Digital Designs and Scientific Hardware - Open-Source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Research Costs - page 190

FIGURE 6.22 Open-source polymer welding system derived from open-source laser cutter in
Figure 6.21 .
The primary variations we made to Jansen's system with dimensions of 1.5 ft by 1.5 ft in-
cluded the following:
1. We mounted the whole system in a double drawer file cabinet (now that we all more for
less only read academic papers on a screen, there are millions of filing cabinets available
throughout the world's universities) that we hollowed out, put on a safety switch for the
laser, and new drawers with magnetic closers. A hole was drilled through the top for the
wires and the fiber laser to pass through.
2. We extended the legs past a square botom to allow for the cabinet rails to remain intact as
seen in Figure 6.22 .
3. We added a second substrate layer that slides in consisting of a metal (Al) substrate and a
lower iron glass cover plate (see details in Figure 6.23 ).
4. We added new 3-D printed parts which are available on Thingivers e 38 to couple a fiber laser
to the rig. In our case, it is hanging down just over the glass with a lens positioned so that
the focal point is just under the glass.