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I've looked into acrylic sheet sizes. I'm not in a position to drag a trailer down to Sydney to pick up standard 1200 x 2400 sheets but a standard cut size is 4 off 900 x 600 and from memory 2 off 600 x 600 pieces. The 900 x 600 I will cut down in half to 450 x 600 which will fit what I primarily want to do with only minimal scrap.
My primary use will be making light guide boards to light up canvas prints from behind. I'll also be selling various prints once I'm done with the machine and have enough experience.
Therefore I've decided I need to make a machine capable of taking 900 x 600 sheets. I'll also be building a little redundancy into the machine with the capacity to add a second laser tube, power supply and beam combiner to increase capacity (along with necessary electronics).
I have no intentions of cutting/engraving timber, it doesn't interest me though I guess if I have the capacity to do so I never know what I could end up doing.
Now I have to look into linear rails and I'm guessing I need them a little larger than my total sheet capacity. I'm thinking 1 metre for the laser head movement and a 700 odd linear rail either side to give the other rail (on whichever axis is which) smooth, even travel in and out.
Neville what do you use for air assist?
Is it a stand alone compressor built into the machine (small air pump)?
I need to look into air assist and cooling too. I recently gave away a portable air conditioner I could have used to chill the water and knocked back a water chiller which takes the big bottles. I had no need of either then (spare air con unit I was given just after I'd bought one and never used).
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