Part-On Fabrications Case Study

19/11/2019

Part-On’s Onsite Visit to View Scotts progress.

On the 19/11/19 Part-On visited an independent designer / hobbyist, Scott Freeman. Scott has been designing and building his own laser cutter using our Part-On Profiles, therefore we scheduelled a visit to see how our customers are utilizing our products and to see if we can offer any assistance in Scott’s journey.

Scott has always wanted a CO2 laser cutter to make his workspace complete although the only problem he had was that the price of laser cutters was not economical, especially not for a hobbyist whom wanted a large cutting area.

This project is Scott’s first build and he has chosen to create this machine together with his Father as it is something, they both have been interested in for some time. Scott has obtained his knowledge through individual learning and previous/current work experiences Such as owning his own repair shop in electronic repairs.

His general ideas when designing stemmed from the material he wanted to cut and the size of his desired cutting area. Scott is even creating a how to guide of how to build this machine. Using parts such as Aluminium strut profile from Part-On and a laser from SPT Lasers, all Scott’s other essentials are produced by his own 3D printer! A simple bracket would take around 5 hours and 24 minutes to print… a QTY of 30 taking 6 whole days! Scott is a very patient man indeed!... but the reason he continues to produce his own accessories for his build is to really take on the challenge and make it his own.

Scott’s laser cutter uses a 40 W CO2 laser, it has a large cutting area of 1000 by 600 mm and a touchscreen display to control the Ventilation, Air, Lighting, and the Water pump – which keep the laser cool. Using G-Coding the project runs on two microcontrollers, an Arduino with GRBL and a raspberry pi 3b. When the touch screen is displayed the laser advises how long the cutting process will be so planning can take place. Scott has even considered the health and safety aspects of his machine due to the reflections of the beam being very dangerous for the operator’s eyes Scott has ensured “when designing the enclosure and the laser will be only activated when the cover is closed.”

In conclusion, by using aluminium strut profile, programming equipment, 3D printing reals, aluminium accessories etc. Scott is hoping to achieve a very competitive sales price, this will enable Scott to sell to other hobbyist’s/small business owners. He is aiming to finish this project by next summer due to needing to obtain parts for the cooling system and awaiting the arrival of the laser, but this is not the end of his journey. Scott has even planned a visit to Denmark to discuss his knowledge / laser cutter project, to expand his knowledge across seas and allowing others to take an interest in his passion.

Great work Scott and thank you for working with Part-On.

If you would like to create your own vision just like Scott check out our fabrication accessories available now : CLICK HERE