I have a Sculpfun S9 and got it in a bundle with Honeycomb bed. However this bed is only 40x40cm big, limiting my capabilities greatly. I looked online for some bigger ones but the prices are just ridicolous! So i thought of making my own for about 20€. This is what i threw together really quickly to give y’all an idea of what i have in mind:
The frame would be from wood, screwed together and just big enough and have the right shape for the laser to sit on it. Then, as a bottom protective layer i would use galvanized sheets of metal, i can get 500x250mm cheaply so i would just get two and use them and fill the small gaps on ends with tinfoil or just wont use those few cm’s. Then on top would be galvanized hardware cloth with eye opening of 12mm approximately, and to support it and stop from overhanging i though about playcing 10x10mm small wooden pieces, support them in the middle with one extra going the other direction.
Would this be a good idea? Any other ideas what to do to utilize whole sculpfun cutting area? Won’t the zinc on mesh and steel plate make problems? What about the lack of gap where the support 10x10 wood would be? And won’t that wood be burnt and break over time? (maybe if i cover the top sides with tinfoil as well, it would protect the wood but then there’s problem of charring on the back of cutting piece again…) And also, wont the sheet metal reflect the laser and damage the wooden piece that’s being cut?
There is a simpler, cheaper and better solution.
In most hardware stores, you can buy perforated steel plates in various designs and sizes. Get a plate cut to the size you need and threaded rods or bolts as legs. The plates are typically one or 2 mm thick and made of black steel or stainless steel. They must not be galvanized, the laser burns zinc off the galvanization.
If you are interested, I can find some pictures from the bit I made for my very first diode laser.
I tried looking for this type of metal too, but it’s all much more expensive than this build would be. Also would that be rigid enough? How can you keep plywood flat on such bed?
If you are using hardware cloth for the mesh, I would caution on two points.
Hardware cloth is often galvanized and that is not something you want to be using.
Secondly, I think that it would be a challenge to get the hardware cloth to lie perfectly flat. If it doesn’t that’ll cause problems with clearance and focus.
Never use Galvanized steel with lasers, welders, plasma cutters or anything that has the potential to melt or vaporize zinc, the fumes are highly toxic.
First of all, I wholeheartedly second the multiple warnings about the use of anything galvanized on the laser bed, You will be sorry -and sick- if You don’t have ample ventilation.
And if the worst come to worst, even if You have.
Using galvanized materials offer zero advantages in this particular application, and multiple disadvantages.
Zinc-fewer doesn’t do permanent damage unless the exposure is prolonged, but if You get even a partial dose even once, the experience will probably be worse than Your worst hangover.
On the positive side, it’s unlikely that anyone will repeat that mistake .
It’s also a lot better.
Any wire mesh will eventually droop, and a wooden frame will bend or flex.
The wires that catches the laser beam will also distort/deform sooner or later, that’s one of the reasons honeycomb beds have depth in order to reduce or even eliminate that effect.
Much more rigid than wire mesh.
While a perforated steel plate is a lot better alternative to a honeycomb bed than a wire mesh, a one that’s perforated enough to make a difference will be guaranteed to be relatively expensive.
So, even as a someone who’s been a diyholic since the ripe age of 5 or so, I don’t think there’s a feasible DIY alternative to a commercial honeycomb bed.
Moneywise anyway, if one just have to do something themselves rather than buy it, that’s a different ballgame.
Here are pictures from my old machines, with self -built machine beds for lasers.
The material is very stable and it can be adjusted with adjusting screws until the plate is completely straight.
The price for perforated plate is here approx. 35-50% of what a honycomb costs.
The second last picture shows how important it is with a functioning extraction and enough space under the hole plate - here there is none of it.
I’ve used this solution with punk spikes also in my CO2 laser at first (last photo) but thought it will be even better with a honycomb … the money I could have saved, both solutions work just fine, if only there is a distance during the plates and there is enough in and out air.
Fortunately, the grease stains seen in the last picture, I have no more, it was before I installed my external suction. The vent pipe can be seen on the left, I moved it from the back and it gave me a significant improvement of air flow in the machine.)
How? The laser area is also roughly 400x400. Since cases where you need exactly those sizes are usually rare, you are usually good to go with the 400x400 honeycomb… Or do you want to use the extension kit?
Ur correct with cutting dimensions, but this current one is 400x400 as whole, 2cm brim on all sides, so usable area is 360x360 and i just found out i need to cut pieces that are about 400mm big
I need to reply to this also.
My laser is 60W CO2 but for references my set up will be similar to what you wish to do.
I got rid of the honeycomb. Bought Stainless steel wire mesh with 1/4" (5mm) openings. I kept the aluminum bars that came with my machine and laid the mesh on top of them. I used this set-up to cut jigsaw puzzles with little problem of smoke residue on the bottom side although I did use adhesive paper on bottom side of material and sealed the top of ply which made it possible to clean any residue off easily, I had very little by adjusting assisted air.
I do engraving and cutting of mostly 3mm Maple or Birch veneer over MDF core. I cut dowel rod of 3/4" diameter to one inch long and place them at strategic spots on top of the mesh. When cutting a project from the material I make sure the dowels are not where I am gong to cut, not as difficult as you might think.
I made steel weights with wire attached and bent as a hook at free end. Also have some steel bars 1/4" thick and 1 1/2 " wide that can be placed on top of areas of ply that may not lay down flat. On edge to either end I place the weights to ply with hooked wire end so there is nothing to interfere with the laser head.
When the wire mesh becomes contaminated I soak in Simple Green then wash with water and allow to dry. I made two pieces of the mesh to fit my machine working area.
Bern’s set up is comparable to mine just a different material for mesh.
Thanks very much to all for convincing me that the zinc would be a problem … before it actually was. I made my own with the steel mesh which is certainly zinc coated. It was more trouble than I imagined, but I did get it built. I’ve just gone back and bought a the honeycomb from the laser company to match the footprint. I should have saved myself all the trouble.
Ahhh, it’s a bit of an unfortunate choice. Aluminum honeycomb is “too soft” and not magnetic, ie. You cannot use magnets or mechanical “Hold Downs” on this type honeycomb. I hope you will be happy with the solution anyway.
I’d willing to bet that the majority of the gripes and misunderstandings people have towards honeycomb beds in hobby laser cutting comes from bad experiences with the aluminium ones.
Some of the ones I’ve seen on the 'net also look suspiciously similar to the material that’s used to manufacture aluminium core honeycomb panels, and needless to say that by design the rigidity of the honeycomb mat by itself for that design makes it pretty much unsuitable to be used in any kind of job without the “skins” on both sides.
The (aluminium) honeycomb core that’s designed to be skinned is designed to be somewhat flexible so curved and convex/concave panels can be made as well as flat ones.
I also hope You will be happy with it.
Keeping in mind that the airflow below should be disturbed as little as possible, I’d probably fashion additional supports for the panel using L or T aluminium extrusions.
Galvanized mesh should be ok if you have good air extraction which is essential with what we do as there will always be gasses that we dont know about ,possibly worse than galvanized fumes .
Good air exhaust should be the first thing to perfect …unless you are only doing one kind of work but that is not the nature of what this hobby is about.
The one I’ve got as first bed with the laser is aluminum too, and I’ve had little problems with it within the limited time i used it. They provided plastic push-in pins that hold down material pretty well instead of magnets, but it is true you can only use those on the edges of material not in the middle, so if I’ll have a bent piece im screwed.
.
