Is duet the right option for laser cutter
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Hi. Im busy building a 100w co2 laser cutter. I need to be sure that Duet3 will be able to work as a controller as this machine will be used commercially in our shop.
I dont need all the detail at this point, i just need to make sure that the laser psu can be controlled. If possible the water cooler, air assist and extraction. Z level etc etc. then also software support like lightburn..
I use a duet2 in a 3dprinter and workbee and i love them. Would like to stay with Duet..
Please help/advise..
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Yes it's likely to work, though it's still a work in progress compared to some of the existing solutions, though the goal over time is to have equivalent capabilities.
You might gain some more details from these links and you may want to do a search in the forum for other discussions on it and hopefully other laser users will be along to give you some more info.
https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Laser_PWM_control
https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Gcode#Section_M452_Select_Laser_DeviceMode
https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Gcode#Section_G0_G1_Move -
I'm currently building a CNC using a Duet3 and most of what you describe is already available. I've got air/mist cooling, vacuum, etc all setup via the onboard IO, so all of your cooling, air, extraction, etc is absolutely doable today just by wiring it up and putting together the right gcode and/or macros.
VFD/Laser is also supported via a dedicated PWM port specifically for that use. Where you'll potentially fall short is more in the UI since the DWC UI is very much designed for 3D printing, there's the Ooznest "theme" for DWC that gives more/better UI for CNC purposes, so you can certainly try that.
Duet seems to be pretty committed to advancing these boards both from an IO and firmware perspective. I'm positive you can make everything work today, and the support and feature set will only improve over time if their past performance and attitude is an indicator of what's to come.
