Hi all & Happy forthcoming New year!
Ive made a wood frame lid for my enclosure and I’m wondering if a clear 3mm sheet of perspex laid on top of the 3mm protective screen would give the whole thing a bit more rigidity as its 743mm (L) x 766mm (w) and I’m thinking it could be a bit floppy in around the middle if I only use the 3mm on its own.
The screen will be fixed around all sides but still thinking it may need to be stronger.
I’m trying to envision this and i am thinking that the weak point would be at the corners. So if you cut 8 L shaped pieces and attached them to the corners inside and out with yellow wood glue, clamping a bit, that would sturdy things up. 3mm plywood would probably suit and you could cut the shapes with the laser.
Provided that the window provides the filtering that your laser needs, I would worry that any additional layers of acrylic would just reduce the optical quality without doing further good.
I am presuming that your protective layer is rigid, like it is tinted sheet plastic appropriate to your laser. If it is tinted flexible plastic, maybe providing a stiff layer would help.
I bought a laser with a complete enclosure. I noted that a small sheet of the orange plastic was $80 on Amazon, and that the amount it would have taken to make all of the enclosure pieces of the blue lightproof top of the enclosure would have cost more than I paid for the whole laser, plus the material the top was made out of was heavier than the Amazon seller’s.
I am left wondering if people will buy the mecpow x4 pro and then just use the box and put some other laser and whatever in it. I know that the canvas frame enclosures are cheap.
I probably should have bought the enclosure for the Ray from Snapmaker and saved a whole bunch of time and effort…but I will have my big idea’s!
That’s the arched lid and inside of pannels painted off white, enclosure is aprox 900mm wide & 700mm front to back.
The long pannels are 30mm thick t&g floor boards with a 25mm cutout for feedthrough and the pannel with the larger cutout (450mm x 100mm) is a removable viewing window for better access), a couple of pannels for either side of the lid which is removable (no hinges) and a couple of deflectors to guide the exhaust air to the end pannel with 150mm hole for exhaust. the other end pannel hole takes the 410cfm fan (which will be used as a blower)…Next is a plywood bench with shelf for control box and others for materials etc.
Hey, nice project. I hope you have the ability to throttle the air. I’m fooling around with engraving popsicle sticks (craft bag) and the tiny amount of air in my enclosure blows that stuff around. While sometimes it is cheaper to buy a mass produced item, satisfaction has a value as well.
I Googled “custom engraved popsicle sticks” for fun. I had no idea there was such a huge market for them!
Neither did I. I was going to use them as business cards. Cheap, uniform, easy to engrave. I am wondering if I can put a tiny QR code on them.
I think your right Nicholas, the airflow could be an issue, and it wasn’t till I had the base and sides together that I discovered that. The fan is 100% variable and I could if needs must, swap it to the other end as a draw instead of blower.
I dont want to sound like I have this all worked out as its all new to me, and its been a slog so far, but strangely fun.
The custom popsicle sticks had me puzzled for a while but then again…if there’s a market, they seem like a good idea for many reasons.
Have you tried a tight fitting jig to keep them steady?
Excellent idea!!! I am ordering some 6"x3/4" ones when I get back home. I expect a 5/8" QR would be readable.
I have a different use, “Smart Bookmarks” with my contact info on the back. “Free, take one” at craft fairs, flea markets, and anywhere there is a crowd.
Ah…as they say locally “Up here for thinkin & Down there for dancing”.
Great marketing idea!
