LAYZOR (8) – Acrylic

Update: This project is now finished. Final post is here. Want to do the same thing to yours? Check the LAYZOR website.

Previous articles:


It’s been a while since I posted updates on the LAYZOR but that doesn’t mean I’ve been sitting still all that time. In fact, a lot of progress has been made. Some of it very obvious, but also lots of subtle tweaks here and there in order to get the very most out of this machine.

The thing is I didn’t want to make blog posts just for the sake of making a blog post with semi-finished results. But now I can finally show what I’ve been up to lately, which is everyhing acrylic.

The whole outer shell is supposed to be cut from 1 sheet of 1000x2000x3mm acrylic (except the bottom off course). This was one of the original goals for the project and while it is technically possible, I chose to cheat a little bit. I have this piece of 6mm of acrylic which I scavenged from a container a couple of years ago. I never found a use for it, but now I do and it is just too perfect not to use it. I present to you: the lid of the LAYZOR.

If you remember the render, the lid is driven by 2 gas springs and has a 90° angle in it. While making the lid from the 3mm sheet would be possible, I fear it would end up being too flimsy.

So 6mm sheet it is! Much stiffer and it has a slight tint to it which I also happen to like!

I cut out the profile shape and holes on the CNC because why not? 🙂

Now for the tricky part: bending the 90° angle:

Done aaaaand done!

 

I’m so happy I chose to use the thicker stock, because it really needed the additional stiffness!

Another advantage of choosing this approach is that I now had some extra space on the 3mm sheet for additional inside divider plates. This is the geometry I ended up with:

As you can see it’s pretty efficient. This is going to be cut on a commercial 1000x1600mm laser cutter by a guy I know who recently started a lasercutting business.

But first I had some preparing to do. I had made an inquiry for a black sheet of acrylic with a local supplier, but that turned out to be way too expensive. I believe it was around 250 euros. Obviously for this project that wasn’t going to fly so I got creative. I bought a cheapo clear sheet from the hardware store and some window tinting film from eBay. Total cost: 61€. Added bonus: I got to choose the opacity. I went for a 25% film, which is supposed to be pretty dark, but still allows me to slightly see the internal components.

I started out with cutting the panel down to 2 pieces that would fit the aforementioned 1000x1600mm working area. I used an exacto knife to mark both sides as deep as I could (at a very specific spot obviously) and then snapped it right in half. Applying the film was more of a hassle than I hoped it would be. I didn’t do a stellar job either, but it’s done and that alone makes me happy… I guess… Note that I made the cutting pattern so that all the film surfaces will be on the inside pressed against the frame so they won’t peel off over time.

In the end it looks like it is much lighter than I anticipated. Then again it seems to depend on the viewing angle and background lightness. We’ll see how it looks when installed.

After a week or so I got the panels back. There’s one little flaw in the back panel; one hole didn’t cut out all the way. Strange, but not really a problem. I will be able to easily correct that myself. Other than that I’m very happy, although I’m not sure I’d go for the whole tint film hassle again.

I paid 28€ for the work, so that’s a really good deal if you ask me.

Another milestone reached! Too bad I can’t install these until everything inside the machine is fully ready.

8 thoughts on “LAYZOR (8) – Acrylic”

  1. Really nice. I like the tinted acrylic. I think when it’s all put together you’ll find it darker because the light will be coming through 2 sides as it travels through the machine.

    1. Yeah that’s exactly what I thought as well. And just by placing the panels against the frame already seems to confirm it. Can’t wait to do a render vs. IRL side-by-side. 😉

  2. Bought the plans–they are really nice!

    You said:

    “I paid 28€ for the work,”

    That was the cost to cut all the acrylic except the lid? Or, was that your friend with the big laser?

    Any reason one couldn’t solvent weld two pieces for the lid so not to have to bother with making a bender?

    Do any other dimensions change if 6 mm acrylic is used for lid instead of the 3mm?

    1. Thanks!
      That’s what I paid to the guy I know with the industrial laser for cutting my big sheets. But I’m sure that’s not normal pricing. It pays to know some people sometimes 😉
      The lid was separate since I used a piece I had already lying around.
      I do’nt think any critical issues would arise if you were to use thicker material as an enclosure. Not off the top of my head anyway. You’ll need longer hardware obviously to mount it to the frame.

      Hope this helps,
      Fred

  3. Thanks!

    I really like the idea of an acrylic case, but I’m worried the cutting cost will be significant.

    I’ve used Pololu for cutting in the past. I’ll get a quote for cutting the acrylic. I’ll update that here, if you’re interested.

    Or, maybe I just cut on a table saw.

    1. I think using a good saw is perfectly possible if you’re careful. Although you’ll probably need a sawblade specifically for acrylic. One mishap and you have a crack…

  4. I cut acrylic all the time on my table saw to get it down tor my small working size on my K40. Never had a problem yet, but I do have a a blade specially for acrylic cutting.

    Still, cut quality much better with laser not to mention that hassle of routing all the holes. I did submit quote to pololu waiting for reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.