How to make a plotter

Device for graphomania you can do yourself – there is a will and enough parts from old printers and scanners on hand. Flatbed plotter is a two-coordinate table, on which is transferred the head with fixed on her writing implement.

How to make a plotter
How to print on a plotter
What are the differences between a plotter from a printer
How to cut the object in Corel

You will need

bipolar stepper motors, guide rails of different lengths, carriage, power supply.

Instruction

Experience suggests that to create the coordinate table, you can use the guides from old printers. The hardest part of the mechanical design plottera device that moves the pen. One of the existing methods – to accommodate a small servo to push the short side of the lever. To the long side of the lever is attached to the marker. When the servo is in its upper position, the spring presses down. The pen is always raised to the same height, and lowered to the extent allowed paper or other object on which you are applying.

To control the pen used stepper motors, which can also be removed from the disassembled printer. However, they provide only the stylus moves back and forth. For step-by-step head control required the microcontroller which will decode the commands and convert them into commands for the stepper motor.

Now about the software: to control the unit is language HPGL. A list of the most frequently used commands can be found in the open resources on the Internet. To use the unit to create drawings for printed circuit boards and transferring on paper of any drawings, converted from PostScript.

To ensure the operation of the two stepper motors will fit the power supply +5V and 1A 24V. It can also be taken from the disassembled printer. If you place the pen in the carriage to install 300 mW laser, you can use a homemade flatbed plotter for cutting. The power of such a laser is enough to burn wood or cutting thin films.

Note

As always, when it comes to homemade equipment, time costs are often not up to production quality. So for professional purposes it is better to use equipment designed by professionals. And the creation of the plotter with your hands is best left to skilled craftsmen, who do this solely for fun.

Useful advice

To use a flatbed plotter for cutting using the cutter, you need to strengthen all connections of the structure. The device holding the pen should be much more durable, so that the cutter is held tightly.

Is the advice useful?