Grad Student Invents Cheap Laser Cutter 137
An anonymous reader writes "Peter Jansen, a PhD student and member of the RepRap community, has constructed a working prototype of an inexpensive table-top laser cutter built out of old CD/DVD drives as an offshoot of his efforts to design an under $200 open-source Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D printer. Where traditional laser cutters use powerful, fixed-focus beams, this new technique dynamically adjusts the focal point of the laser using a reciprocating motion similar to a reciprocating saw, allowing a far less powerful and inexpensive laser diode to be used. The technique is currently limited to cutting black materials to a depth of only a few millimeters, but should still be useful and enabling for Makers and other crafters. The end-goal is to create a hybrid inexpensive 3D printer that can be easily reconfigured for 2D laser cutting, providing powerful making tools to the desktop."
MOAR POWER! (Score:1)
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Are blue lasers used in bluray actually more powerful? I was under impression that they just used shorter wavelength light to be able to pack more data into smaller size.
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Are blue lasers used in bluray actually more powerful?
I'm going to be up front and honest and tell you "I don't know". That said, I did see a video once where a guy took a blu-ray laser, macguyver'd it into a toy phaser pistol, and used it to pop black ballons.
Re:MOAR POWER! (Score:5, Funny)
I'm going to be up front and honest and tell you "I don't know".
Ok, that's it. Please hand in your Slashdot ID on the way out...not knowing something is one thing, but actually admitting it?
Shame on you sir, shame on you.
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But he should get points for a toy laser device that actually destroys a physical object; especially one that doesn't involve a fricken shark!
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405nm diodes from the Xbox 360 can go up to around 120 mw. Diodes from a high speed Blu-Ray burner can reach up to 500 mw with a short life-span.
405nm and IR tend to be absorbed better than most of the visible spectrum.
Re:MOAR POWER! (Score:4, Informative)
Yes, they are, as blue is a higher energy-potential.
200mW 405nm Laser vs 350mW 630nm laser - blue laser will win every time.
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I could be wrong, but wasn't the higher energy "potential" in bluray drives was used because of the slightly different disk construction, which required a bit more power to get a proper reflection in some parts as well as an attempt to fix problems with future RW disks that were visibly observable in CD and DVD drives?
I'm fairly certain that modern DVD drives have quite powerful red lasers as well, to facilitate reading from rather dim RW disks. Those should be rated to be capable of far greater power outpu
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No, it was used because 405nm is a smaller wavelength, which means you don't need large pits in the plastic, you can use much smaller pits and thus pack more data onto a disc.
Lasers are not held to a standard for reading R/RW discs, the discs themselves have a certain reflectivity threshold they must adhere by to obtain that certification. Many discs were just crappy because they didn't have a proper reflective layer that didn't properly reflect the laser back. (Memorex, I'm looking at you with your hematit
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What! Millimeters?! Call me when we can build of these with a "Vaporize Bulldozer" setting.
Dual Use? (Score:4, Funny)
The end-goal is to create a hybrid inexpensive 3D printer that can be easily reconfigured for 2D laser cutting, providing powerful making tools to the desktop
3D printer and a laser cutter? I'm no office machine expert but I don't think I want a printer capable of transforming into a laser cutter ... I've seen the Twilight Zone and this doesn't end well.
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I'm no office machine expert but I don't think I want a printer capable of transforming into a laser cutter
Not is Michael Bay is involved, anyway...
It will never sell. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:It will never sell. (Score:5, Funny)
Why would anyone want to cut a laser?
So it'll fit better on small sharks?
Not on male sharks (Score:3, Funny)
The "smaller" the shark, the bigger the laser. Same as American males drive really big cars. It is called "compensating".
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lasers...sharks
Another dumbtard geek/nerd meme that just refuses to die. Damn you Mike Myers!
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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LaserKhan
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Yo mama (Score:1)
"Yo mama's so poor she has to -cut- her cheap lasers to get two"?
C'mon. You can do better than that:
Yo mama is so fat she needs a laser cutter to clip her nails.
Yo mama is so ugly the laser light tries to bend around her.
Yo mama is so poor she needs a laser to cut the last slice of bread.
Yo mama is so stupid she uses a laser to light the house.
Always remember the warning that is on the first page of the manual.
"DO NOT LOOK INTO LASER WITH REMAINING EYE"
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Re:It will never sell. (Score:4, Funny)
Actually optical choppers are very useful (Score:5, Interesting)
Warning: Science content.
Several labs in my Uni's Chemistry Department regularly employ LASER choppers, if not "cutters". Simply stick the disk with the slits you want (to set the pulse duration) in front of the laser and set the motor to the desired RPM. That's how they get he pulse durations and frequencies that they need for their experiments. One could also use liquid crystal to turn the beam on and off rapidly. Come to think of it, I have no idea how a CD or DVD burner controls its laser. Maybe the laser can be turned on and off fast enough.
Re:Actually optical choppers are very useful (Score:5, Informative)
Come to think of it, I have no idea how a CD or DVD burner controls its laser. Maybe the laser can be turned on and off fast enough.
The laser is continuously* on and usually at a fixed distance.
The laser head can move up and down if it needs to change the focal length to try and re-read errors.
The spinning disc also provides the time + convection for heat to dissipate and not melt the plastic.
*or not depending on whatever caching mechanism the drive has...
which isn't the same thing as saying it can't be turned on/off rapidly, just that there's no need.
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which isn't the same thing as saying it can't be turned on/off rapidly, just that there's no need.
For performing reads there would be no need to turn the laser on/off. But we are talking about CD/DVD burners so there is a need. The question remains, how do they do it?
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Laser diodes, used in CD/DVD/whatever have a terrible beam quality for cutting and a mostly inappropriate wavelength, but they can be switched on/off quite fast. Think of fiber optics...
Other techs may be pretty slow to turn on/off, but have quite good beam quality for cutting. The most widely used is CO2 laser for that, which can take from 100's of us to a couple ms to turn on/off. With these lasers it's faster to move it optically away with mirrors of defocussing with lenses.
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What else can you do if it isn't making the grade and refuses to put in enough practice to improve?
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Interesting note (Score:5, Funny)
His roommate's PhD project is the inexpensive cloning of sharks.
I'm not sure I like where this is headed.
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I'm really sure I like where it's headed.
I want it now, dammit! Screw those frickin' laws on endangered species.
As opposed to doers? (Score:2)
I'm not sure I've ever heard the term Makers as used in this context. I was pretty much expecting to see Mark come after it, capitalized and everything.
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I couldn't figure out how a sandworm was going to use this thing. It's not ergonomically designed for 100' long, limbless users at all.
K.
Re:As opposed to doers? (Score:5, Informative)
It's a reference to the subculture embodied by this Make [makezine.com].
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And thus I have been informed. This is entirely news to me, and is certainly stuff that matters. My mind is whizzing with awesome ideas as a result.
Applause
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The fact that you can get one in a kit form has spawned a whole host of different printable upgrades for the MakerBot. For example, there's a set of models up on thingiverse you can download and print that will let you mount a Dremel tool in place of the print
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I wonder is this is even a defensible trademark. Will we need to start using "Creators" as an alternative? Also, isn't "The Maker" already kind of prior a
Re:As opposed to doers? (Score:4, Funny)
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I've got my doubts that O'Reilly Media wants to kill off the subculture they have been trying to cultivate for the last 5 years.
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You need a good helping of horn-rimmed glasses, and a fetish for Bruce Sterling.
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don't know where they are sourcing that term, but "Maker" was used extensively by Orson Scott Card in the book 'seventh son'.
Ah, tanj it. I read that series, and successfully blocked it from my consciousness until you mentioned it.
My first thought on reading about the "Maker" in the summary was Lois Lowry's The Giver... which apparently is only the first book of a trilogy. Who knew?
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I'm not sure I've ever heard the term Makers as used in this context. I was pretty much expecting to see Mark come after it, capitalized and everything.
It's quite common lately. Kind of like a more physical version of Hackers. Think of it as a collective term for people who make stuff for fun and perhaps a little profit rather than invent and patent and scream bloody murder if someone brings out something similar. Anything from knitted laptop covers to 3D printing and home CNC.
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How is that different from a "hobbyist"?
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"hobbyist" is a broader term that also includes people that don't create stuff as an hobby. Like collecting things("collectors"), playing games("gamers?"), sports etc.
Finally! (Score:2)
I was not aware what RepRap was (Score:5, Informative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RepRap_Project [wikipedia.org]
Cool. I want a self replicating replicator!
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"Don't be afraid. It's just a toy." [wikia.com]
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Clearly, you have not watched your Stargate [wikia.com].
Re:I was not aware what RepRap was (Score:5, Funny)
I'm afraid your only choices are zero or infinite self-replicating replicators.
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How many self-replicators would a self-replicator replicate if a self-replicator could replicate self-replicators?
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I've met the RepRap team and I can tell you the one thing they are best at (and it appears slashdot are helping them replicate) is hype and self publicity.
The RepRap machine is basically a cheap plastic printer / rapid prototyping machine which is an idea that's been around ... at least 10+ years before they started. The only component they can manufacture are the plastic bits. Have a look at the photo and see if you can spot the plastic bits. I'll give you a hint, they're not the metal frame, or the woo
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I thought the goal was to give it the ability, eventually, to print its own circuits too. Its been a long time since I browsed their page though, so I might be wrong. Off all the bits it can't do now, the wood bits is the only thing a sufficiently advanced 3D printer would not be able to do. Not that the RepRap (gah, the name is dumb) is even near to being that advanced.
Eventually, though, I can see a device that can build its own structural components, and print its own boards. Making its own motors is
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The nice thing about being able to produce the plastic bits is that they are the most expensive part. Threaded steel rod is cheap, wood is cheap, standard electrical parts are cheap, but custom-shaped plastic is only cheap if you can do a run of at least a million parts. A one-off run of the plastic bits at the typical prototyping shop will run you about $250, while a RepRap can make them for around $10.
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Cool. I want a self replicating replicator!
It's called a woman but I don't like your odds of inserting your raw material to start the replication process.
Public School shop classes. (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't mean to start a "Public schools are apathizing our youth!" thread, but I wonder how many kids would really enjoy classes geared towards making useful projects out of surplus crap - a combining of wood shop, metal shop, and electronics classes.
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I completely agree with everything you are saying. It would work great if our schools were populated with slashdot type students. Unfortunately, reality is otherwise. I think if you spent some time in schools you would be shocked at how apathetic they are when we get 'em.
However, I do think there is a serious problem with the direction schools are going with the use and teaching of technology. The emphasis has been on acquiring more and more computer workstations. Tech education now consists of word, p
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IMHO, this is the kind of inventive tinkering that should be pushed forward in today's schools.
What?! And raise another generation of techies to be pushed around by mediocre managers' sneers? I say leave these things to people that can't help themselves. Like us on /.
Luckily my kids have no true feeling with tech and/or IT. One trap I fell in which they won't. I hope that whatever they'll do, they'll do well.
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That would presumably be the UK. Just substitute 'state school' when you hear Americans talk about 'public schools'.
In the UK, there used to be private schools. These were run as businesses, where people went, paid, and were given an education. Then there were charity schools. These were run by local communities, or often by the church or by a company wanting to develop a region (for example, there were public schools in Wales funded by the mine owners). They were open to anyone, and usually didn't
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Along with high school shop classes, I want one of THESE in every town.
http://techshop.ws/ [techshop.ws]
If there was one close enough (North of Seattle) I'd be there daily.
Re:Public School shop classes. (Score:5, Insightful)
By necessity the school has got to gear to the slowest.
And that's where everything starts to go wrong. Instead of encouraging the stragglers to catch up, everyone is forced to slow down. In this environment not one slow-poke will make an extra effort - why should he? Whereas more than one above average intelligence student will get frustrated and/or bored and stop paying attention. Only the truly gifted come through such a process unscathed - but because they don't need "school" anyway. Put them next to a pile of books and provide a mentor to answer the occasional question, and they're fine in ANY environment. They live for learning and you can't take it from them.
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I believe this is the point where I thank my luck for growing up in a country where kids are split up for different kinds of highschool based on intelligence and natural aptitude at the age of 12....
I think that having to spend time in a class that still includes the morons and the hopeless till the age of 16 would be sufficient grounds for justified homi/suicide.
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We do in America, too. By the time kids are eight (well, six, actually) they are grouped by ability. Now, they will mix abilities in classes (i.e. groups of smarts with groups of dumbs sot he teacher can work with one group while the other is doing independent work) until their ten. Once they hit ten or eleven, they get segregated by ability in most subjects, and by the time they are thirteen they are almost completely segregated with the smartest never even seeing the dumbest in a school as small as 200-
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High school shop isn't what you're looking for. By necessity the school has got to gear to the slowest.
Yes, because no one has ever thought of, say, streamed programs, after-class clubs, etc...
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Schools can and do (or, at least, did, both when I attended and when I worked in them, though the former was two decades and more ago and the latter a decade ago) have classes geared much more narrowly than the top 10% to 20% of the student body. When I went to high school, in a scho
Where can we get cheap sharks to go with this? (Score:3, Funny)
Where can we get cheap sharks to go with this?
Teak Etching! (Score:3, Interesting)
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ahem (Score:1, Insightful)
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I'll be impressed (Score:2, Funny)
when the thing can cut through the fruitcake I got last Christmas
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If Star Wars was real, the Death Star couldn't cut through the fruit cake you got last Christmas. You might as well try to hit a major league slider with a stick of French bread.
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Cloth? (Score:4, Interesting)
Stupid question (Score:1)
What's "making" in this context?
Expression Fail! (Score:1)
Alright!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
Ok, so when this becomes cheap enough to replace all lasers used to correct vision, instead of thousands of dollars, we would be talking about hundreds...cool
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But are you really going to let someone shine a science fair project into your eyes?
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Drilling lots of holes (Score:2)
If the laser is capable of removing material, the next logical step would be a laser based CNC machine. Basically the reverse of what they are doing with the sintering rig, but using a subtractive process rather than an additive process.
Laser cutter? (Score:2)
How is this news? Can't you cut a laser beam by just, hum, putting something on its path?
-dZ?
Correction (Score:2)
The end-goal is to create a hybrid inexpensive 3D printer that can be easily reconfigured for 2D laser cutting, providing powerful making tools to the desktop."
The end-goal ought to be to create a working lightsaber! Get on that!
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How about a button to laser cut up and auto eject those pesky paper jams?
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Well, look what the ability to make hundreds of dies simultaneously on a wafer did for the semiconductor revolution. If one could make hundreds of small plastic custom parts at one time, it could enable small businesses to make things they otherwise couldn't do economically. I look at cheap Chinese products and ask, why make them over there and lug them thousands of miles at a cost of energy, when we could do short runs as needed here, locally and by American businesses. I have lots of things around the house that could have been made by a machine with this technology (layered up). By the way, let's extend the manufacturing principle to not just 2D axes but also rotational, as in what a lathe does but instead of removing material you add it to a rotated base. So for example you could make a cup on demand out of plastic beads fused together - which is just about what a styrofoam cup is.
Eventually perhaps. But right now, injection moulding and other similar techniques are more practical.To use your Styrofoam cup example. The cups take a fraction of a second with a mould. Pop two halves together, pump in the Styrofoam, dry, release. Easy and efficient. Thousands can be made in an hour. 3D object creation is in it's infancy right now. The hardware is expensive and still quite primitive, with a limited number of things it can use as a medium. In time.. Who knows. Making a cup with a 3D print
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3D object creation is in it's infancy right now. The hardware is expensive and still quite primitive, with a limited number of things it can use as a medium. In time.. Who knows.
Making a cup with a 3D printer of any kind would be pretty slow. Fine for one cup, but not for mass production.
Actually you would be surprised, 3D printing [henryschein.com] is the cutting edge in dental technology, but milling is more advanced such as the D4D labworks [e4dsky.com] system that scans, designs and mills, Wieland [henryschein.com]manufacture milling machine that is more production orientated. The industry is moving toward digital from beginning to end by using intraoral scanners and not even taking traditional impressions; the biggest holdup is capitalization of equipment systems that often costs 6 figures.