Very nice job Matt. Because of you I’ve been shopping at Cloud Ray and have to say they have been very helpful and their prices are very competitive! Thanks for the series! Jason
jjs4x just want to share, if you want to save some money, instead of ordering the website email the sales agent instead, they have lower prices plus shipping.
Thanks Matt! Just got my x/y/z kits from Cloudray and the quality looks great. Just placed my order for the rest of the parts. Cloudray customer service responses have been super quick. I went with the Ruida RDC6445g and RECI W1 75 watt tube and power supply. Cheers!
Fantastic video, from a fellow Aussie. Just getting into laser cutting now and i'll be going down your path and have been watching your whole series. Keep it up!
Beam combiner was installed between the laser tube and mirror 1. I didn't show the final installation but do show the positioning and explanation of combiner in this video. th-cam.com/video/h7wMw_xlWUA/w-d-xo.html
@@MWLaser Thanks. You and Further Fabrication both inspired me to build a laser cutter myself. I am going to buy SPT tube with red dot inbuilt to make it easier.
Thanks again for your detailed explanation. I ordered the wiring diagram PDF from your online store and I definitely recommend to others to do the same, it is crystal clear, time saving and helpful. I have a question related to the focus lens: there are multiple models with various diameters (from 12mm to 20mm) and various focal length (from 25 to 160mm) . The 1390 inner sliding rail documentation says it supports 50.8/63.5/101.6mm and I do not see anything related to the diameter. Would you please let us know which model you ordered ?
Great job and thanks for sharing your knowledge. Would you mind to give us more details regarding the bed. I'm a little bit confused. Where is the blue metal frame coming from, could it be made of alu profile instead ? How to order the alloy fin (a copy of your purchase order would be nice), do we need or not a honeycomb and how to order it ? Many thanks !!
If you like to buy the alloy fins email Cloudray Laser requesting quote for the size you want. You will need to let them know the size of area you want, and the spacing you want the fins to be apart, they can make for you. I purchased the "Blue" metal 40x40mm steel for the frame and had it welded. You could make this from Alloy profile, but I wanted to make sure there was no flex in laser bed so I chose heavier duty steel. Your preference if you want to use honeycomb, I chose not to. You can order from Cloudray's Website. Unless you can find local as honeycomb is heavy and expensive to freight. Cheers Matt
Maybe a suggestion for another video: what about the air exhaust ? With Trotec laser cutters, there are multiple stages air filtering (it is costly, complex .. but air stays in the room once filtered ) Is it better to let the airflow go outside the building ? What do you suggest ?
For most home and small business users, such complex and expensive filtering systems are not in their budget. Simple filtration and ensuring you do not cut or engrave anything that will cause toxic fumes (such as PVC) and you vent outside is sufficient, If this cannot be done, then invest in one of those filtration systems. (as with use of any equipment the use Personal Protection Equipment including face mask may be required/desired). Cheers Matt
Hey Matt great series. What was the total build cost of the project? The unit looks really good and with a great finish. Thanks for sharing your build.
Now that you have had the build done for awhile, can you give some feedback of what kind of speeds you able to get for engraving? Many tout 100mm/s but few can easily handle 300mm/s. Thanks and great job :)
Engraving speeds depend on the material you are engraving and depth of burn you require. For me engraving on this machine with acrylic fly I regularly operate at 600mm/sec. however if doing photo engraving this would need speed to be reduced to enable you to get the resolution you require for higher definition photos. For regular text / logo engraving on alloy, powder coating, timber ply, acrylic and leather, 300 to 600mm /second produces excellent results
Is there a video pertaining to the mirror mount and tube mount alignment? Looking for some tips. My machine has been a mess and I think they are still off a bit.
Great job Matt! I have been following your entire series of the build and also ordered all the parts from cloudray a month ago. I have everything except the aluminium profiles to start my build. I was wondering if you would be able to share the design for the enclosure. I was hoping to order my aluminum profiles this week. I want to take a slightly different approach to how i build my enclosure, but wanted to double check with yours and make sure my general dimensions are the same.
Sorry for missing this comment earlier, I will find my first plan demonstrated in the frame build video and link the pdf to my webpage in the next few days here (mwlaser.com.au/diy-laser-build-part-2/)
Matt, your build and tutorial series has been very impressive. I was thinking of purchasing a laser, but now you have inspired me to build my own. What would be an average cost of building one like yours? Thank you...Faron
Hi Faron, The cost would depend on the size and the material you decide to use for the enclosure. I have a detailed cost estimate available for download on my website. Cheers Matt mwlaser.com.au/diy-laser-build-cost-estimation/
saw your BOM.......what was it like dealing with aliexpress.....when i went to your guide rail purchase (which is now $498 instead of $600) i noticed a $400 shipping charge for that item alone....now i'm really wondering total cost including shipping....this might not be feasible for me....saw some items free shipping......sooooo....ballpark estimate?....another $1000 shipping?
I'm trying to mount my 80mm W1 tube in the metal tube mounts, but I don't have any sort of rubber collar to Goa around the tube? Is that something you wrapped on the tube? The 80mm tube mounts are closer to 85mm.
I use a wrapping of insulation tape if there is no rubber available. As mentioned in video at th-cam.com/video/h7wMw_xlWUA/w-d-xo.html and can be seen at th-cam.com/video/h7wMw_xlWUA/w-d-xo.html Cheers Matt
The beam combiner combines the red dot diode (visible light) with the (invisible) co2 laser beam so that it appears out the bottom of nozzle rather then a red diode pointer hanging off side of the laser nozzle.. therefore making the positioning of the laser more accurate. Cheers
@@MWLaser Thanks, seems like where I might have made my life more difficult than it needed to be is by using anodized aluminum. Does this basically mean I am going to need to run a bit of wire, and screw into, every extrusion piece to ground my enclosure?
You would need to draw up plans for your own build, as many components and configurations vary. I have a link in the Frame Building Episode for Framexpert software which can be used to design the Alloy profile frame to your own specs and sizes.
I installed the Trocen AWC 708S for several reasons. One was for personal research and testing and the price is affordable for most DIY. It has features I needed such as 3 axis control, I could connect ultimate air assist, and auto focus etc. It is compatible with Lightburn like the RuiDa, and I also wanted to be able to try another brand controller to provide some video content for users of the Trocen Controllers in the future. My experience so far has been fantastic, it is very easy to use and I will provide a review and info on settings in future videos, they are worth checking out. Cheers Matt
From Cloudray Laser. mwlaser.com.au/product/2238/ Links to items I used are in the video Description, or in the list on my website here mwlaser.com.au/diy-laser-build-cost-estimation/
Yes it is. As I apologized towards start of video. .. the problem wasn't picked up until the time of editing, far too many parts to re-record. Sorry again.
![03 Build Your Own Laser - Axis Rail Kit Assembly. [Inc. Mirror, Laser Tube & Motor Mounts]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HdOF4l3ZnL4/mqdefault.jpg)
Best visual build demonstration for the beginner.
thank you
Good day Sir....excellent video tutorials.
Glad you like them!
Well done Matt it's probably the best machine I've seen for a dyi and your information along the way has been fantastic THX.
Great work
Thanks Wayne. I appreciate your feedback.
Very nice job Matt. Because of you I’ve been shopping at Cloud Ray and have to say they have been very helpful and their prices are very competitive! Thanks for the series! Jason
jjs4x just want to share, if you want to save some money, instead of ordering the website email the sales agent instead, they have lower prices plus shipping.
Rarj Mag Thanks for the info! Actually looking too order a few things within a couple days so this will help!
Sorry I didn't see this comment earlier - Thank you. I'm glad you found the video helpful I hope all went well with your own build. Cheers Matt
Thanks Matt! Just got my x/y/z kits from Cloudray and the quality looks great. Just placed my order for the rest of the parts. Cloudray customer service responses have been super quick. I went with the Ruida RDC6445g and RECI W1 75 watt tube and power supply. Cheers!
Nice Choice. Yes, I also find Cloudray's response time very prompt. Enjoy your build, it is definitely a rewarding process. Cheers Matt
Matt's Workshop -MW Laser everytime I email them for tech question they answer with in few minutes
Fantastic video, from a fellow Aussie. Just getting into laser cutting now and i'll be going down your path and have been watching your whole series. Keep it up!
Thank you.
Thanks for your awesome videos
Sorry I didn't see this comment earlier - Thank you. I'm glad you find the videos helpful. Cheers Matt
Very clear video sound may not be the top quality but you can understand every word you say I didn’t think it was bad at all keep up the good work
Thanks
Very Impressive!!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
Great job 👍👍👍👍
Sorry I didn't see this comment earlier - Thank you. Cheers Matt
Helpful video. But you forgot to install your beamsplitter. Or you decided not to? Why?
Beam combiner was installed between the laser tube and mirror 1. I didn't show the final installation but do show the positioning and explanation of combiner in this video.
th-cam.com/video/h7wMw_xlWUA/w-d-xo.html
@@MWLaser Thanks. You and Further Fabrication both inspired me to build a laser cutter myself. I am going to buy SPT tube with red dot inbuilt to make it easier.
Thanks again for your detailed explanation. I ordered the wiring diagram PDF from your online store and I definitely recommend to others to do the same, it is crystal clear, time saving and helpful. I have a question related to the focus lens: there are multiple models with various diameters (from 12mm to 20mm) and various focal length (from 25 to 160mm) . The 1390 inner sliding rail documentation says it supports 50.8/63.5/101.6mm and I do not see anything related to the diameter. Would you please let us know which model you ordered ?
For this build I used a 20mm Diameter Lens with Focal Gap of 50.8mm - Available here mwlaser.com.au/product/cloudray-focusing-lens/
Hey Matt, what is the diameter of the perforated grid under the work table? and the thickness? fantastic video, thank you, great work
Approx diameter of each hole is 9mm the thickness is approx 2mm (i only have this there to catch parts and offcuts that fall through)
Great job and thanks for sharing your knowledge. Would you mind to give us more details regarding the bed. I'm a little bit confused. Where is the blue metal frame coming from, could it be made of alu profile instead ? How to order the alloy fin (a copy of your purchase order would be nice), do we need or not a honeycomb and how to order it ? Many thanks !!
If you like to buy the alloy fins email Cloudray Laser requesting quote for the size you want. You will need to let them know the size of area you want, and the spacing you want the fins to be apart, they can make for you.
I purchased the "Blue" metal 40x40mm steel for the frame and had it welded. You could make this from Alloy profile, but I wanted to make sure there was no flex in laser bed so I chose heavier duty steel.
Your preference if you want to use honeycomb, I chose not to. You can order from Cloudray's Website. Unless you can find local as honeycomb is heavy and expensive to freight.
Cheers Matt
Maybe a suggestion for another video: what about the air exhaust ? With Trotec laser cutters, there are multiple stages air filtering (it is costly, complex .. but air stays in the room once filtered ) Is it better to let the airflow go outside the building ? What do you suggest ?
For most home and small business users, such complex and expensive filtering systems are not in their budget.
Simple filtration and ensuring you do not cut or engrave anything that will cause toxic fumes (such as PVC) and you vent outside is sufficient, If this cannot be done, then invest in one of those filtration systems. (as with use of any equipment the use Personal Protection Equipment including face mask may be required/desired). Cheers Matt
Hey Matt great series. What was the total build cost of the project? The unit looks really good and with a great finish. Thanks for sharing your build.
:) Thanks I am still calculating the final costs, I will post it on the DIY Laser build page when I have it finalised.
mwlaser.com.au/diy-laser-build-cost-estimation/
read my post and look at the BOM pdf
Now that you have had the build done for awhile, can you give some feedback of what kind of speeds you able to get for engraving? Many tout 100mm/s but few can easily handle 300mm/s. Thanks and great job :)
Engraving speeds depend on the material you are engraving and depth of burn you require.
For me engraving on this machine with acrylic fly I regularly operate at 600mm/sec.
however if doing photo engraving this would need speed to be reduced to enable you to get the resolution you require for higher definition photos.
For regular text / logo engraving on alloy, powder coating, timber ply, acrylic and leather, 300 to 600mm /second produces excellent results
@@MWLaser Thanks for the update :) Stay Safe :)
Great series! How much did you have invested in the build? This is very tempting.
Thanks - More info on cost is on my website - mwlaser.com.au/diy-laser-build-cost-estimation/
Cheers Matt
Is there a video pertaining to the mirror mount and tube mount alignment? Looking for some tips.
My machine has been a mess and I think they are still off a bit.
Not yet - I have plans to do a mirror alignment video but have been so busy I don't get time to record anything lately
Great job Matt! I have been following your entire series of the build and also ordered all the parts from cloudray a month ago. I have everything except the aluminium profiles to start my build. I was wondering if you would be able to share the design for the enclosure. I was hoping to order my aluminum profiles this week. I want to take a slightly different approach to how i build my enclosure, but wanted to double check with yours and make sure my general dimensions are the same.
Sorry for missing this comment earlier, I will find my first plan demonstrated in the frame build video and link the pdf to my webpage in the next few days here (mwlaser.com.au/diy-laser-build-part-2/)
Done - Cheers Matt
@@MWLaser Thank you!
Matt, your build and tutorial series has been very impressive. I was thinking of purchasing a laser, but now you have inspired me to build my own. What would be an average cost of building one like yours? Thank you...Faron
Hi Faron, The cost would depend on the size and the material you decide to use for the enclosure. I have a detailed cost estimate available for download on my website. Cheers Matt
mwlaser.com.au/diy-laser-build-cost-estimation/
@@MWLaser Thank you
After marking did you use the laser to cut out that keychain, if so, what material and thickness is it
Yes, the material is 1.6mm thick it was an acrylic ply from either Rowmark or Trotec
saw your BOM.......what was it like dealing with aliexpress.....when i went to your guide rail purchase (which is now $498 instead of $600) i noticed a $400 shipping charge for that item alone....now i'm really wondering total cost including shipping....this might not be feasible for me....saw some items free shipping......sooooo....ballpark estimate?....another $1000 shipping?
I'm trying to mount my 80mm W1 tube in the metal tube mounts, but I don't have any sort of rubber collar to Goa around the tube? Is that something you wrapped on the tube? The 80mm tube mounts are closer to 85mm.
I use a wrapping of insulation tape if there is no rubber available. As mentioned in video at th-cam.com/video/h7wMw_xlWUA/w-d-xo.html and can be seen at th-cam.com/video/h7wMw_xlWUA/w-d-xo.html
Cheers Matt
Thanks for your explanations but i didn’t understand the usefulness of the beam combiner set. Can you explain to me please? Thank you
The beam combiner combines the red dot diode (visible light) with the (invisible) co2 laser beam so that it appears out the bottom of nozzle rather then a red diode pointer hanging off side of the laser nozzle.. therefore making the positioning of the laser more accurate. Cheers
@@MWLaser thank you very much and congratulations on your work. I believe I will start this project in 2022.
Thank you Matt i like to make long cable for laser firing i mean alignment test with bush button, how can i do it please thank you 🙏🏽
Video is happening soon. Cheers Matt
could you change a co2 to a fiber laser or possibly switch from glass to metal tube?
Yes you could make changes to use Fibre, Metal Tube or RF Laser Tube
Quick question - do you have your laser enclosure grounded? I am in the midst of my first DIY build and am unsure if this needs to be done?
Yes it is all grounded and mains power is grounded
@@MWLaser Thanks, seems like where I might have made my life more difficult than it needed to be is by using anodized aluminum. Does this basically mean I am going to need to run a bit of wire, and screw into, every extrusion piece to ground my enclosure?
Where do I find the plans to build one of my own? I looked at your store front, but don't see it.
You would need to draw up plans for your own build, as many components and configurations vary.
I have a link in the Frame Building Episode for Framexpert software which can be used to design the Alloy profile frame to your own specs and sizes.
Where do you get your layered acrylic? The material you cut the tag from.
TroLase from Trotec
MW Laser thanks! What’re your thoughts on it?
Hi, which size of water pipe did you use? My 90w cloudray tube is in transit, and I ha ve no idea which water pipe I need
I use 10mm Inside diameter tube
@@MWLaser cloudray only sell 7 and 8 mm inside diameter
Hi. Why you used AWC? I saw you show RUida previously. Thanks.
I installed the Trocen AWC 708S for several reasons. One was for personal research and testing and the price is affordable for most DIY. It has features I needed such as 3 axis control, I could connect ultimate air assist, and auto focus etc. It is compatible with Lightburn like the RuiDa, and I also wanted to be able to try another brand controller to provide some video content for users of the Trocen Controllers in the future.
My experience so far has been fantastic, it is very easy to use and I will provide a review and info on settings in future videos, they are worth checking out.
Cheers Matt
Thank you, Matt. I'll be waiting for new video.
Where did you get your tube from?
From Cloudray Laser.
mwlaser.com.au/product/2238/
Links to items I used are in the video Description, or in the list on my website here mwlaser.com.au/diy-laser-build-cost-estimation/
Good Video - Lousy Sound
Yes it is. As I apologized towards start of video. .. the problem wasn't picked up until the time of editing, far too many parts to re-record. Sorry again.