DIY Micro Laser Cutter

Step by Step Instruction for building your DIY Laser Cutter
Step by step instructionon how to build a small DIY laser cutter from two CD or DVD drives and a laser diode extracted from a blue-ray player or as in this case a 445nm diode form a DLP projector. Such a laser can be found on ebay (1.5-2W 445nm Blue Diode in Module W/Leads & Aixiz Glass) for about 50$ including appropriate housing (Aixiz) and lens. The laser cutter is capable of cutting or graving thin material like paper or adhesive tape. The cutting area is about 45 mm x 45 mm. The drive is controled by two Pololu steper moter driver and an arduino with the teacup driver as described here: http://www.hackteria.org/wiki/index.php/DIY_Micro_Dispensing_and_Bio_Printing

Step by Step
Laser cut acrylic glass supports and two CD drives. Support parts glued on a base plate. Glue or screw sample holder base part on one drive. Mount sample holder frame. Screw the two drives cross wise on the supports. Put the laser into a heat sink. Mount the whole unit on the other drive. Connect everithing with the electronics. And start burning.

Useful Links: Laser Parts: https://sites.google.com/site/dtrlpf/home