I’ve never been happy with the original head/nozzle/lens holder that came with my 100W Red&Black. It’s not very rigid in the X and Y axes; the mounting is … sloppy/floppy. It’s hard to square it to the table and gantry and easy to knock it out of alignment.
I shaved out the back side of the mount with CNC to fit snuggly over the block, added the mounting holes, and cut out holes for the belt attachment. Everything went back together and is MUCH more solid. However, the new nozzle uses a 25mm mirror and the original was 20mm or so. Waiting for a new set of mirrors to finish getting exact alignment and shims and to finish up the drag chain and the air mount. Looking at the original Mo mirrors it was really time to replace them anyway. I don’t have an hour meter on it, but I got it back in 2015 or so.
Nice, manufactures build to a price. That is a simple aftermarket upgrade that surely will bring more value to your investment. Not to mention, if it requires less maintenance your time is worth more as well.
Yeah, aligning the mirrors is painful enough without the multiple levels of extra work the nozzle mount needs.
The CNC itself and the laser have both gone through multiple iterations of making things just a little bit better than when I received it. There is definitely a lot of “you get what you pay for”, but there is also the fun in taking something off the shelf and making it better.
I have literally used 3D printer/CNC/Laser to make parts for the other devices. It’s the circle of a maker’s life.
It’s a Russ Sadler design. I have a number of his pieces on my co2 machine. Cloudray sells some of these Sadler designs… They even have a Russ Spec co2 that has all his upgrades.
I may do a full 3D mount adapter later (keeping the head itself). The problem I see with mounting with the stock plate - it looks like you have the same Y axis - is that the plate is sloppy, too. 3mm screws and the holes are 4.5mm or so. There is some twisting opportunity there.
By shaving the E saddle, it’s a snug fit over the block; it’s one less opportunity for undesired movement.
I did end up replacing the aluminum Cloudray block with a 3D printed one. Less bulky, less weight (not really a concern), and exact alignment without shims. I used brass heat set inserts for mounting the nozzle and the drag chain bracket.
I was a bit worried about the strength of the 3D print on the belt so I tested it with a luggage scale. The luggage scale hook broke at 75lbs and the 3D didn’t budge, so… happy.
The silver metal bracket is temporary for the proximity/home sensor. I need to figure out something permanent for that. The air hose needs to be a little longer, but I can’t find my scrap. I rerouted it until I get that replaced as well.
“Out of the box”, the nozzle is almost in perfect alignment. I squared it to the gantry/bed and did a test pulse at 10mm and 75mm distance. The dot moved by about 2mm. I need to realign everything since I’m replacing the mirrors, too.
Compared to the original, there is no comparison. The mount is rock solid vs wobble/bump.
I was able to reuse the black bracket shown in the previous picture. Turned it upside down and modified it a little to use existing mounting holes in the 3D that were made for the original orientation.
Prox/home sensor works. Air assist it back where it needs to be. Oxidized Mo mirrors replaced with Si. Laser is in good alignment and the nozzle doesn’t wobble.
I don’t have an hour meter on it, but I got it back in 2015 or so.
