Aluminium Honeycomb Bed for DIY Laser Cutting Machine

Scott decided to build his own CO₂ laser cutting machine from scratch. After drawing the design in CAD, he was ready to start the build. The main frame was based on aluminium profiles which were linked together.

A large selection of parts needed to be designed then 3D printed. A Raspberry PI is used for controlling the lights, fans, water pump and various safety features. An Arduino was used and programmed to interpret the G code into the movement of the laser head. The various parts were assembled to create the prototype laser cutter.

A key part of the set up is the need for a honeycomb cutting bed. This is a sacrificial element which allows support of the workpiece, keeping it flat, and also allowing the waste material and heat to escape into the bed. It also reduces some of the laser reflection back at the material being cut.

The honeycomb selected was the 6.4mm cell size in a 20mm thickness. Once expanded, the honeycomb was mounted into a frame made from steel channel to support it. The frame was then mounted as a bed to the laser cutter. Now completed, the laser cutter has been used to cut various materials for several new projects.