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ensar dubravic
02-11-2010, 9:08 AM
If thin materials need to be engraved or cut the best way to do it is by fixing them with vacuum table. This is my primitive in house made vacuum table.
Just connect it to some vacuum pump or vacuum cleaner and that's it.
Top plate is acrylic 4mm sheet with maybe thousand or more holes (I can not remember now) bottom is the same sheet but with no holes. Frame and support is made of 20x20mm Al profiles.
For protection of top acrylic sheet cardboard with same distance perforation should be used.

Mitchell Andrus
02-11-2010, 9:35 AM
Very slick. When it comes time to make mine over.....

I used some stainless screen from McMaster to make my table's 'grid'. I first tried aluminum screen but it burned through, not from the laser but from the outgasses generated from the materials being cut.
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Mike Null
02-11-2010, 11:44 AM
Ensar

It looks very sophisticated but I see that duct tape is popular there as well as here.:)

Stanley Waldrup
02-11-2010, 12:43 PM
Very slick. When it comes time to make mine over.....

I used some stainless screen from McMaster to make my table's 'grid'. I first tried aluminum screen but it burned through, not from the laser but from the outgasses generated from the materials being cut.
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How a bout a picture of yours?
Whas size screen did you use?
Stanley

Mitchell Andrus
02-11-2010, 1:48 PM
How a bout a picture of yours?
Whas size screen did you use?
Stanley

Size is about the same as window screen.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=38692
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Daniel Reetz
02-12-2010, 12:57 AM
How are you routing the vacuum hoses out of the laser?

ensar dubravic
02-12-2010, 3:11 AM
Mike is right about double side tape:) Very useful stuff. In this case it is used to hold everything together. And a little bit of those, I do not know english word, sylicone paste around all connection places.
I tryed to do as much as I can with my laser and acrylics so vacuum outlets are made of acrylic but connection for each hose is made from metal screw (M10 if I can remember). I made the axial hole in screw and a little bit of turning of end of screw so the hose fits as better as possible. Or you go to pneumatic parts shop and find yourself apropriate conector.
All hoses goes in one septic drainage:) PVC tube (shown on the picture) andthat is conected on smaller same type of tube so it fits to my vacuum cleaner.

ensar dubravic
02-12-2010, 3:15 AM
Sorry Mike you were refering to that gray color adhesive tape when you said duck tape.
It still keeps all parts together:)

Mike Null
02-12-2010, 7:48 AM
Ensar

There is something of a joke here in the US that you can fix anything with a hammer and duct tape.

Mitchell Andrus
02-12-2010, 9:18 AM
Ensar

There is something of a joke here in the US that you can fix anything with a hammer and duct tape.

I even have a hammer fixed with duct tape.
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Dan Hintz
02-12-2010, 12:27 PM
I even have a hammer fixed with duct tape.
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Yes, but have you ever fixed a piece of duct tape with a hammer? No? Amateur!