If you read what @taylor.a.jenkins wrote about the yoyo, this isnât entirely true.
The round object being engraved will never pass completely underneath the gantry. Taylor engraved the yoyo at a point that was not the highest on the arc. So the laser just needs to be able to hit the top half of the arc without the laser head hitting it. Of course, the closer you can get to the top of the arc, the better.
There will be a maximum diameter that will fit, but it is probably a lot more than 2 inches.
As long as part of the top half fits underneath the laser head, it is possible to do. You probably couldnât engrave a 4" cylinder, but most drinking tumblers are less than 3". Of course, weâre talking about taking the crumb tray out.
I want to try this for engraving pens and pencils. This should make alignment (at least on one axis) much easier than using a jig.
Unless itâs a laser-grade optical mirror, youâll probably just burn a hole through the reflective backing. If it is a capable mirror, be careful not to point the beam in the wrong place - you could cut right through the front of your Glowforge, and then cut right through whatever is in front of your GlowforgeâŚ
Absolutely, precautions must be taken. Baby steps, something behind it to catch stray beams. I have lenses and mirrors available. Worked with industrial lasers for years.
Thatâs a valid question, I could be wrong, but as long as the beam path is not more or less than what it would normally be, the focus should stay fairly close. Itâs been a few years since my college physics labs and I have been retire almost 10 years. Maybe @eflyguy could weigh in.
Iâve been absent for a while due to non-covid health reasons, and have since decided to make my design freely available to the community. If you find it useful, and would like to make a monetary contribution, you may do so via PayPal, using my email address: taylor.a.jenkins@gmail.com. Thanks, and I would love to see any improvements you make.
Materials needed are 1 sheet of proofgrade medium draftboard, or any other similarly sized material, and two M8x1.25 socket head cap screws of 10 or 15 mm length.
Right click the thumbnail image below to download the svg.