Design and Fabrication of Laser Engraving Machine

Laser engraving machine is used to mark various pictures and symbols on different materials. The laser engraving setup is advantageous due to its low operational cost, lightweight, portability and easy-to-learn features. The paper fabricates a low cost rapid prototype laser engraving machine. The proposed setup has been applied to Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics (GFRP) composites, plastics, wood, cardboard, etc., to yield desired profile, contour, information and various drawings. Moreover, developed laser engraving setup has high precision and processing efficiency. Laser engraving technique involves color change of the surface due to thermal energy emerged by the laser beam. The simulation of this machine is done using Laser GRBL software. A 2.5 W diode laser is used to engrave the various materials. Various advanced software and hardware like Inkscape, MakerBase, GRBL controllers and microcontrollers are assembled together, further leading to the execution of the final engraving. Validity of the machine has been verified by performing dimensional, dependency and co-ordinate tests. Finally, pilot experimentation has been carried out on Cardboard composites.