L-Cheapo Diode Laser Cutter

L-Cheapo is a high power solid state laser device, designed to be mounted to CNC gantries such as 3d printers, engravers, plotters, or mills, in many cases without impeding normal tool operation. Without any tools, an L-Cheapo mounted on a 3d printer can swap from lasing to printing in under two minutes. The L-Cheapo is open source hardware, designed and manufactured in the USA since 2014. Though imitations try, nothing beats the reliable solid-state output per dollar of L-Cheapo.

What can L-Cheapo do? It can cut and engrave acrylic, wood, leather, plastic, glass, and even engrave brass, copper, iron, aluminum, and mild steel! It can also be used to sinter resins, and rapidly cure silicones. With a measured workpiece output of up to 10.0W, and able to run continously for hours, anything you can’t cut in a single pass can be iterated on without the risk of overworking the laser. This offers an accessible solution to the hobbyist market for large laser projects.

HOME CNC CUTTING, ETCHING & ENGRAVING

The L-Cheapo is the perfect choice to mount to your desktop CNC. Here are some of its features.

• Mount to your 3D printer or CNC
• Upgrades existing desktop laser engravers
• Reverse voltage protection for safer hookups
• Wide range PWM+analog input - so precise, you can transmit audio!
• Two stage current regulation for maximum efficiency and clean regulation
• L-CHEAPO continuous thermal feedback - physics is the best computer!
• Hand picked laser diodes
• Unique safety tilt switch built right into the module
• Each unit is individually tested for quality
• Wind tunnel engineered cowling avoids laminar flow on the heatsink for better heat transfer
• 455nm frequency is compatible with off the shelf laser safety gear

…and more

LASER ART AND ENGRAVING

As this tool can also engrave, it is equally useful for artists interested in adding to their capabilities, or even just adding your logo or a cute little touch to your next prototype or that laptop you love. It is capable of working with leather as well, which opens up the possibility for translating all those complex intricate designs you have in mind to physical reality. The laser can also be used to ablate material, creating arbitrary 3D relief, though it should be mentioned the high temperature will blacken most materials.

Check out the L-Cheapo Wiki Page for open source details and more information. This is also where you can find STLs for printer mounts, and information on building your own. Also check out our blog for more L-Cheapo news.

L-Cheapo Wiki