Tonight, I made the platform that the paper to be cut will ride on. I used a scrap piece of sheet metal salvaged from a construction site as the base. Underneath it, I used glue to secure some very flat MDF to the bottom - this should hold the somewhat bendy sheet metal to a scrupulously flat standard. To cut down on laser reflections off the shiny metal, I used some very low-quality painter's tape to pave over the top of the platform. The tape will also conveniently be replaceable when it gets burnt. I will use some double-sided tape to attach the MDF to the sled of my laser cutter base.
Additionally, I got limit switches set up! These were salvaged from one of the outdated CNC machines my robotics team took apart. I used some 6-minute epoxy to glue them in place. These switches will allow the laser cuter to move in one direction until the switches trip. The code will then recognize this as the "home" position. I also soldered longer extensions to the short limit switch wires and cable-managed them.
Next, I plan to buy an Aixiz housing for the laser. I will also connect the limit switches to the Raspberry Pi and test them out.
