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

Previous articles:

• part 1: Introduction
• part 2: Scavenging the K40
• part 3: Final design and preparation
• part 4: Building the frame
• part 5: Custom parts
• part 6: Mechanical
• part 7: Electrical + first test run

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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.