What to make the axis of the plotter. Homemade cnc laser engraver from stones and sticks. Plotter from printer

Graph plotters are devices that automatically draw drawings, drawings, diagrams on paper, fabric, leather and other materials with a given accuracy. Models of equipment with a cutting function are common. Making a plotter with your own hands at home is quite possible. This will require parts from an old printer or DVD drive, some software and some other materials.

It is relatively easy to make a small plotter from a DVD drive yourself. Such a device on arduino much cheaper than its branded counterpart.

The working area of the created device will be 4 by 4 cm.

You will need the following to work materials:

glue or double-sided tape;
solder for soldering;
jumper wires;
dvd drive (2 pcs.), from which the stepper motor is taken;
Arduino uno;
servomotor;
chip L293D (driver that controls the motors) - 2 pcs.;
solderless breadboard (plastic base with a set of conductive electricity connectors).

To bring the planned project to life, you should collect such tools:

soldering iron;
screwdriver
mini drill.

Experienced amateurs electronic homemade products may use additional parts to assemble a more functional apparatus.

Assembly steps

The assembly of the cnc plotter is carried out according to the following algorithm:

using a screwdriver, 2 DVD drives are disassembled (the result is shown in the photo below) and stepper motors are taken out of them, while two side bases for the future plotter are selected from the remaining parts;

Disassembled DVD drives

the selected bases are connected with screws (having previously adjusted them to size), while obtaining the X and Y axes, as in the photo below;

X-Y axes in assembly

attached to the x-axis is the z-axis, which is servo with holder for a pencil or pen, as shown in the photo;

attach a 5 by 5 cm square of plywood (or plastic, board) to the Y axis, which will serve as the basis for the stacked paper;

Paper placement base

collect by giving Special attention connection of stepper motors, electrical circuit on a solderless board according to the diagram below;

Wiring diagram

enter the code for performance testing axes X-Y;
check the functioning of the homemade product: if the stepper motors are working, then the parts are connected according to the scheme correctly;
load the working code into the plotter made by the CNC (for Arduino);
download and run the exe program to work with the G-code;
install the Inkscape program (vector graphics editor) on the computer;
install an add-on to it that allows you to convert G-code into images;
set up Inkscape operation.

After that, the homemade mini plotter is ready to go.

Some details of work

The coordinate axes must be located perpendicular to each other. In this case, the pencil (or pen), fixed in the holder, should move up and down with a servo without any problems. If the stepper drives do not work, then you need to check the correctness of their connection with the L293D microcircuits and find a working option.

The code for testing the X-Y axes, the work of the plotter, the Inkscape program with the addition can be downloaded on the Internet.

G-code is a file containing X-Y-Z coordinates. Inkscape acts as an intermediary that allows you to create plotter-compatible files with this code, which is then converted into the movement of electric motors. To print the desired image or text, you will need to first translate them into a G-code using the Inkscape program, which will then be sent to print.

The following video demonstrates the operation of a homemade plotter from a DVD drive:

Plotter from printer

Plotters are classified according to different criteria. Apparatus in which the media is fixed immobile mechanically, electrostatically, or vacuum way, are called tablet. Such devices can either simply create an image or cut it out, with the appropriate function. At the same time horizontal and vertical cutting is available. Media options are only limited by tablet size.

Cutting plotter otherwise called a boat. It has a built-in cutter or knife. Most often, images are cut by the device from such materials:

plain and photo paper;
vinyl;
cardboard;
various types of film.

You can make a flatbed printing or cutting plotter from a printer: in the first case, a pencil (pen) will be installed in the holder, and in the second, a knife or a laser.

Homemade tablet plotter

To assemble the device with your own hands, you will need the following components and materials:

stepper motors(2) guides and carriages from printers;
Arduino (USB compatible) or microcontroller (e.g. ATMEG16, ULN2003A) used to convert commands from the computer into signals that cause the actuators to move;
300 mW laser;
power unit;
gears, belts;
bolts, nuts, washers;
organic glass or board (plywood) as a base.

The laser allows you to cut thin films and burn wood.

The simplest version of a tablet plotter is assembled in the following sequence:

make the base from the selected material, connecting the structural elements with bolts or gluing them together;

drill holes and insert guides into them as in the photo below;

Installing guides

assemble a carriage for installing a pen or laser;

Carriage with holes for guides

assemble the mount;

Marker mount

Locking mechanism

install stepper motors, gears, belts, getting the design shown below;

Assembled homemade plotter

connect the electrical circuit;
install software on a computer;
put the device into operation after checking.

If use Arduino, then the programs discussed above will do. The use of different microcontrollers will require the installation of different software.

When a knife is installed to cut a film or paper (cardboard), its penetration depth should be correctly adjusted by experiment.

This design can be improved by adding automation. Details on the parameters will need to be selected empirically, based on those available. Some may need to be purchased.

Both of the considered options for plotters can be done independently, if only there was an old unnecessary technique and desire. Such cheap devices are able to draw drawings, cut out various images and shapes. They are far from industrial analogues, but if it is necessary to create drawings frequently, they will greatly facilitate the work. The software is available online for free.

In this article we will tell you how to make a plotter with your own hands. As a result, you will get an intelligent and inexpensive mini cnc plotter on arduino, made by hand with a writing lever. Most of parts is printed on a 3D printer, but even if you do not have one, you can still make a plotter with your own hands - you just need to find the right parts. As a motor, you can use Nema motors or working stepper motors from printers.

The main advantage of the presented plotter is its frame, which gives a very compact look. The electronics are simple: this plotter is controlled by the Arduino Nano microcontroller. You will also need an IC driver (usually used in the design of LED lamps).

Such a plotter, of course, will not replace the original device in terms of processing quality, but a do-it-yourself cutting plotter is quite suitable for performing some tasks in the home workshop.

Also you can experiment with various types drawing machines, including drum plotter, V-cutting plotter and roller drawing robot. It would be more correct to say drawing, because instead of a cutter, this plotter uses an ordinary pencil. By using similar device you can draw postcards, posters, drawings, diagrams, etc.

CNC PLOTTER OWN HANDS

Remember that a do-it-yourself CNC plotter cannot replace the original device. By using this device you can draw simple images, so the assembly of such a plotter should be taken as an experiment. Video with step by step creation of arduino DIY plotter:

Even if you are a beginner, try to make your own CNC plotter yourself, as this will help you quickly get used to the world of CNC.

Translated by DARXTON.

Today I finally finished the engraver myself and tested it.

Now about everything in order.

Initially, the idea to collect laser engraver I was born when I saw a NeJe craft on Ali Express - an engraver from DVD drives.

The price is 4-5 thousand rubles, expensive. But it looks like an interesting toy.

I sat, dug the Internet, watched videos on YouTube. It doesn't seem to be hard to assemble.

I had a couple of stepper motors from an Epson inkjet printer (something like 25 steps per revolution), a little aluminum profile from Leroy.

I decided to try from what is to portray something like . There would only be 2 axles.

I decided to do the drive on belts, it is easier.

Based on the guides that remained from the printers, I estimated the size and assembled the base. I fixed the motor, belt tensioner, guides, installed a movable table and fastened the belt.

There are no photos with the belt installed.

Everything would be fine, but the table ran from edge to edge in just 2.5 turns of a stepper motor. Such a scheme would not give positioning accuracy.

I disassembled the belt drive, began to think how to redo the circuit to lead screw m5 and gave up.

Work piled up, there was no time.

At this time, a friend gave me several DVD drives for analysis. Writer DVD RW Sony and a pair of CD-RW DVD-ROM LG.

On trial, I decided to assemble the engraver on pieces of a DVD drive. From what he left, to that he came. In order to understand whether I'm interested in it or not is quite enough.

It seemed to me not aesthetically pleasing to assemble an engraver on a casing from a CD drive. I decided to assemble a frame for the engraver from different aluminum profiles. I had a square 20x20x1.5, a corner 20x20x1.5, a shank 60x2 and a U-shaped profile 12x15x2. Another task I set myself to fill my hand in working with the profile. Aluminum is a nasty material, then the drill will lead away when drilling, then the hand will tremble when cutting, then the canvas will bite. In general, as a training and honing skills, it is not superfluous. In the future, I plan to assemble a printer on a profile from Leroy.

The frame was fastened with a riveter. Fast and reliable.

If the goal is to make it cheap and cheerful, you can and should assemble it on the case from the drive.

On the X axis I used a piece from LG, on the Y piece from Sony. I removed everything that was possible from the movable carriages of both drives. We won't need this.

For both axles, I designed and printed different spacers on a printer. On the Y-axis with thread.

X-axis short spacers

For the Y axis, I designed and printed a table stand. Glued it to the carriage with superglue.

I used a piece of 6mm plexiglass as a table. After assembling the engraver, I glued the plexiglass to the printing table in the same way, with superglue.

Instead of any nuts, washers and gaskets, it was convenient for me to print different fasteners on the printer. None glue guns and snot :)

From a square profile 20x20 I cut 4 pieces into a base and racks.

First, I assembled the base for attaching the carriage along the X axis

A piece of a corner 20x20x1.5 was needed to spread the racks, so that a piece with a carriage entered between the racks, drive along the Y axis.

I assembled the base for the Y axis. Two pieces of a square profile and an aluminum strip. Fastened with a rivet.

In place, I riveted steel corners for attaching the X-axis portal.

As holders of the X-axis racks, I used steel corners from Leroy. Rubles 14 each.

And put it all together.

I riveted 2 corners to the back of the portal X, for attaching electronics.

Almost done mechanically. At the back, through the spacers printed on the printer, I screwed home-made brains.

Mom soldered wires and connectors to stepper motors

Buying a ready-made laser with a controller on Ali is expensive, in the end I bought only a TTL controller for the laser.

Here's one:

For 250 kopecks rubles.

The laser diode was taken from a Sony drive. I took the lens from the LG drive. I inserted a laser diode in a square case into a U-shaped profile, the module with the laser stood up very tightly, and in front of it I placed an assembly lens from LG, with focus coils and other offal. Perfect fit for the width and height. In this embodiment, it becomes possible to adjust the focal length from the laser to the lens.

The photo partially shows the design of the laser module itself.

A laser diode with soldered wires, and a lens in front of it.

I didn’t come up with anything better and easier than pulling the laser module to the X carriage with cable ties. Sufficiently reliable and you can adjust the distance from the laser to the workpiece.

I soldered electronics to the engraver at work. After assembly, he showed his toy to colleagues. And it began: will it cut the paper, and black electrical tape, and blue tape, and if a piece of solder is painted black, will it melt? :)

I tell you, the laser leaves a mark on the cardboard, cuts black electrical tape and black polyethylene. Blue tape on cardboard cuts.

In general, the toy turned out to be funny.

Already home. Sawed along the length of the laser emitter. I hid the TTL scarf inside the profile.

The program for converting pictures into g-code is called CHPU.

Controls the router GRBLController.

Engraves a picture. The first one so to speak. Compare with my avatar :)

Naturally, it is necessary to select the engraving mode. AND small fan for blowing it would not hurt to blow off the smoke from cutting. Engraved on a piece of cardboard.

I uploaded the firmware to the board with GRBL 1.1f, it is in the entry about the board.

As for the firmware settings:

A DVD drive's stepper motor most often has 20 steps per revolution.

Screw pitch 3mm.

20/3=6.6666666666667 steps per 1mm

The a4988 drivers have microstepping set to 16.

Accordingly, 6.6666666666667*16=106.67

The voltage on the a4988 drivers (for 100 ohm resistances in the driver) set 0.24 V

To enable the laser engraver mode in the firmware, enter

The laser (via the controller) is connected to the 11th leg of the arduino, with PWM.

Those. laser power can be adjusted, and you can turn the laser on or off programmatically.

To turn on the laser, give the command

The laser will not turn on until the carriage has moved.

To turn off the laser command

If you forgot to tell about something - ask.

I repeat, the toy turned out to be interesting, I am satisfied with the toy.

Someday my hands will reach and finish a big engraver.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR EYES! Avoid direct and reflected laser beam contact with eyes. Do not look at the operating laser without special glasses. Keep pets away from the working engraver!

Like a warning.

Often modellers and other hobbyists self made faced with the task of designing their products. Ideal for such purposes self-adhesive film different colors. This arrangement greatly improves appearance homemade models. To make the design elements look neat, it is best to cut them not manually with scissors, but on special equipment with software- plotter. With the help of this device, for example, various drawings or drawings are reproduced on paper. Buying such a device in a store is expensive and not always advisable, since you can easily make a plotter with your own hands.

Tablet plotter from an old printer

A plotter in which paper or other media is fixedly fixed, called tablet. It's comparatively simple design, the possibilities of which are limited to work in the vertical and horizontal directions.

Draw a drawing, design or cut out a specific pattern for scrapbooking - all this can be done using a flatbed plotter. He can be like printing and cutting- it all depends on the working tool fixed in the apparatus. For printing devices, this can be a pencil, fountain pen, marker, and for cutting modifications, a knife or a laser.

Similar devices work with various working surfaces: cardboard, paper, different types films.

Important! The format of the materials used depends solely on the dimensions of the manufactured tablet, which, in turn, are determined by the length of the shafts used in the assembly.

Necessary materials and tools

Having an old printer in the house provides almost all the spare parts needed to make a do-it-yourself plotter. First of all, it is necessary to disassemble the inkjet or laser device and select the spare parts necessary for the new product:

stepper motors (2 pcs.);
guide shafts;
carriages;
power unit;
gears;
belt;
bolts, washers, nuts, glue for assembly.

In addition to the parts received from the printer, it is necessary to prepare the material for the product body (organic glass or plywood) and the control board. As the last suitable for Arduino(Arduino) with USB connectivity. You can also use another microcontroller such as ULN2003A or ATMEG16.

Arduino has built-in processor and memory, with which you can set the algorithm for the operation of any electrical devices. For those who like to design a variety of electronic devices, this control platform is a good find.

On Arduino there are about 20 contacts, to which you can connect various kinds of sensors, routers, lamps and other electrical equipment. Also, the advantage of Arduino is the ability to expand by adding additional boards with new functionality.

Advice! To convert the printer into a plotter, you must first prepare a screwdriver, knife, drill and soldering iron so as not to be distracted during the assembly process. You also need a small saw with a blade on Plexiglas or plywood.

Device Assembly Algorithm

The assembly of the plotter is performed in the following sequence.

The final step in putting the plotter into operation is connecting electronics and installing software. Drivers that Arduino can run on are freely available on the Internet.

Important! If a home plotter was conceived as a cutting plotter, it is necessary to experimentally adjust the depth of immersion of the tool in the workpiece material.

Homemade plotter based on dvd drives

You can make a homemade plotter using stepper motors and guides from dvd drives. If there are no old disk drives left at home, then they can be purchased very cheaply at any radio market, because CD readers are already an obsolete attribute of computer technology. The working area of such a device will be relatively small - 4 * 4 cm.

Assembly preparation

For work, you will need to prepare the following parts and materials:

2 DVD drives;
servomotor;
2 L293D microcircuits for controlling stepper motors;
breadboard solderless board;
mounting wires;
Arduino board;
bolts, nuts, solder and other fasteners.

To make a plotter from a DVD drive, you need the same set of tools as for assembling a product from a printer.

Sequence of manufacturing a plotter

The assembly process begins with the fact that the old drives are disassembled and the necessary components for the manufactured unit are selected. For the device you are creating, you will need a stepper motor and drive panels that will serve as the side bases of the plotter.

Advice! The assembly of the circuit should be carried out in accordance with the diagram presented above. Particular care must be taken when connecting stepper motors.

After assembling the chain, test the assembled electrical appliance- when loading the test code, the engines must start working. Otherwise, check the connections against the circuit drawing, correct the errors and retest.

For the final preparation for work with CNC products, download the working code for Arduino and run the program to work with it. Then, a graphical editor compatible with the existing software is installed and configured.

Important! The best option Image editor is a widely used, free and professional program Inkscape. It works successfully on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

All necessary programs available for download on the Internet. If the installation went correctly, the do-it-yourself cnc plotter is ready to perform its functions.

Conclusion

The proposed options for the manufacture of home plotters, if desired, are easy to improve due to greater automation. Thanks to this, if necessary, it is possible to achieve more productivity. You can also equip a homemade plotter with a Bluetooth module and provide a wireless connection between the device and a computer. To improve the design homemade product, you need to use for the body instead of improvised means, specially made blanks on the machine. Such improvements will not have a large impact on the cost of manufacture.

The most reliable plotters

Cutting plotter Brother ScanNCut CM900 on Yandex Market

Cutter Silhouette Cameo 3 on Yandex Market

Cutting plotter Brother ScanNCut CM300 on Yandex Market

Cutting Plotter Silhouette Portrait on Yandex Market

Cutting plotter GCC Puma IV 132LX (112900020G) on Yandex Market

Pen and pen plotters were once extremely popular. Over time, their production began to decline. But such systems can be used in various fields, including cutting and sewing, engineering, drawing, etc. You can find a pen plotter on the market, but it's more interesting to make it yourself, right?

And a user named Miguel Sanchez decided to make a plotter on his own. As a management platform, he chose Arduino Uno. The system also uses NEMA 17 stepper motors and an auxiliary servo to raise and lower the handle.

In addition, metal tubes, belts and several 3D printed parts are used. This whole system is quite simple, and if you have a 3D printer, it is not particularly difficult to make it. Interestingly, Miguel originally decided to use laser cutting for creating the right details, but after that I decided to work with a 3D printer.

Sanchez decided to create his own plotter, inspired by the AxiDraw model, which was developed by Evil Mad Scientist.