3018 CNC Laser Shield

DIY 3018 CNC Laser Shield If like me you don't have a dedicated room or enclosure for your laser working, you may be interested in this. I've tried to make this presentation as beginner friendly as possible, hence its length, but it's very simple. It's designed for a 3 mm thick acrylic laser blocking panel and will fit any 3018 (pro or not) CNC router, in order to block the laser from its source and avoid unexpected third party eye or skin exposure. BE AWARE THAT IT DOESN'T REPLACE YOUR USUAL SAFETY GEAR ! But as long as you don't stare at the beam too closely, it adds a lot of visual comfort and safety. There're 2 options depending on your tools and motivation: - 3D print a base and mill or cut the rest (1st 2 pics): makes assembly easier and provides clip-on mounting. Will also save some material. - No 3D printing (3rd pic): mill the whole blueprint out of the acrylic, glue it together, add 2 screws and a rubber band. Pretty fast milling process either way. Features and design choices : - Covers roughly 260° (still implies a wall or opaque protection behind the machine) - No loss of working area - No permanent modification on the machine - Quick tool-free mounting - Easy assembly - Respects air flow and fumes extraction - Wide height adaptability - Minimum acrylic and spare material needed What you may look for : - Acrylic laser shielding panel (the only real expense) I don't get anything from them to share this link but these are great and quite cheap given the market prices, although the shipping were expensive to EU. They're suitable for any wavelength between 250-520nm (usual blue lasers are 445nm), and come in 12"x12" (300 mm) square panels: https://jtechphotonics.com/?product=445nm-laser-shielding Whatever you do, make sure that you're buying quality stuff which matches your laser wavelength ! - 1 straight 1/8" (3.175mm) upcut bit To use with your spindle and a free Easel account (or exported g-code). - 1 saw Optional, or an