Self-made short nozzle on a lathe

FabCreator Machine FabKit
1

Hello there,

We got the latest Fabkit and had just 3 mm space (= focus) between the nozzle of the laser head and the workpiece.

So I went to the lathe and turned down a short nozzle from a piece of brass rod.

The thread is M24x1 and the angles are 108 degree (= angle of the drill bit). The outlet hole is 4 mm in diameter.

First i turned down to size, then drilled the inner hole, fiddled out the outer angle and turned the outer cone.

Here you can see the finished nozzle:

We now have a greater focal distance of 10,5 mm and do not crash into clamps and stuff. :slight_smile:

On the down side we got more burning next to the cuts. With sanding afterwards or masking tape we get a better finish.

The next modification will be a better air compressor.
The one the fabkit came with has at maximum 0,35 bar pressure and 20 L/min air flow, but is switchable simply by the rudia controller. Looking for some with at least twice the power (pressure & flow).

Still looking for fitting devices. Any recommendations?

Best regards
Jonas from Makerspace Greifswald eV.

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2

I use a normal low-noise workshop compressor (220l/m, 9.5Bar) that I already had, with a pressure control valve (set to approx 0.5 bar) and an electrical valve. When the ‘air assist’ is enabled, the valve opens, and the air flows. The compressor is in a separate shed, so I hardly hear it, and not only is the end result pleasantly quiet, but the air-flow can be controlled more precisely as well!

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