3D printer to a laser machine varies but usually involves the same steps.

First of all, we need to choose the laser module that best suits our requirements (eg functionality and price). Next, we need to figure out how to adapt it to the electronics and physical interface of the 3D printer.

Laser module

Powerful solid state lasers are a relatively recent development, but the market has quickly caught up with demand for diode laser modules. nine0005

The laser power is always between 1 and 10 W. Some white label lasers you see online are listed as 30W or even 40W, but that is definitely not optical power output.

Power will determine which materials can be engraved and whether materials such as wood (and how thick) can be cut. Laser manufacturers usually provide a list of materials that can be engraved and cut, so be sure to check it out.

Variable focal length, which you sometimes see as an advertised feature, is not really important here, as the 3D printer's Z-axis can raise or lower the module to fit a fixed distance. nine0005

The air blower is an interesting feature as it blows air directly onto the surface to disperse particles that interfere with the laser, resulting in cleaner cuts. Some lasers have this feature built in.

Compatibility and connection

Most laser modules can be connected directly to the 3D printer control board. The partial cooling fan on a 3D printer requires an adjustable power output to control its speed, and it is this port that can power and drive the laser. nine0005

Some lasers require a special 12V power input. This is usually via a separate driver board, which can be powered by either the printer's power supply or an external power supply. This setup also requires a connection to the printer through the fan port.

Refer to the laser manufacturer's documentation for correct connection instructions.

Installation

Installation and mounting of the laser module is perhaps the only major equipment change in the entire conversion process. Although some lasers come with non-standard brackets, some adaptation will always be required. nine0005

Fortunately, you already have a 3D printer, so anything is possible. You may be able to find suitable designs on sites like Thingiverse. Otherwise, it might be time to try some 3D modeling software like Tinkercad or similar. The model doesn't have to be fancy, just a joint between holes and screws that will be used to hold the hot end.

Once you've attached the laser module to your 3D printer, you're done! However, in order to start engraving or cutting, you may need a new firmware. nine0005

Next steps

The laser cutter and engraver is one of the coolest machines we can have at home because it allows us to make things from a wider range of materials than extruded plastic filament. Converting a 3D printer to a laser printer is an inexpensive option, and you can always go back to 3D printing in the end.

By the way, for Ender and CR-10 users, Creality offers special laser kits to add (not replace) laser modules to these printers. nine0005

Be sure to check out some step-by-step guides online. For example, Instructables user Goss Adema has documented converting the Anet A8 to a laser cutter and engraver, and the TeachingTech YouTube channel has great step-by-step instructions on how to do it on any 3D printer.

Laser cutter from 3d printer. Part two, software

In the last part, I described all the hardware. It's time to teach the printer to work with a laser. nine0005

Laser control.

When describing the setup process, I had to touch on this topic, but I will repeat it. To control the on / off of the laser, we will be an extremely useful command M42. It is supported by Sprinter, Marlin, Repetier, RepRap Firmware. A fairly impressive list, so most of the problems with this should not arise. The command looks like this:

M42 Px Sy, where x is the pin number on which the TTL control sits, and y is the PWM cycle value. nine0005

In the course of the article, I will mention the laser power required for any operations, the approximate value of S for a particular laser can be calculated from the proportion. For example, if the required power is 0.5W, the S value for a 1.6W laser will be (255/1.6)*0.5~80.

Preparatory teams for laser cutting/engraving.

Due to the fact that we hammer nails with a microscope, the preparation is divided into 2 stages: a series of commands before cutting and a series of commands in the cutting file itself. Now we are talking about the first stage. nine0005

Once focus is set, it is preferable to have a file that will drive all axes to home and raise the carriage to the height at which focus was set for the particular material. It's a little confusing, so I'll explain with an example.

Let's assume that I rebuilt the focus on the 1mm textolite plate in place with the carriage raised on the 8mm. Then the preparation code for cutting/engraving a 1mm thick material will look like this:

G28 X Y ; drive X and Y to home

G28 Z ; drive Z to home

G1 Z8 ; raise the bottom bracket by 8mm

M84 ; turn off steppers

Z is driven separately because safe home is on. If it is disabled, then the code is reduced to three commands:

G28

G1 Z8

M84

It is convenient to have several such files for materials of different thicknesses. For 2mm there will be a 9mm rise, for 3 - 10 and so on. The focus will still have to be adjusted before each cut, but at least you will have to turn the adjustment ring less. nine0005

Start and end commands in the gcode file.

After preparation, you can start cutting. But it is preceded by the second stage of preparation in the form of a list of initial commands in the gcode file itself.

Here is a list of commands prior to engraving:

G28 X Y ; unlike 3D printing, which is most often done in the middle of the table, it is more convenient to engrave from the edge. Because XY are driven into the corner. Z remains unchanged, we set it with the previous file. nine0005

G1 Y43 ; next comes the shift of the table to come to the origin of the laser. More on that below.

G92 X0 Y0 ; zeroing the coordinates after the shift - this is how we let the printer know that we have come to the origin.

M42 P5 S255 ; turning on the fan. Read more here.

Determining the position of the laser module relative to the nozzle. When we send all axes to home, we do it for the extruder. But the laser is in a different place, and so is the origin for it. The position of the 'new' origin is what we have to determine. This operation is done once. The technique is as follows:

1. Stick a piece of tape/kapton on the table.

2. Move the axes so that the laser is above the piece of adhesive tape.

3. We write the command G92 X0 Y0 in Pronterface - this will reset the current coordinates of the caret to 0.0

3. Turn on the laser (M42 P6 S *) so that it burns a dot on the adhesive tape. 0.3-0.5W of power is enough. You don't need to hold it for a long time, 3-5 seconds is enough, and the laser can be turned off (M42 P6 S0).

4. Click the axis control arrows in Pronterface so that the printer nozzle points to the resulting point. nine0005

5. After pointing, send the command M114 , it will show the current position of the carriage. The command line will show something like X:0. 00 Y:-43.00 Z:0.00. From this it follows that the difference between the origins for the nozzle and the laser is 43mm, and to get to the origin of the laser, you need to shift the Y-axis by 43mm. Therefore, the final team looks like G1 Y43 . The example is shown with the coaxial position of the extruder and the laser relative to the Y axis. For laser cutting, it will be just these 43mm less. If your maximum measurement on the 'affected' axis was, say, 200mm, then for cutting it would be 157mm. This maximum measurement will have to be kept in mind, because. I have not found an elegant way to set the maximum dimension via G-code. nine0086

With final commands, everything is elementary. At the end of the executable file, the laser and the fan blowing it should be turned off:

M42 P6 S0 ; turn off laser

M42 P5 S0 ; turn off the cooler

Total software-hardware preparation is completed.

How to work.

Let me summarize a little all the heap of information written above.

After all the manipulations, we should have 3 command lists: one raises the carriage to the focus height, the second (table shift, coordinate reset ...) is added to the beginning of the engraving file and the third (turning off the laser and fan) is added to the end of the engraving file. nine0005

The order of operation is approximately the following:

1. Execute commands to raise Z to the focus height.

2. Place the workpiece in the printer. In terms of fastening the workpiece, office paper clips are unrivaled for convenience

3. Prepare a cutting file using one of the programs described below. If it is a plugin, manually add the appropriate command lists to the beginning and end of the gcode file using Notepad

4. Perform cutting. It is possible both through Pronterface and through an SD card. nine0005

Burn out a corner at the origin.

The first thing I recommend is to burn a couple of lines at right angles at the origin to make the workpiece easier to install. I am attaching the file with the corner. It will burn 2 straight lines at the X and Y origin, 10 cm long.

Preparing the file for your needs is as follows:

1. Change the shift value

2. Change the fan pin at the beginning and end of the file to your own

3. Change the pin and laser power to your own, this must be done throughout the file . This can be easily done with AutoCorrect. Power is enough 0.5W. nine0005

The commands required for editing are marked in the file separated by a semicolon.

After engraving, it should look like this:

Laser modes for engraving various materials.

Unfortunately, I cannot provide much information about this. Modes are selected only practically. But there is something:

For engraving on plywood: 0.7-1W, feed 1000-2000mm/min.

Burn/cut: full power, feed 100-150mm/min

Laser software overview.

Here I will briefly tell you about the programs that I personally felt.

There is not so much software for native work with a laser assembled in such a configuration. Before considering the software, I will talk about 2 approaches to processing a black and white image with programs for converting to g-code.

1. Raster approach: the image is considered as a set of dots, and the laser draws the image line by line, point by point, onto the material. A rather slow method, but it allows you to get the infill, and is the only one for photo engraving. nine0005

2. Vector approach: the image is considered as a set of primitives, which are ready-made trajectories for the laser. This approach gives a lot more speed when doing engraving, but there is a cornerstone - the filling of primitives. The laser burns only their contours.

Programs with a raster approach.

The Raster 2 Laser plugin for Inkscape was mentioned here, so I'll omit its description. Plugins for Inkscape have one common drawback: you can't automatically enter your commands (shift table, reset axes. ..) at the beginning and end of the gcode file, so you have to add them manually. Also, not all firmware support commands like G01 ... G09- they have to be changed by autochange to G1, G2, etc.

PicLaser. A crooked program with a wildly scary interface, and besides, it's also paid ($40). But, despite the terrible GUI and a bunch of small glitches, it does its job properly. The demo does not allow outputting more than half of the image in gcode. There is an inconvenient internal image editor, I did not dare to use it. But there is complete convenience in terms of settings - both commands before cutting and after, setting a command to turn on / off, setting the maximum value of S, choosing engraving - vertical, horizontal or at an angle of 45 degrees, etc.

Despite all its shortcomings, in my opinion, it still remains the best program for applying grayscale photos on plywood, because. can modulate the laser power depending on the shade.

CHPU from NikRomSoft. A good program from compatriots, and besides, it's free. Designed for CNC milling machines, laser and nichrome engravers. It is possible to enter the beginning and end of the G-code. Able to skip white areas. There is a built-in image editor.

I didn't like her very much. The image is burned out only when the carriage moves in one direction, and then the laser idles back to start a new line. And the code has to be manually edited in order to remove the delay on black - it slows down the process very much, and if you set it to zero, the output is an empty gcode file. Even skipping white does not speed up this process. Saves in .cnc format, you have to rename it to .gcode manually. On the other hand, there is filling... Mixed impressions, in general. Perhaps someone will achieve more with this program. nine0005

P.S. small trick: the engraving speed is set in the pre-commands by a line like 'G1 F1000', where 1000 is the feed in mm

LaserEtch from J-Tech Photonics. Another paid program ($30). The demo, according to a bad tradition, produces only half of the image in g-code.

Despite the fact that the developers position it as a vector, it is not - it just knows how to skip absolutely white areas, and moves the caret to them faster. A rather rich number of settings, among which I will note Fake Extrusion - it allows you to see in Pronterface what will be engraved. At the moment, there is a small glitch when saving your own gcode commands at the beginning and end of the file (shown on the screenshot). In principle, it is replaced by the CHPU program, albeit with some reservations. nine0005

Programs with a vector approach.

I have found only one such program so far:

J-Tech Photonics Laser Tool plugin for Inkskape. To use it, you need to vectorize the bitmap with Inkscape.

It only understands pure black and white photos, not grayscale. It is convenient because it can lower the carriage for each pass, it is possible to set the maximum laser power, the delay before switching on (some drivers have soft-start).

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