XY Table for Laser Cutter, Plotter etc

thingiverse

After being let down by a flimsy XY table in a K40-esque laser cutter (it wasn't even close to square), I decided to design my own, drawing on my experience with CNC machines. The concept I had in mind was one that I knew would work. To achieve this, I used stepper motors per arm for the X axis instead of a rod linking the two. While this takes up more room, driving two stepper motors at once works just fine, similar to how most 3D Printers handle their Z axes. All the aluminum elements are made from 2040 V Slot, making the design entirely scalable - it could be easily scaled up for a larger machine. The Y beam is laid flat, which allows for a clear path for the laser beam when used as a cutter, and also keeps the Y Carriage flat so it doesn't foul the focal length of the material beneath. To build this table, you'll need to get your hands on some items apart from stepper motors, belts, and 20T pulleys. I used V Slot wheels (a total of 11) - five of them feature eccentric nuts that adjust the pressure of the wheels on the V Slot, while the larger holes are for the eccentric nuts themselves. The other wheels simply use 6mm spacers. All fixings are M5 bolts with hammer nuts to secure to the V Slot. On the idlers, a free pulley with an M5 bore is used to allow the belts to pass back. I printed all the parts in PETG and found that the carriages were rigid and glided smoothly. Each carriage features a toothed lock that allows you to loop the belt through and then secure it with a zip tie - similar to how 3D printers work, making it easy to apply tension to the belts. To print out all the necessary parts, you'll need to print three motor mounts, two idlers, and one of every other component. The Mirror 2 mount bolts onto the stepper motor on the X axis. Since I was asked for more information... The rails are made from 2040 V Slot, with dimensions up to you depending on how big you want your table to be. The stepper motors are NEMA 17 x three in total. You'll need 20T GT2 pulleys (three of them) and 20T GT2 idler pulleys with M5 bearings (also three). Additionally, you'll require V Slot wheels and 6mm spacers (a total of six), as well as V Slot wheels and eccentric nuts for pulley alignment (five in total). A length of GT2 belt will also be necessary, depending on the size of your table. You'll need about thirty M5x6 pan head screws and thirty M5 hammer nuts. All these parts can be found on Amazon or eBay.