Machsupport Forum

General CNC Chat => Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) => Topic started by: Tweakie.CNC on June 04, 2009, 11:00:55 AM

Title: Laser Cut Gaskets using a low power laser.
Post by: Tweakie.CNC on June 04, 2009, 11:00:55 AM

My favorite model plane has an aging OS 61 which is now due for new crankshaft bearings and a clean up. The new crankcase gaskets have always been a pain to make (can’t buy them anymore – people don’t still use engines this old) and as I saw a posting recently about laser cut gaskets I decided to give it a try. I scanned the crankcase and got a reasonably good image which I converted to vector and then to GCode. Cutting at only 40 mm/min the 150mW laser made a pretty good job and didn’t set fire to the thin material as I half expected it to.

A couple of pictures of the laser and it’s control box on my Z axis, the finished gaskets and where they fit on the crankcase.

Tweakie.

Title: Re: Laser Cut Gaskets using a low power laser.
Post by: Dan13 on June 04, 2009, 01:22:29 PM

Tweakie,

Very nice!! I know it's a pain to cut a form from rubber. Now it's rather fun for you. Well done!

What's the material?

Daniel

Title: Re: Laser Cut Gaskets using a low power laser.
Post by: Tweakie.CNC on June 04, 2009, 02:43:09 PM

Hi Daniel,

It's the rust preventing paper that they use to wrap up tools etc. None of my proper gasket material is thin enough for this job.

Tweakie.

Title: Re: Laser Cut Gaskets using a low power laser.
Post by: Chris.Botha on June 04, 2009, 05:19:36 PM

nice job dude!

Title: Re: Laser Cut Gaskets using a low power laser.
Post by: Chip on June 05, 2009, 01:09:34 AM

Hi, Tweakie

Nice Job, Just need a little more Candle Power.

Chip