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    1. Nortd-cupid-hearts-yel.thumb
      nortd on March 15, 2011

      hey justin - we are using a vanilla arduino with grbl and gecko stepper drivers. For the optional web interface we use the arm-based mbed. We are still considering using the TinyG further down the road (complete open source hardware would be cool) but will have to do quite some testing before doing this. We also need sources for smooth integration with the lasersaur hardware which the TinyG project hasn't published yet. What the grbl project really has going for it is the super easy to read source code. This makes fine tuning quite fun and easy.

    2. Justin2.thumb
      Justin Shaw on March 14, 2011

      Did you go with TinyG?

    3. Missing_thumb
      John on January 11, 2011

      Any updates on the software? Anyone can build an XY table following instructions from buildlog.net or cnczone.com but the part that I was excited about was a decent laser controller and software.

    4. Nortd-cupid-hearts-yel.thumb
      nortd on January 6, 2011

      will post images of the 0.3 revision soon to http://www.flickr.com/photos/stfnix/sets/72157624491114826/detail/

      FYI: The alpha kit design should be finalized by February ...

    5. Missing_thumb
      Peter Brazier on January 5, 2011

      would to hear an update on how the the project is coming.

    6. Missing_thumb
      Architect on December 22, 2010

      "Please, don't invent some control language. There is a common standard called g-code."
      I second that. G-code is a standard for pretty much anything that involves more than one motor.

    7. 4198619132_0e388153d9_z.thumb
      Brian Boucheron on November 11, 2010

      Is there any way for people who backed the project after the kickstarter funding ended (ie: via the paypal links on your web site) to see the "Backers Only" updates? I'm itching to get started and quite curious how things are going!

    8. Missing_thumb
      Harford Hackerspace on November 9, 2010

      Thanks for the update. Have you taken any steps towards making this thing safe? Are there plans to place it in an enclosure with a filtered glass or will that be left to the builders? Also, I'm curious about how much of the $20K budget you guys have blown through on materials and tools. Do you have plenty of funding left to complete the project?

    9. Missing_thumb
      Rainer on November 9, 2010

      Please, don't invent some control language. There is a common standard called g-code. It contains all sorts of simple movement commands and commands to switch spindles or lasers on and off. All cam programs can output in that language. The g-code commands are plain text and a parser is very simple. If needed I will send a list. I am glad you are making progress. However, it still makes me wonder why you did not come back to the offer to use our cnc shop to make parts quickly and cheap. Best of luck and god speed! Rainer

    10. Nortd-cupid-hearts-yel.thumb
      nortd on November 9, 2010

      update is comming ... we just assembled the revision v0.2 yesterday ;)

    11. Missing_thumb
      Stephane Brochu on November 9, 2010

      Sooo... it's now the beginning of November. Any updates?

    12. Missing_thumb
      Jon Evans on November 7, 2010

      Hi guys, I think we'd all appreciate a little more communication. I just found the flickr stream from your last comment, but I think it would be good if you made that more obvious (posted an update about it and/or posted it to the main project website). Other than the descriptions of those photos, there have been no project updates in quite a while!

    13. Nortd-cupid-hearts-yel.thumb
      nortd on October 5, 2010

      sup! @kathleen we are making steady progress. Just testing different parts and suppliers. We found a modular optics system that looks very promising for both immediate goals and long term hackability. We are also playing around with different frame configurations. As mentioned in the last post about one month ago we should reach the next milestone in mid-october. We also have this photoblog going about the project: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stfnix/sets/72157624491114826/detail/

    14. Missing_thumb
      Kathleen Schlagel on October 4, 2010

      It has been quite some time since you posted an update. In fact, it has been over two months. Even though I did not give you thousands of dollars it would be nice to know what my money is doing for your project.

    15. Fb_profile_picture.thumb
      Christopher Thompson on August 31, 2010

      II-VI Optics make the lenses and mirrors for Universal. They don't do mounts or anything, but they might be a good source: http://www.ii-vi.com/

    16. Fb_profile_picture.thumb
      Anton Zedd on August 24, 2010

      Maybe this question has been addressed but, why would you spend 3-4k on a laser cutter when you can just buy one for the same amount?

    17. Nortd-cupid-hearts-yel.thumb
      nortd on August 10, 2010

      @harm Co2 lasers do well at cutting organic materials. Plastic, wood, fabric, paper, etc.

      @chirs This question is hard to answer. Acrylic is quite an optimal material for laser cutting (it vaporizes and functions as a waveguide) and with proper gas assist even 25W is sufficient to cut 10mm thick sheets. At the same time a systems with higher power density is way more forgiving and makes it much easier to setup for different materials/thicknesses. As a reference 100W Chinese DC lasers can typically be found for > 2k. We have yet to see what kind of power density we get with lasers in this price class but think cutting 12mm acrylic is entirely possible.

    18. Fb_profile_picture.thumb
      Harm Aarts on August 9, 2010

      Maybe a dumb question but what kind of material can one cut with this thing?

    19. Twitter_logo.thumb
      Chris Peters on August 8, 2010

      What's the cost of a laser tube that can cut say 10mm acrylic? I'd say this would be the most limiting factor of this project as basic motion systems are not that hard to come by and can be hard quiet cheaply, however a good laser is expensive but is key to a good laser cutter

    20. Nortd-cupid-hearts-yel.thumb
      nortd on August 6, 2010

      Thanks Henry for the info. Your laser cutters are rad! In terms of SDK and such I am almost positive that we want to write it from scratch so we can fully open source it. Thanks though.

    21. Missing_thumb
      Henry on July 30, 2010

      We would like to offer some support in regards to software and motion controller.

      We already manufacturer our own low cost 40w laser at $1650 complete.

      In addition, we manufacture our own control card and all the software: www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html

      See our video for RetinaEngrave USB: www.fullspectrumengineering.com/co2laserv2-40w.html

      We have an SDK to access our direct print drivers and control the motion directly through a C++ object and are interested in collaborating on open source software that calls our API.

    22. Missing_thumb
      glich on July 15, 2010

      Thanks Elmo, I will do your suggest.

    23. Missing_thumb
      Elmo on July 15, 2010

      glich: Your late, sorry. See the text "Funding successful" on the right. Do ask Nortd Labs if they wan't more money still.

    24. Missing_thumb
      glich on July 14, 2010

      Hello,
      I have been looking to pledge and be a backer but I could not find where.
      Would some one help about this?

      BR

    25. Missing_thumb
      edonkey2000 on July 9, 2010

      I would like to translate the documentation into Spanish

    26. Missing_thumb
      Harford Hackerspace on July 9, 2010

      Congratulations on making your goal. Harford Hackerspace is looking forward to building a Lasersaur with you.

    27. Nortd-cupid-hearts-yel.thumb
      nortd on July 5, 2010

      Hey pierre, thanks for sharing the ekkoflex with us. Looks like a fun project. Looking forward to see some cut with the Lasersaur! There is a good chance we will be in NYC during makefair ...

    28. 35955.thumb
      Pierre Grand on July 5, 2010

      Hello Nortlab (from France).
      Just becoming an Alpha backer !. I'm very excited ...
      Hope cutting my furniture range in 2011 with the Lasersaur !!! : www.ekkoflex.com
      Maybe you will be at NY makefaire show in september to get some good ideas from other 3D printing systems ? ... i will be there ...
      bye,
      Pierre.

    29. Yoda.thumb
      Robin den Hertog on June 30, 2010

      i hope you will make a good safety system since the laser'll cut lots of stuff (for instance 3 visible beams around the lasers and red led's used as sensors to detect light bent out of the place it is supposed to be in...

    30. Missing_thumb
      Harford Hackerspace on June 28, 2010

      Keep it simple. The fewer the parts the more people will get involved and help the project grow.

    31. Mehitachi.thumb
      Cary Chleborad on June 9, 2010

      A few thoughts: I paid almost $18K for my epilog 45 watt laser that has a 12" x 18" cutting envelope. If I could DIY construct and equivalent system for $5K I would be WAY ahead of purchasing another laser (I need one). I would be willing to pay $500 for robust control software alone, acquiring the motion control electronics and constructing hardware is child's play. Developing a robust, RELIABLE workable control is where the real task lies and is worth much more than any pledge you can make.

      HAVE FAITH!!!

      I've been playing with my new air assist nozzle on my epilog laser and have found that I still get the same cutting capacity increase if I drop the air pressure down to 40 psi from 80 psi. It seems that the difference in cutting performance gain is largely due to switching from blowing air at the cut zone to blowing air through the cut itself. I also noticed that the at the location where the laser first pierces through the material it doesn't quite cut all the way through before the laser starts moving. The industrial lasers that I have used have an actual pierce cycle where they turn the laser on and wait for it to cut through the material before the cutting is performed. With a 100 watt system and a good air assist the laser will start to behave more like an industrial system and I think it would be prudent to include a pierce delay in the lasersaur control system for those who might need it!

      Another thought: lasersaur control be able to interpret G-code?

    32. Ri_footer.thumb
      Deelux on June 8, 2010

      Alpha kit backers need to chill: It could be clearer, but the $512 pledge doesn't say you get a laser tube, motor, or frame. I just says you get a kit with all the parts you need to make "a laser cutter from motors, frame, and laser!" You supply the motors, frame, and laser...and our friends at Lasersaur provide you with the kit of other parts, instructions, drawings, etc.

      Take a chill pill, donors! You could spend more than $512 on the laser tube alone!

    33. Russ.thumb
      Dr. Russ Reiss on June 8, 2010

      Sounds like the details of the Alpha Kit had better be better explained... particularly since the pledge states "and laser" while now it's being talked of being omitted. While I have various 40w and 80w tubes, I'd sure want to know that the rest of the parts are worth it. How about the HV supply and triggering circuit; are they included? Funding could be withdrawn pretty quickly if this turns out to be more of a scam than a genuine kit. Including instructions for something that's supposed to be "open source" is not a real benefit. What is the Alpha Kit??

    34. Missing_thumb
      Stephane Brochu on June 8, 2010

      oops, i mean 25W, not 25V...

    35. Missing_thumb
      Stephane Brochu on June 8, 2010

      I have to admit to also being a little disappointed with the lack of laser with the Alpha Kit , but...

      Would it be possible to do some sort of group buy? Any little amount off would be a good thing after all. I'm assuming that for a 25V laser we are talking in the $1000 range, right?

    36. Nortd-cupid-hearts-yel.thumb
      nortd on June 8, 2010

      @cary thanks for sharing your tests with the air assist.

    37. Mehitachi.thumb
      Cary Chleborad on June 7, 2010

      I previously brought up the topic of including a high pressure coaxial air injection nozzle in the design and to explore that I recently machined an upgrade lens holder / nozzle for my 45 watt epilog laser. The air assist now flows parallel and coaxial with the laser beam and I increased the cutting air pressure from the recommended 30 psi to 80 psi. The result is an astounding 72% increase in cutting capacity over the standard epilog air assist which is essentially a gentle blow at a 45 degree angle. This clearly demonstrates the necessity of a good air assist system in laser cutters.

    38. Gator.thumb
      2Robotguy on June 7, 2010

      Alpha Kit. Get Alpha Access PLUS a super limited edition kit with all the parts to make a laser cutter from motors, frame, and laser!

      Nortd Labs says, "The laser tube will definitely not be included. "

      In the Pledge amount it sounds like to me All means All. Not almost all minus the expensive parts.

    39. Nortd-cupid-hearts-yel.thumb
      nortd on June 7, 2010

      Nathan among others have asked what's in the Alpha Kit. Please keep in mind that building a Lasersaur will be in the 2-5k range. The laser tube will definitely not be included. Things that we want to get into the kit are controller board, custom assembly pieces, documentation, software. Once we have a clear sense of components, details of the complete kit will be posted.

    40. Fb_profile_picture.thumb
      Alfredo Pino Escalona on June 6, 2010

      Hi, I am engineer in Automatic Control, I believe that your project is very good.I would like to help them in the development of the project, specially if they may use renewable sources of energy.

    41. Missing_thumb
      Misguided on June 6, 2010

      Does the alpha kit contain EVERYTHING to build Lasersaur (maybe sans tools)? Or do we have to provide items such as steppers and the laser to complete it?

    42. Missing_thumb
      Bart Etter on June 5, 2010

      Just pledged for the alpha stage. I'm very interested in this project, and have some experience with 3-D AutoCAD drafting, so I may be able to lend a hand in some respects.

    43. Nortd-cupid-hearts-yel.thumb
      nortd on June 4, 2010

      @james. good question, easy to answer. Lasersaur will have a cutting area in the 1.2x0.7m range and support laser tubes up to 100W. What is also important, the general design will be based on easy to source parts. This also means no obscure used or surplus parts. We are still designing the details and should have specs out a week before the kickstarter funding ends :)

    44. Fb_profile_picture.thumb
      Anthony Kilna on June 3, 2010

      If you are considering Adruino and ARM... I know it doesn't meet the ethernet requirement by itself, but I find the Propeller Chip http://www.parallax.com/propeller/ superior to most of its competitors at the low end. You get 32 pins of analog or digital IO and 8 processors for $8. Propeller + ARM may be a better solution.

    45. Fb_profile_picture.thumb
      D. James Nickles on June 3, 2010

      How dose your project differ from the already available fully open source laser cutter projects found on the Instructables.com site? http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-cutter-start-slicing-stuff-for-under-50-dol/ Note on the right column of that page are additional versions.

    46. Missing_thumb
      Julien Goodwin on June 2, 2010

      For the controller board an Arduino is almost certainly underpowered, Beagle Board while out there may not make sense, Gumstix for what it gives too expensive. Anything else and you're quickly at the whims of a vendor.

    47. Square-portrait.thumb
      Michael Mandiberg on June 1, 2010

      Congrats on getting over the top. I can't wait to build up a laser some time soon. All I ask is that you make it work with Illustrator/Inkscape and Photoshop/GIMP. Please don't make me go through Corel Draw anymore!!! LOL. Well done.

    48. Mehitachi.thumb
      Cary Chleborad on June 1, 2010

      BTW please keep this as a laser project only. If you try to do too many things in one machine you end up doing none of them well. I just want a really good and reasonably priced laser!

    49. Mehitachi.thumb
      Cary Chleborad on June 1, 2010

      Please consider scalability in the cutting envelope. Most folks will just be tickled pink to be able to cut any size, however I will be scaling the machine envelope to handle 4' x 8' (1.2m x 2.4m). I wouldn't expect the project to handle the structural aspects of the large scale, jut the control system. Those who want to go big can deal with the consequences of doing so themselves.

      Again, let me offer the capacity of my machine shop, not only for prototyping but I will also gladly produce quantities of any custom parts to be sold at a reasonable cost for DIY builders.

    50. Gator.thumb
      2Robotguy on June 1, 2010

      Ok I have made the leap of faith and went for the Alpha kit, pushing you over the 10K mark! I am very excited and scared at the same time! Lets see what you can do :-)

260
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Funding Successful

This project successfully raised its funding goal on July 8, 2010.

Pledge $8 or more

159 Backers

Beta Access. Join the revolution during the beta stage. You will get full access to all design documents and software several month before the project goes open source. Be part of it!

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37 Backers

Represent. Get Beta Access PLUS Lasersaur stickers. The will be lasers and sauruses on there for sure. What can be better?

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17 Backers

This is poetry. Get Beta Access, stickers PLUS a personal thank you haiku written by the first Lasersaur machine.

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19 Backers

Alpha Access. Get exclusive access to design documents during the alpha stage. This will allow you to follow the construction process closely and get your fingers dirty earlier then the rest of the kids on your block.

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Alpha Access & Schwag. Get Alpha Access PLUS a personal super secret surprise (its awesome, we promise).

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24 Backers

Alpha Kit. Get Alpha Access PLUS a super limited edition kit with all the parts to make a laser cutter from motors, frame, and laser! This will dramatically reduce the complexity of sourcing all the parts. We even might have a challenge who can first encrave their name into a slab of marble.

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Chronicles of the revolution: The Book. Hardbound, limited edition, documentation, behind the scenes photographs and never before seen building plans. Where the process is just as interesting as the result.

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Be recognized in the hall of fame supporter page of the Lasersaur manual. Bound to be a classic. The most epic read of our time. And yes, you will get an Alpha Kit upon request.

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"Gold-plated" laser glasses, custom-designed by Nortd Labs (that's us). Perfect if you want to support the laser lifestyle but remain anonymous. These are your VIP playa' trophy.

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Over the last half decade, Nortd's open source hardware and software has been built and used by thousands of people, labs, hacker-spaces and universities worldwide. We believe that people should think globally and build locally. Nortd was founded as an international open source collaborative, outputting artistic research and scientific development for humanity. Nortd was founded in New York City in 2007 by Addie Wagenknecht and Stefan Hechenberger.

  1. labs.nortd.com