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We have an epilog laser cutter around here and I was wondering if it would possibly work as a base for a 3d printer? Here is a Dropbox photo album of the laser cutter. I am thinking I will have to get a new control system but I am unsure if I will be able to use the motor controllers or if they are embedded in the current control's board. I am also unsure if it has fine enough control on the z axis but if not that can be modified.

What would be a good head to look at? Any other thoughts?

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  • $\begingroup$ Do you have photos when it's at work? How thick can the material be? Can it drill holes only too? Maybe it could work as sort of stone cutter, that is rather different from a 3d-printer. $\endgroup$
    – ott--
    Commented Mar 10, 2015 at 14:14
  • $\begingroup$ youtube.com/watch?v=nh7QDYCuVWw is a video of it. I don't have any use for it drilling holes and such. We have several CNC mills and lathes. $\endgroup$
    – birdman3131
    Commented Mar 10, 2015 at 15:31

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Anything's possible in the world of fabrication and computers, the question is how much time, effort, and money it will cost you. If you haven't built a 3D printer from scratch before, then it might not be a good idea to attempt this; you would have no way to tell whether any problems you experience would be caused by your own design or the existing laser cutter components.

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Great idea for a repurpose! Check out ReplicatorG or ROS robotic control for the controller side. For the mechanical parts, I've worked with http://folger-technologies-llc.myshopify.com/ before, and their support was great.

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