A different kind of rotary attachment

[Douglas J Miller]

Hello everyone! I'm a long time lurker here, and infrequent poster.

I have come up with a different kind of rotary attachment, and I'm wondering what everyone thinks of it. I've posted a video on youtube of it working. You can view it here: http://youtu.be/ksnVMXjrR1s

It's made for my Full Spectrum Engineering 40watt hobby laser (a machine I love!), but it can be adapted to a lot of other lasers.

So, let me have it! Good? Bad? Don't care? Don't be too mean to me, my wife hates to see a grown man cry. Lol

Douglas

[Joe Hillmann]

Pretty slick. I saw a picture of one that kind of worked like that but much more complicated that someone had built for engraving on pumpkins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDqTp33xjME here is a video of it.

[Dan Simone]

Wow, that is really cool. I always think the simpler the solution the better.

[Steve Busey]

Was doing a general search for "jigs" when I found this timely mention...

for engraving on pumpkins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDqTp33xjME here is a video of it.

[Gary Hair]

Two things - if it's attached to the X-axis rail how you do you focus? Also, doesn't the way it's attached limit the size of what you can engrave? Maybe I'm not seeing it right?

Gary

[Douglas J Miller]

Gary, The attachment rises and falls with the table. You focus it with the table height just like normal. And there are limits to what it will handle, but if you don't need to do large diameter items it works great. For the person who just wants to engrave a few pens now and again, and similar tasks, it's ideal. Of course, that's just my opinion.

[Chris S Martin]

Mr. Miller I would love to know how to build one. I have a 60w Full Spectrum Laser which I also love. Thanks for anything that you could share.

[Gary Hair]

I just looked at it a bit closer - at first glance it looked to be firmly attached to the x rail, I didn't realize it actually floats on the rail allowing you to set focus. It is a very clever design.

Gary

[Ernie Balch]

That certainly is an interesting design, You have me wondering how to adapt that to my shopbot router as well as my rabbit laser. Thanks for sharing.

ernie

[Mike Null]

Doug

thanks for posting what appears to be a great idea. I assume it would be ok for interested parties to pm you for more details.

My questions deal with increasing the working diameter and length as well as whether this can be adapted for use on any machine.

[Douglas J Miller]

Dan, i agree that often the simpler the solution the better. Sometimes a lack of money can lead you in all new directions.

Mike, The design can be adapted for almost any gantry type system. The size of object it can take is a function of table size and depth. If your table is big enough there is no reason one couldn't be built to handle wine bottles or something like that. While I have my doubts that a truly 'universal' one would work very well, I'm going to start collecting data on other machines, and see just how many different sizes it would take to make everyone happy.

Anyone who wants more information, please PM me. I like this forum too much to take a chance of breaking the rules and getting kicked off. Lol

[Keith Outten]

Doug,

Its pretty clear to me what your intention is here so I wouldn't worry so much about losing your place on the roster

Honestly I think your approach is innovative and interesting so I hope that lots of people here will provide you data that you can use to make improvements.
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[Dee Gallo]

Doug, for those who want to help you by providing info on their lasers, could you list the kind of info you need? Your invention is a definite improvement over the present rotary I have, that's for sure!

cheers, dee

[Douglas J Miller]

I can do that, Dee!

Here's the list, for anyone who cares to help out. Wouldn't it be nice to come up with a 'universal' one? Well, there I go dreaming again.... But I guess I can try!

Measurements needed:

1: Total table travel up and down.


2: Table X and Y dimensions.


3: Gantry height and width. This is the gantry itself, not including the firing head or any of that.


4: Distance from front face of gantry to beam. Easiest way to get this is to place a piece of scrap in the machine, in focus. Then hold something square up to the gantry and make a mark on the scrap directly below the front face. Fire the beam, and measure between the two marks.


5: A guess as to the amount of room between the top of the gantry and the lid. For sloping lids give the best guess at the front and the back, counting only that above where the gantry can actually travel through.


6: Focal length of lens.


7: Make and model of laser.

I think that should do it.

PM me with all of that, and I'll make a chart and see what we have.

And Thank You All for your interest. It's a bit overwhelming, but in a good way.

Douglas

[Mark Ross]

We have a 3D printer at work, so if any gears / brackets/ fittings etc. need to be fabricated let me know! We have an Epilog 36EXT and I would like to make a system for our unit.