We’ve launched a high quality rotary attachment that will work in the K40 and with other lasers, with the Cohesion3D LaserBoard directly and with other laser controllers!

Cohesion3D Rotary

Introduction

We wanted to maximize the use of space, make it modular, and easily adjustable.

• Tool-less adjustment is standard on all models. Thumb screws allow you to move the idler system forward and back, up and down, and the wheels closer and farther apart.
• Using the side plates to secure the vertical beams to the horizontal beams instead of angled brackets allows you to bring the idler wheel plate all the way down, and slide the idler assembly all the way back.
• The vertical beams have open end caps. The Idler Plate can slide out the top and be flipped, so you can get the wheels to be really low and close together, or really high and apart, and all the other combinations of that. Everything from a thin pencil to the high neck of a wine bottle is possible with this. You can also pull the caps off and mount the the idler wheel plate from the rear to really maximize the object length the rotary supports. This should get you around 250mm of total supported object length.
• The rotary now comes fully assembled – this is not a kit!

What add-ons should you get?

The response is “It depends” and also “Yes”. Honestly, it’s all useful stuff, otherwise we wouldn’t be offering it. Let’s break it down:

• Natural (Silver) vs Black Extrusion. If this was just a color question, I’d say “Hey, the black extrusions will make it all black which is super sleek, and combined with the red accents of the rings it looks like the finish of a certain race car that I really like, but it’s your call whether that’s important to you.
  However, the black extrusions DO have a functional enhancement – we’re etching alignment marks into both the horizontal and vertical beams. This way you can make sure all the moving components of the idler system are aligned and not crooked when you adjust them.
  The marks are spaced every 3mm and are patterned 4 short followed by 4 long so you always know exactly where you are and don’t have to count from the end every time.

• The Small Drive Wheels allow for larger items to be placed on the rotary while still maintaining the low profile that fits in the K40.Easily swap between the default large drive wheels and these small drive wheels – just unscrew one nut per wheel, slide the wheel off, put the new one on, and put the nut back on:
  Set contains 2 small drive wheels with silicone rings installed. Requires 4mm hex key and 10mm hex wrench (included with the Cohesion3D Rotary itself) to swap the wheels.Please note that while this will allow you to fit somewhat larger items inside a small laser like the K40 than our stock larger drive wheel will allow, you may still need to cut the floor out of the K40 to fit even larger items.

• The Tension Arm holds small or lightweight objects to the drive wheels and minimizes slipping. It is great for pencils, pens, flashlights, and other small objects. Install it in seconds with 2 thumb screws – no tools required. It is able to hold cylindrical objects down to 4mm and is for use with the stock large drive wheels.
  The tension arm assembly comes like this:
  
  And here it is mounted and in use:
  
  When you have small diameter objects like this pencil, the large drive wheels have enough traction to keep it retained on the drive end, but the other end tends to fly up off the idler wheels. The longer the object, the worse it gets. The tension arm solves this.
• Replacement Silicone Rings. The red rings on the wheels will eventually wear out and can crack. They offer a lot of grip, so having to replace them every so often isn’t a bad thing given the performance they offer. It depends a lot a lot on many factors including how much the rotary is used and environmental factors. We will have replacement rings available for sale separately but you can get the replacements cheaper by adding them to your rotary purchase – that way you won’t be down waiting for replacements and will save on shipping.
  
  There’s a set for the stock large drive wheels and small idlers, and another set for the small rings used on the small drive wheels if you got those.
• DSP Wiring Connectors. If your laser uses Nema 17 stepper motors, you can unplug the Y motor from the Y black box stepper driver and plug the rotary motor directly into the Y stepper driver instead. Some lasers have a round “aviation connector” to assist with this. This kit contains a 4 pin terminal block and both male and female aviation connectors to be prepared for these options.
  
• DSP External Stepper Driver with 3 Pin Terminal. If your laser has larger NEMA 23 steppers, Servo Motors, or 3 Phase, you will have to wire in a separate external stepper driver that uses the same STEP and DIR signals as the Y driver, and then switch between them. This kit contains an external stepper driver and an additional 3 pin terminal block that commonly connects on the DSP controller side. You should also get the wiring connectors above to be most prepared.
  

So what should you get?

Here’s my opinion:

• Black Extrusions – the alignment marks are actually super helpful.
• Small Drive Wheels – If you want to do anything remotely large without having to cut the floor out of the K40.
• Tension Arm – if you’re doing anything small, it’s definitely going to be helpful.
• Replacement Rings – entirely up to you and how important avoiding downtime is.
• Electronics Packs – Depends on what laser and controller you have.

Compatibility:

• Plugs directly into Cohesion3D LaserBoard Motor Port A. Just modify a few settings on the board’s SD Card and you are rolling.
  
• On the stock K40 controller like the M2Nano and similar, can unplug the Y motor and plug the rotary in in its place. “If the motor spins, the rotary works” is the extent of support we can provide for this application. Same situation for other laser controllers that only have X and Y stepper drivers built in.
• For Ruida, Trocen AWC, and other DSP Controllers that use external stepper drivers, there are several options. You should have black box external stepper drivers for X and Y.
  • If your laser uses Nema 17 stepper motors, you can unplug the Y motor from the Y black box stepper driver and plug the rotary motor directly into the Y stepper driver instead. Some lasers have a round “aviation connector” to assist with this. The “DSP Wiring Connectors” kit contains 4 pin terminal block and aviation connectors to be prepared for these options.
  • If your laser has larger NEMA 23 steppers, Servo Motors, or 3 Phase, you will have to wire in a separate external stepper driver that uses the same STEP and DIR signals as the Y driver, and then switch between them. The “DSP External Stepper Driver with 3 Pin Terminal” kit contains an external stepper driver and an additional 3 pin terminal block that commonly connects on the DSP controller side.
  • You will need wire in various sizes, tools, and the capability to work through this.
• For any other application/ controller, please post in our forum and we will be happy to assist you.

Cool pics:

Conclusion:

All the parts are here for the first batch, we have already set up the production line and built many of the sub-assemblies. We will be assembling the rotary’s to order so we are saying that we will ship orders in 3-5 business days. It is available for purchase now. A huge amount of work has gone into this and we really hope you like it.

Cohesion3D Rotary