K40 C02 Laser Rail System

Check out the design on Sketchup Warehouse, where you can pan around using their 3D viewer: Openbuilds CO2 Laser Rail System for K40



The goal of this build was to use as many off-the-shelf Openbuilds components as possible, leveraging bundles to simplify the build further. Still, there are a few pieces that need to be custom printed, such as the mirror and laser head mounting plates and the Mini V gantry shims. The gantry shims are essential to ensuring the height remains consistent as the beam travels from mirror to mirror.

The main problem with stock "Cheap Chinese" "K40" 40W CO2 Laser cutters commonly purchased off of eBay is that they use custom, hard-to-find hardware of often questionable quality and consistency. Also, their chassis separates the tube and its fixed X Stage mirror from the moving Y Stage, thus making it nearly impossible to ensure the mirror heights stay consistent. This creates a needlessly painful alignment problem that many people constantly suffer from.

Still, the core laser components provided in a stock K40 are serviceable, so the hope is that this replacement rail system will allow for a relatively affordable modification option that drastically simplifies the alignment process by improving the component quality and integrates the stages together to effectively turn a 3 dimensional alignment into a 2 dimensional one.

Note: This design was created with the stock K40 chassis in mind. As such, it will fit within the chassis, but will require modification to remove internal walls (most notably the internal walls of the laser tube compartment.

Thingiverse Links:
21.2mm X Stage Shim for Mini V Gantry: Openbuilds Mini V Gantry Shim for K40 Laser Cutter - 21.2mm by megashub
11.2mm Y Stage Shim for Mini V Gantry: Openbuilds Mini V Gantry Shim for K40 Laser Cutter - 11.2mm by megashub
Laser Tube Mount by Crashoverride: K40 40W CO2 laser tube hanger by Crashoverride

Openbuilds Parts:
Mini V Linear Actuator Bundle: V-Slot® Mini V Linear Actuator Bundle
V-Slot Linear Rail (2020 and 2080): V-Slot® Linear Rail
Double T-Nut: Double Tee Nut™
Corner Bracket: Black Angle Corner Connector
Low Profile M5 Screw: Low Profile Screws M5

Build License: CC - Attribution NonCommercial - Share Alike - CC BY NC SA

Also: Shout out to Ariel for their K40 rail system mod: UK40OB