Lasersaur build

Lasersaur

This page is here to document the rough pricing of they diy laser cutter called the lasersaur. More info is available at the nortd labs lasersaur page [1] Our goal is to bring the total price down as low as possible. Straight from the bill of materials the price is ~$4600. I believe we can get it down to around $2k without too much ebaying.

Big fish

These items look grossly overpriced on the BOM[2]

• water chiller - $400
  • Some people seem to run 40w tubes without cooling. I'm sure we could set up an aquarium pump and a water reservoir with some cooling fans for far cheaper. We could buy a new minifridge for cheaper!
• steel sheeting - $600
  • I think thin tin sheet over plywood would offer the same rigidity and laser-stopping power for $500 less
• gecko motor drivers - $140
  • this is up for discussion. They are really nice, but these drivers are 5x the price of some easysteppers from sparkfun.
• t slot and nuts - $720
  • this may or not be a good price. It seems like a lot, but it is the cheapest I could find for cut-to-length. They also have a deal for first time customers right now.[3] It is 30% off up to $150. Possibly we could find t nuts cheaper elsewhere. $222 in nuts seems like a ton.
• polycarbonate lid - $140
  • could this be glass or a cheaper plastic? I think it needs to be laser-proof.
• optics - $690
  • online posts suggest it could be done for around $200 EvErywhErE mentioned on the mailing list he could help source these.
• stepper motors - $140
  • we could one of these from alltronics and have 2x the torque for $40 less[4] The nema 23 motor spec'd is slightly more, but can certainly be purchased cheaper. In another question: why are there two different motors used in this design?
  • Roland mentioned he has 2 nema 23 motors that can do 100 oz/in.

Smaller savings

There is probably some savings to be had by price checking locally whenever possible to avoid shipping and handling fees. Also buying from as few companies as is feasible would help cut down on costs. The laser tube and power supply may be an area for exploration, but we need more info.

Added costs

There are some things we will need to look into purchasing that are not on the list.

• IR blocking goggles
• exhaust fan and tubing
• fire extinguisher
• possibly air assist compressor?
• computer to control this with

To do

Continue squeezing the price down. Spec nema 23 motor. Look into polycarbonate lid replacement, cooling pump replacement, exhaust fans.