For my Honors Program senior project at Benedictine College, I designed a CNC laser cutter for the BC School of Engineering Shop. The cutter has a working area of 1 yard square. It features a 45 Watt CO2 laser, air assist, touchscreen control, and an infrared monitoring camera. The project involved a wide range of engineering concepts including circuits, computer aided design, mechanical, thermal, and optical material properties, thermodynamics, fluids, and control systems. It utilizes as a variety of fabrication methods including CNC machineing, 3d printing, and welding.

The laser cutter integrates with the built-in vaccuum and compressed air systems in the shop using quick-connect couplings to supply cooling, fume ventilation, and air assist. In the absence of a vaccuum system, cooling and ventillation are supplied by an on-board ventilation system. The laser is water-cooled using a 2.5 gallon tank, submersible pump, and copper coil heat exchanger. The laser driver and stepper motors are controlled using an Arduino running the open-source GRBL software.

The laser cutter is controlled using a touchscreen interface, which allows Gcode files to be uploaded to the machine via a USB flash drive. Additionally, an infrared camera located inside the device streams to the touchscreen. This allows the workpiece to be viewed while the machine is running and the shielding is in place without the need for laser goggles or the risk of eye damage.