Your Suggestion: Cheap DIY Replacement for Laser Cutter Grid Table

[Educated Guess]

Howdy, Everyone.

I have a wonderful little Epilog CO-2 laser cutter (Zing model).

I need a couple extra cutting table grids on top of the one they included with the machine. Someone on Instructibles recommended a used discarded radiator.

https://www.instructables.com/CO2-La...e-Replacement/

This looks like a possibility. However, my machine is small and does not have a lot of vertical travel on the bed; I'm thinking a radiator might be too thick.

Any other ideas?

Thank You,
EG

[Sleykin]

When you cut the tanks and side or ends off the aluminum radiator it breaks down into multiple cores. Take a look at automotive A/C condensers. some are only about 1/2" thick. But that is about how thick a single core would be.
If you could find something like this ..https://www.lowes.com/pd/PLASKOLITE-...els/1000201943 it might work ?

[Inner]

Honeycomb aluminum panel from eBay or Amazon? Available in thicknesses 1/4" to 6", easy to cut to size.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...&_sacat=182928

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=honeycomb...ss_ts-a-p_1_16

[old kodger]

What I use is old BBQ grids for welding table, readily available from the local tip, might work.

[Woodgeezr]

What about those plastic lattice from ceiling light panels. About 1/4 inch thick, can be stacked to the height needed, easily replaceable, and cheap.

[Educated Guess]

Thanks, Guys, for taking the time to answer this question. Really appreciate it.

An obvious question to which I don't know the exact answer: I'm assuming this grid would need to be aluminum, correct? I'm assuming that iron or steel is a no-no in a CO-2 laser.

Thanks Again. I knew there was a much cheaper alternative out there.

sm

[Sleykin]

Why would iron or steel be bad?

[Inner]

I will rely on the wisdom of the hive. For every 1,000 aluminum grids I can see in lasers on the web, I've found zero steel ones. It may come down to a price/availability/performance issue. You want to minimize the contact area of the cutting table on the work piece and also minimize the burning effects of the grid on the work piece. Very thin aluminum grids with not too small cell sizes just fit the need exactly. If your wattage was high enough you could cut steel in a CO-2 laser.

[Sleykin]

I will rely on the wisdom of the hive. For every 1,000 aluminum grids I can see in lasers on the web, I've found zero steel ones. It may come down to a price/availability/performance issue. You want to minimize the contact area of the cutting table on the work piece and also minimize the burning effects of the grid on the work piece. Very thin aluminum grids with not too small cell sizes just fit the need exactly. If your wattage was high enough you could cut steel in a CO-2 laser.

That explains the lack of steel showing up. About the only thing steel that would be close is called expanded metal. Honeycomb plastic or aluminum is about it...or an old radiator I would look at A/C parts though...time to visit the scrapper near you and look.