After designing my laser cutter, the next step was to order the parts and assemble the machine.
Because Actobotics parts are made and sold from USA, they are hard to come by in Europe (unless you want to pay high import taxes and shipping). In the end, I found an Italian shop (steplab.net / servocity.eu) which sold pretty much everything I needed. Some other parts I ordered from Ebay or Amazon. The aluminium base plate was cut and delivered by aluminium-online-shop.de.
Mechanical components
From Amazon:
- Mounting screw (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00CI3KYKS/) ~5€
- 100 UNC 6-32 nuts (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00NQA2MRA) ~17€
- 100 UNC 6-32 25mm bolts (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00PZO3LRU) ~14€
- 100 UNC 6-32 bolts 9.5mm (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00PZO3NQ4) ~8€
- 50 M4 10mm bolts (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01MD1KGX8) ~7€
- 100 M4 sunken bolts (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B06WVHT9V5) ~5€
- Thremal compound (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B000WU2LXC/) ~5€
- Cable wrap spiral (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B002M2JV8Q) ~6€
From Ebay:
- 8 aluminium T-nuts (https://www.ebay.de/itm/Aluminum-T-slot-profile-90-deg-corner-bracket-20×20-6mm-screw-T-nut-8-set/262530147475) ~19€
- 10 M3 PCB standoffs (https://www.ebay.de/itm/10x-M3-Screw-Thread-Male-to-Female-Brass-Hex-Pillar-Standoff-Spacer-Various-Size/121917293765) ~4€
From Steplab:
- 14 hammernuts M4 for 20mm extrusion (Listing expired) ~8€
- 2 pattern plates 7.5 * 1.5 (https://www.servocity.eu/p/585725-7-5-x-1-5-pattern-plate-9-hole/) ~6€
- Channel 7.5 (https://www.servocity.eu/p/7-50-aluminum-channel/) ~6€
- 2 set screw shaft couplers 5mm-8mm (https://www.servocity.eu/p/set-screw-shaft-couplers-5mm/?attribute_misure-da-5mm-a=8mm) ~10€
- 2 lead screw nuts 8mm, patterned (https://www.servocity.eu/p/8mm-lead-screw-nut-0-770-pattern/) ~16€
- 2 precision steel rods 610mm 8mm (https://www.servocity.eu/p/precision-shafting-%e2%88%85-8-mm/?attribute_lunghezza=610+mm) ~45€
- 4 hole reducers 0.5in-12mm (https://www.servocity.eu/p/12-12mm-hole-reducer-4-pack/) ~2€
- 11 single angle pattern brackets (https://www.servocity.eu/p/90-single-angle-pattern-bracket/) ~20€
- 2 flanged ball bearings 12mm (https://www.servocity.eu/p/4mm-id-x-12mm-od-flanged-ball-bearing-2-pack-535216/?attribute_diametro-interno=8+mm) ~7€
- 2 face tapped clamping hubs patterned (https://www.servocity.eu/p/15mm-bore-face-tapped-clamping-hub-1-50-pattern-545678/) ~20€
- 2 aluminium extrusions 150mm ~2€
- 2 aluminium extrusions 420mm ~5€
- 2 aluminium extrusions 460mm ~6€
- 2 flat pattern bracket 90 (https://www.servocity.eu/p/90-flat-pattern-bracket-a/) ~5€
- Lead screw 8mm 36in (https://www.servocity.eu/p/8mm-lead-screws/?attribute_lunghezza=36%22%2891%2C4cm%29) ~30€ [Cut in half]
- 3 linear ball bearings 8mm 15mm 24mm (https://www.servocity.eu/p/linear-ball-bearings/?attribute_%25e2%2588%2585-interno-%25e2%2588%2585-esterno=8mm+%2F+15+mm&attribute_lunghezza=24+mm) ~6€
- 2 stepper motor mounts (https://www.servocity.eu/p/stepper-motor-mount/?attribute_nema=17) ~15€
- Channel 3.0 (https://www.servocity.eu/p/3-00-aluminum-channel/) ~4€
- 6 set screw hubs 8mm patterned (https://www.servocity.eu/p/0-770-pattern-set-screw-hubs-545552/?attribute_diametro=8mm) ~30€
- Flat pattern bracket (https://www.servocity.eu/p/flat-single-pattern-bracket/) ~2€
From Aluminium Online Shop:
- 2mm * 360mm * 380mm aluminium plate (https://www.aluminium-online-shop.de/de/index.html) ~20€
Electrical components
From Amazon:
- Arduino Nano (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01FRZW24O) ~3€
- 4 limit switches (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01I2ZG1UC) ~8€
- Security power switch (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B012MCQ2QO) ~4€
- 2 stepper motor drivers (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01MDNY71E) ~5€
- Mini USB cable 3m (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00WHZ930Y) ~7€
- 12V 4A Power adapter (Listing expired) ~ca 15€
- Power socket (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0727QJQ4Y) ~3€
From Ebay:
- 445nm 12V 2.5W diode laser module (Listing expired) ~80€ [nowadays, those are much cheaper]
From Steplab:
- 2 NEMA 17 12V stepper motors (https://www.steplab.net/p/motore-passo-passo-nema-17-bipolare-12v-0-4a-26ncm-17hs13-0404s/) ~25€
Assembly
In total, it was not the cheapest build I ever made. I think it ran somewhere just about 600€. But oh well, it’s for science.
You can find the other parts of this series here.
