Re: CO2 Lasers for CNC Machines

> I can understand that since laser time is not cheap! Reason I am more
> interested in retrofitting my PC router with a CO2 laser but I know of no ome
> that has done it so far. I may take the first shot at it.

People have done this. The main reason becomes the expense for the
mirrors that are needed to 'bend' the beam and the cost of the laser
head and power supplies for the laser, as opposed to just keeping the
router going.

It is quite an eye opener once you start to buy $200 focusing lens', the
a vacuum or air assist unit to keep those lens clear of smoke and
splatter etc., and the bending mirrors at about $100 each for possibly
three of those, and we haven't even got to the price of the laser head
yet.

This is why it is such that not many people have converted, mainly
because of the cost and some of the repeated mtce. that has to be done
to them.

Yes, laser time is not cheap. Most all charge by the cut/lased inch, or
linear measurement of the periphery. I have set a sub in my AutoCAD
program with a script it will run for perimeter for calculating distance
and then I can calculate cost from there once I have determined what it
will cost to run the laser.

Hope this helps.

Don Hughes