Coasty: A Nifty Little Laser Cutter Designed Specifically for Making Coasters

Most of us try to keep our tools as general-purpose as possible. If we’re going to spend a lot of money on something, we want to make sure we can use it for lots of different tasks. But, there is something very satisfying about a specialty tool that has been designed with a single purpose in mind.

That’s the case with Coasty, a small laser cutter designed specifically for cutting coasters. The device, which was created by bdring at Buildlog.net, uses a small 3.5W 450nm laser from Eleksmaker. The stepper motors are controlled with a custom Grbl controller, and an HC-05 provides Bluetooth connectivity.

However, it’s the physical design that makes Coasty really impressive. Because it was meant for such a specific task, bdring was able to make keep it very compact and clean. Coaster blanks are fed into the machine with a pinch-roll mechanism, which also provides movement in the Y axis. The laser is mounted to a carriage that moves in the X axis.

As you can see in the post, the whole project was very well thought out. Safety features are incorporated, like a door interlock switch connected to the laser, and a carbon filter to reduce fumes. If you’d like to make your own, the STL files can be 3D-printed now, and bdring will be making everything else available soon.