DIY Laser Cutter Fume Extraction
[Update: I added a new post about what I’ve learned about HEPA filters.]
After building my second Lasersaur, the current release candidate, I started doing a lot more cutting and realized I needed to find a good fume filter. I started designing my own and while doing research discovered that someone had already solved the problem and distributed plans on Instructables. It’s a self-contained laser cutter fume extractor and it does a great job filtering out smoke and acrylic. I sit next to it while running jobs and I can’t smell even a whiff of smoke.
While crawling around under the work bench routing the exhaust from the Lasersaur to the filter I was reminded that my studio (a converted garage) is pretty damn dusty. I’m making dust covers for my computer and CNC headend and putting filters over the cooling fans, and I started thinking about where my Lasersaur gets fresh air. The exhaust fan pulls ~400 CFM of air through a 6″ exhaust port but there’s no 6″ port for air to come in. A few test cuts later and it was pretty obvious I needed dedicated air input to balance the exhaust.
My fix is pretty simple: put an air filter on the opposite side of the cutting bed. The question is what size filter and where should it be located? I tried a few variations with cardboard mock-ups and it looks like having the filter planar level with the cutting bed was the best plan. The filter is some leftover HVAC stuff from the box store and it probably needs a better mount than leftover duct tape, but for now it works just fine.
There are some photos on flickr and here’s a short video of tests and the final result: