Kickstarter

Creator Justin Shaw on March 14, 2011

Did you go with TinyG?

Creator 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.

Creator Peter Brazier on January 5, 2011

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

Creator Valentin Ivanov 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.

Creator 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!

Creator 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?

Creator 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

Creator Stephane Brochu on November 9, 2010

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

Creator 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!

Creator 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.

Creator 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/

Creator 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?

Creator Harm Aarts on August 9, 2010

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

Creator 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

Creator 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.

Creator glich on July 15, 2010

Thanks Elmo, I will do your suggest.

Creator 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.

Creator 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

Creator edonkey2000 on July 9, 2010

I would like to translate the documentation into Spanish

Creator Harford Hackerspace on July 9, 2010

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

Creator 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.

Creator 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...

Creator Harford Hackerspace on June 28, 2010

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

Creator 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?

Creator 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!

Creator 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??

Creator Stephane Brochu on June 8, 2010

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

Creator 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?

Creator 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.