Quick Change Laser Mount for MPCNC

thingiverse

You can quickly switch the standard Flex cutting tool with this laser mount, replacing it with a laser in seconds. It is perfectly suited to fit into the existing flex tool holder that comes with your Harbor Freight model. I acquired a 300-400 milliwatt red laser at 650 nanometers and a length of 12 millimeters from Ebay - http://www.ebay.com/itm/271107358613 shows the one I have, however other 12 mm lasers can be substituted as they are all compatible with this mount. You're also free to customize the driver box to your liking. In fact, it took just a short while to draw up in Sketchup and attaching the driver simply requires hot glue, but for added stability you may want to ABS juice or attach it more securely. The lid of the enclosure fits easily onto the laser tube using only friction - for better results consider adding adhesive for an additional level of security. The power driver is connected via a cable directly into the D9 input slot on the RAMPS 1.4 board which makes both devices, that is to say both laser and fan turn on or off together seamlessly in one step with my system thanks to this convenient wiring method using small but reliable plug-ins for effortless replacement at will. The software of choice when designing any custom burns to be produced via the laser is none other than Inkscape - https://inkscape.org/en/ along with specific Inkscape to g-code plugins: http://jtechphotonics.com/?page_id=2012 as well as the 305engineering version from GitHub: https://github.com/305engineering/Inkscape which are not only a great pair but actually were utilized in all examples pictured right here in my setup above. Be on the lookout for additional plug-ins though because there may be many out there waiting to get utilized with this amazing piece of tech - if interested simply search online using "inkscape laser plugin".