[Jens] decided he wished to try building his own laser cutter to see just how much you can actually cut with a fairly low power 300mW laser diode.
He was influenced by a similar project from earlier this year, and selected to utilize the same LPC-826 laser diode, which you can find on the internet for about $10-30. The cutter itself is has a wooden frame and utilizes drawer slides on both axes. Threaded M6 rods and NEMA17 stepper motors provide the actuation, and the whole thing is managed by an Arduino Nano with easy driver stepper motor drivers.
So what can it cut? In his experiments he was able to cut with adhesive plastics (sticker paper), EVA foam, and black paper. He was also able to engrave wood and ABS plastic, although the plastic didn’t play as well well with the laser. He also found it useful for laser cutting stencils, which he then utilized to create rusty art utilizing hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide.
Considering how cheap you could make one of these, it’s not a bad tool to have. Stick around after the break to see it laser cut a shark!