LASER4DIY - Open-Source Laser Structuring for PCB Prototyping
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Project description
Laser4DIY is a open-hardware machine for producing electronics boards by ablating copper with the use of a laser. It consists of several parts: a micro-chip based DPSS laser source, driver electronics for the pump laser diode, a cooling system including a 4-channel TEC-Controller, a low-profile, motorized XY table and a safety enclosure. These modules can be used not just in the Laser4DIY device, but also in other setups.
News
- Get the latest news on Twitter: @laser4diy
- The Prototype Fund Hardware did an interview with us (German): Mit dem Laser Platinen herstellen: der Laser4DIY
Info
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Build Your Own Device
- Assembly Guide: Building your own Laser4DIY device
Using Laser4DIY
- User Guide: Using Laser4DIY for Prototyping PCBs
Prototype Fund Hardware
Laser4DIY is part of the first Prototype Fund Hardware funding round.
- Projektseite auf der Webseite des Prototype Fund
- Interview des Prototype Fund mit Andreas über das Projekt
BMBF Project Funding
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research was funding LASER4DIY as a part of the project "Open Photonik".
- Open-Source-Laserstrukturierer für die DIY-Platinenfertigung, www.photonikforschung.de, article from 2016 (German)
- Final Report (German)
Lasersafe - parametric laser experiment enclosure
- Interactive enclosure planner
- Laser safety window materials (interactive diagram) - transmission measurements with common transparent materials
- documentation (in German): Ermittlung der Absorption, Transmission und Reflexion von transparent Materialien
- (German) Mindmap zur Risikobeurteilung
- Laser4DIY Laser-Shutter
- Github Repository: https://github.com/Laser4DIY/Laser4DIY_LaserShutter
Contact:
- Twitter: @laser4diy
- Email: laser@fablab-muenchen.de
Introduction
A fast and cheap method to produce high-quality PCBs is interesting for many institutions. Also Fablabs and Makerspaces need the possibility for prototyping PCBs because electronics are a crucial part of many DIY projects which are carried out there.
"The classical method to make PCBs is etching, but this is not suited well for the maker community because of the dangerous chemicals" says Andreas Kahler, chairman of the Fablab Munich. "Affordable services have a delivery time of over a week, we need much faster iteration times"
A clean and fast method is laser structuring, where the copper layer is ablated by a focused laser beam. Industrial-grade devices are available but "the price overcomes the budget by a multiple" Kahler describes the situation.
The goal of the recently started research project "LASER4DIY" is the development of a cost-effective solution to create PCB prototypes by laser structuring. This includes the laser source itself and other components, like the corresponding mechanics, the software and an adaequate protection housing for safe use.
For all parts of the projects the plans, howtos and technical details shall be published under Open-Source/-Hardware licence and made accessible to everybody. The goal is to realise a complete solution for making PCBs, which can be build for example in Fablabs and therefore only production methods and materials shall be used, which are in use there.
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