Laser Mount for Printrbot Simple Metal

thingiverse

Here is a laser mount for a 2.5W Blue Laser (445nm) that I bought on sale for less than $100 on banggood.com. It mounts beside the extruder using existing screws, with no modifications required on the Printrbot. Video of the laser in action is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1ZuSHSmTE4 Print Settings Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: .3 mm Infill: 100% Post-Printing Using the laser Mount the laser with a couple of M3x8mm screws. Note that the laser I used runs continuously and does not allow for on/off control. For engraving, I created a Cura profile that eliminates Z homing, eliminates extruder and bed temperature settings, and disables retraction. Non-printing moves are as fast as possible, while printing moves are at whatever speed gives you the engraving depth you want. The engraving shown was created from thing#1057499 (hat tip to SMooreArtDesign). I placed the object upside down so that the top layer was on the bottom. Print speed was 5mm/s. After slicing, I edited the gcode to eliminate all but the first layer. I started the print and plugged in the laser. As soon as the head stopped moving at the end of the print, the laser was unplugged to keep from burning in one spot. Custom Section Safety Of course, ALWAYS use eye protection when using a laser this powerful. The laser is powerful enough to blind you instantly.