Chapter 7. A Laser Engraver

When we take a look at a laser machine, it seems very expensive and technical to use. However, with the help of open source hardware, we can make a laser machine prototype using open source software. A laser engraving machine is a kind of photoelectric combination of numerical control (NC) machine tools. It can be widely used in all kinds of nonmetal materials for fine carving.

In this chapter, we will introduce you to how you can make a small laser engraving machine using Banana Pro and a motor adapter board. Unlike other tools, a very small area of laser beam is focused on the material to make it gasify quickly and is similar to using the rays of the sun to focus on something with a magnifying glass. Compared with other lasers, in terms of easy operation and safety considerations, the laser engraving machine is not too powerful.

This machine is faster and more efficient than a mechanical engraving machine. When cutting three-dimensional words through...