Glow Writer

youmagine

My entry to the Formlabs 3D contest! I'm excited to share my project, a CNC single point projector called the Laser Glow Writer. Demo Videos are available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSDScKijQXND4C3ORADRqBtwyg3JRC-ul The Laser Glow Writer is a clever device that uses a near ultra violet laser to excite photons on luminescent material, creating glowing designs. It's essentially a 2-axis CNC machine that allows you to create intricate and detailed drawings from across the room using your computer or mobile device. Using a combination of 3D-printable parts, laser-cut components, and off-the-shelf hardware, this project is surprisingly easy to build and works well with a safe, low-power laser diode. All necessary parts can be sourced online. I originally designed this machine for Halloween, but it has many other cool applications! The first version was big and not very accurate, so I redesigned the entire machine to make it smaller, cheaper to build, and more precise. A lot of care went into engineering a high-quality project, and I'm proud to share the instructions on how to build and drive the Laser Glow Writer! To get started, you'll need to print all the STL files. You can find the SKP file for reference as well. The laser cut files come in two versions: plain DXF and Corel Draw ready for Epilog laser cutters. Note: I used 1/4-inch plexiglass for this project.