Sovol SO-2 10w 40mm Laser Air Assist

thingiverse

UPDATE: This is the OLD version! A newer and more solid version has been uploaded here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5794364 Hey all! I wanted to add some basic air assist to my Sovol SO-2 laser, preferably as cheaply as possible. My goal was to design something that did not require modifying the laser unit or its protective eye shield in any way, uses readily available parts, and costs as little money as possible. The attachment slides over the protective shield on the laser, positioning a 1.0mm 3d printer nozzle through the curved gap on the back of it, and secures gently with an M4 bolt and nut. It's designed specifically for the 10w laser module on my SO-2, so that the bottom of the attachment and the bottom of the shield are flush with each other, resulting in the airflow pointing directly at the spot where the laser meets the material when focused correctly (using a 7mm gap from shield bottom to material surface). The total project cost was about $20. In theory, this could work for the 5w sovol, or any 40mm laser unit, though the height will have to be adjusted accordingly based on the focused position of the laser head. The nozzle is pointing in from the side at a 20 degree downward angle, and I've included a profile screenshot to illustrate this. Feel free to remix the design to better fit your own unit! Parts required: 1x 16mm M4 bolt 1x M4 nut 1x MK8 size 3d printer nozzle, I am using a 1.0mm for maximum airflow, they are available cheaply in packs from Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Aokin-Extruder-Nozzles-Creality-Makerbot/dp/B08W4JMRTV/ 1x Aquarium air pump with standard size (3/16") air hose. I'm using this cheap one from Amazon because it was only $15 and it has adjustable airflow, and I used a Y splitter to combine both outputs to a single hose so all the air goes to the nozzle without having to block one of the lines. The flow can be turned down when engraving or cutting lightweight paper/objects, or turned up to the max when cutting through thicker materials or anything that generates a lot of smoke. It's not a very powerful unit, but again, it's cheap and it's much quieter than a commercial unit, which is ideal for my office. Obviously your mileage may vary, but you can easily use a more powerful aquarium pump, or a pump designed for this purpose to get better results. The important factors to consider are the airflow and the pressure the pump puts out. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07RJ3XLM8/ Print the part upside down (as the stl is oriented) with supports. I used a brim, but it's not really necessary. The finer your nozzle and/or layer height, the better the threads for the nozzle will come out. I printed mine in PLA with 0.12mm layers and a .3mm nozzle. I also used a higher wall count and plenty of infill to make it nice and strong; it's a small part, so I wasn't concerned about filament use or time to print. This is my first complex, from-scratch project! It was designed in Tinkercad.