New Emission Technologies Laser

[Simon Arthur]

I've had my Emission Technologies laser for about two weeks now. There are still a few kinks to work out (it does come disassembled, after all), but it's mostly working well. I haven't seen much here on the Creek (or anywhere else on the web) discussing experiences with Emission Technologies machines, so I thought I'd give my initial impressions.

There were a few problems with late shipment, missing parts, and the like, but Robert at Emission Technologies did provide a very nice upgrade in order to make up for my inconvenience. On the net, the experience has been positive.

I would recommend buying one of these with some reservations. You really should be somewhat mechanically capable in order to assemble the unit. I would recommend getting a shopping list from Emission beforehand of everything you'll need (like 2 gallons of distilled water, ceramic tiles, an air compressor, a power strip...) in order to make the unit work.

I have the 100 watt model. Right now it's working away at making a carbon fume filter unit of my own design out of 1/4" MDF. I can post the design if anyone is interested.

[Randy Walker]

I'd love to see your filter unit if you would care to share it. There have been several discussions about filtration here and another voice would be welcomed.

Randy Walker

[AL Ursich]

Pictures would be GOOD

AL:D

[Simon Arthur]

The adhesive is still setting on the filter unit and it's all clamped up at the moment. Here's the DXF file to keep you entertained.

It requires a few extra parts:

1. 2 flanges. I bought a dryer hose quick connect coupler from Home Depot which included 2 flanges.

2. Weatherstripping for the lid.

3. Hinges for the lid.

4. Filters.

5. Adhesive. I'm using "Liquid Nails" construction adhesive.

6. Hose clamps.

7. Duct tape or metal sealing tape.

I don't know how well it'll work yet.

[James Jaragosky]

The adhesive is still setting on the filter unit and it's all clamped up at the moment. Here's the DXF file to keep you entertained.

It requires a few extra parts:

1. 2 flanges. I bought a dryer hose quick connect coupler from Home Depot which included 2 flanges.

2. Weatherstripping for the lid.

3. Hinges for the lid.

4. Filters.

5. Adhesive. I'm using "Liquid Nails" construction adhesive.

6. Hose clamps.

7. Duct tape or metal sealing tape.

I don't know how well it'll work yet.
What verson is the file saved as. I have x3 but cannot open it.

[Simon Arthur]

It was saved as a R2000 DXF using SolidEdge. Here's an R12 version, also saved from SolidEdge.

[Stuart Orrell]

Thanks for sharing Simon.

Its been on my "to do" list for a while to improve my filtration and I think this may help.

Thanks again!

[Lee DeRaud]

...
4. Filters.
...At the risk of asking an obvious question, what's the actual filter medium?

[Simon Arthur]

Air filters from Home Depot and activated carbon.

[Simon Arthur]

Here are some photos of the filter box, in various stages of completion.

[Simon Arthur]

Here's something I found that may be generally useful. It's a power strip that has an individual switch for each outlet. I found it useful for being able to switch the various components (blower, compressor, etc.) on and off. It's made by "American DJ" and is available online and at the local outlets of Guitar Center.

If you look closely you will notice that I made a little laser-engraved label for each switch.

[Simon Arthur]

After an emergency trip to Lowe's to get some masking tape (3M type 2090), my laser is cutting its first paid job from some black acetal.

The new filter box definitely cuts down on the odor. It should be even better once the activated carbon gets here.

[Simon Arthur]

After about 3 hours of cutting the first filter was completely clogged with a fine white powder. Wow. I'm going to have to rethink my filtration scheme a bit.

I've also had some problems keeping the laser's optics aligned. I'm having to re-cut a dozen parts because of this.

[Dave Lock]

After about 3 hours of cutting the first filter was completely clogged with a fine white powder. Wow. I'm going to have to rethink my filtration scheme a bit.

I've also had some problems keeping the laser's optics aligned. I'm having to re-cut a dozen parts because of this.


You can get some aquarium filter pads made from a coarse foam that would make a good pre-filter. I've seen it in large squares but the link shows the type of thing I mean

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/fish/filters_pumps/eheim_filters/filter_media/19470

[Dan Hintz]

A cheaper alternative can be found in the HVAC section at your local Borg... same color, but a lot more of it.

[Simon Arthur]

I found the pre-filter material. It's not exactly the same stuff, but the same idea. It's Flanders NaturalAire Cut To Fit, and is available in 24 inch x 36 inch sizes at Home Depot.

It's apparently washable and reusable.

[Simon Arthur]

My biggest headache at the moment is the home switches.

The machine uses microswitches with a metal extension on the end to find its home position along the X and Y axis. The one along the Y axis is not triggering reliably. I will try to work with Emission to come up with a solution to this problem.

This is one area where my old cheap Chinese laser had a much better design. It used optical sensors to find its home position.

[Simon Arthur]

I kept accidentally hitting the switches on the American DJ power strip when leaning over the table. This led to me accidentally shutting off important stuff when it was most needed.

To combat this, I made a set of switch protector plates which make each of the switches recessed, and thus harder to trigger accidentally. I used 1/2" acrylic, but any material above 3/8" or so should do fine.

I have attached a DXF in case you want to make your own.

[Simon Arthur]

Attached is the new design for the filter. I've got it set up and running now and it's working well with activated carbon from General Carbon so far, though I haven't tried any really smelly or smoky stuff yet. It does seem to stop acrylic fumes.

The design did have a couple problems I discovered when putting it together:
1. The lid was a little small in the shorter dimension.
2. The top rack for resting the first stage filter on was about 4 inches too high.
3. I should have cut holes in the lower rack to make attaching the hardware cloth easier.

If you want to make your own, you'll need all of the stuff mentioned in my previous post.

For this revision I added an 3"-4" PVC drain elbow on the top to make hook up easier. Apparently the female 3" PVC connectors have an outside diameter that's just right for hooking up 4" vent hose. The rings in the file are to make a flange to help hold it securely in place.

I use green cut-to-fit air filter material made by Flanders as a first stage filter and to help keep the carbon in place. Also in this version, I added hardware cloth instead of a laser cut grid on the lower rack to ease assembly and save space.

Once the box was complete, I put the materials in the box in the following order: hardware cloth, green filter, activated carbon (about 15 pounds), 16x20x1 inch furnace filter, green filter.

I will have pictures for you soon.

[Simon Arthur]

Here's a photo of the switch guards for the American DJ switched power strip.

[Simon Arthur]

Photos of the inside of the filter box and of the whole thing installed. Notice that I tried to get the heights of the inputs and outputs the same as the things they were connecting to.