I LOVE the video game Astroneer.  Ever since i found this little obscure game on Game Preview via XBOX in prealpha state I've been a fan.  I'm not even sure how I found it, but I'm glad I did.  With each update I dive back in always in wonder by what new things there is to do.  A game where I'm not shooting someone?!  How can it be?!
I'm also fortunate to have a good friend who likes it as much as I do.  The unfortunate thing is that he live 3500 miles from me in Alaska.  We met at college while playing lacrosse.  This game is what keeps us close 8 years later.  XBOX chat is our version of talking on the phone.

I designed the box from scratch.  Then used my 60w laser to cut it out.  I then bought some foam from hobby lobby and tried cutting it out on the laser cutter.  I went to slow and caught it on fire!  I tried some floor tile mats from harbor freight.  These worked great.  Only problem I ran into with them is that they aren't as thick.  I ended up doing 3 layers on the bottom and one layer on the top with the cut outs of the figurine.
The words around the lid are the planets and type, the gases, and the elements in the game.  They are only 2mm in height so they are very tiny.  I decided to do some of the larger element symbols around the outside of the box.  FosterScotch is my friends gamertag.
I liked the wanderers update picture because of the artwork and the good contrast in it.  That makes for a pretty decent lasering using jarvis etching on the laser.  I used the model that Spencer created.  It's great Spencer!  Now, can you model the other suits?!  (Here's a link to his file)  I printed it out .1 on the Prusa SLA resin 3D printer, the SL1.  It came out great!  This was my first time painting anything printed.  I got some Testors model paint and their cheap paint brushes.  I learned the hard way that vigorously mixing the paint is a must.  If you look at the red and the blue you can see they kind of bleed.  It was pretty watery consistency.  Then I realized I needed to shake the fire out of the bottles before painting.  The other colors turned out much better.  I still hate painting.
The magnets are the coolest part of this figure.  It's just like how it all snaps together in the game.  They are REALLY tiny, but oh so satisfying.
At the bottom of this post I attached a video of the box closed and opening the box, taking out the Astro man and assembling them together. 
I think it turned out really cool!  Hopefully it makes it to Alaska in one piece!  Let me know what you think in the comments!
Happy Making!
Ben

Did I Waste $2400 on a 60W Laser Cutter from China?
 
              I did it. I took the leap and bought a 60w Orion Motor Tech Black and Yellow laser engraver/cutter on amazon!
https://omtechlaser.com/​
 
Overall, I'm very impressed with this laser.  The sweet spot for laser cutting and laser engraving is 60-80 watts.   Higher watts and the engraving will not be as good because the laser is just too powerful.  We're able to cut up to 1/2 material depending on the density.  1/4 material is easy to cut in one pass.  We primarily use 1/4 birch plywood for our uses.  Since this laser is a C02 laser, it will not cut ANY metal.  You'd need a fiber laser for that, however it will mark on metal using thermal marking spray.  It will cut cork, soft and hard wood, acrylic, cardboard, and paper.  It will mark on glass, slate, stone, granite, and marble.  Be careful you do not cut certain types of plastics as the release toxic gases and will kill you if inhaled.

Included with the laser:

• Two six-inch rubber ventilation ducts with hose clamps
•  Water reservoir for cooling
• Water tubes
• Water pump
• Air pump
• Air blower
• Two activation keys
• Tool for opening all the doors and hatches
• Tool for measuring the focal distance of the laser from the cutting surface.

 
Control Panel

• Laser Switch
• Control Switch
• Ethernet Port
• Two USB ports (1 PC and 1 USB Disc)

 
Bottom Hatch - “The Guts”:

• Laser Tube Power Supply
• Power for rest of the electronics
• 110/220V switch (110 for America)
• 2 Controllers w/ heat sync
• Controller with USB and ethernet ports

 
Top Hatch:

• Controller Access – Allows access to the controller if you want/need to switch out the Ruida RD644S Controller

 
Power Plate (Back Bottom Left Corner):

• 110v power supply
• Optional: Grounding Wire, Water and Air Pump power supply

 
Air/Water Hookups (Back Bottom Right Corner):

• Water Inlet
• Water Outlet
• Air Inlet

 
Front and Back Bottom Hatches:

• Belt

 
Top Back Hatch:

• LASER TUBE
• Water cooling tubes
• Adjustable Mirrors for laser

 
Pass Through Ports:

• Door on front and back of cutting surface to fit larger pieces of material on the cutting surface

 
Cutting Area:

• Laser Head
• Metal honeycomb shaped bed
• More adjustable mirrors for the laser
• Air Assist – Blows air on the material where the laser is cutting to prevent fires
• Rails that allow the laser to move along the top of the bed (don’t touch these, they’re very greasy!)
• Knob for raising/lowering the bed and adjusting cut height

 
What’s in the mysterious zipper package?

• Ethernet cable
• Power cord (standard computer power cord)
• USB to USB cord
• CD with files/drivers
• White electrical tape
• Alan key set
• Silicone adhesive sealant
• Instruction Manual with instructions, tips and tricks (somewhat broken English)

 
Centrifugal Blower:

• Blows fumes from laser through ducts and out

 
 
Some things that didn’t come with the laser:

• S&A 5200 Chiller
• 6 Inch 390 CFM Inline Duct Fan (replacing the loud blower that came with the laser)
• Lightburn laser cutter software

 
Summary: This thing is awesome! So far, I’ve used it in making signs, home décor, 3D wooden models and so much more. I can cut through up to about 1/2” of wood depending on density and have started experimenting with etching on metal as well (you will need a spray to do so like THIS called Ceramark or Thermark ). Overall, this laser is a great buy, a great tool and all around fun to play with.

Many of you know that I've had the J Tech 4.2w Laser add on for my Shapeoko XXL CNC machine for a while now.  While it works great its just to under powered and slow to be a real workhorse.  That's no fault to J Tech.  It's fairly powerful for a diode laser, but diodes are not meant to be production mode devices.

After a lot of deliberation and internet research, I decided to purchase a Chinese Laser.  I decided on the Orion Motor Tech 60 watt chinese laser yellow and black (upgraded version from the black and red version) color.  An american made laser was just not in the budget so I took the gamble on a Chinese laser.
​
I know and have zero experience with a CO2 laser so I thought I'd do some blog posts to help others in my similar situation.

​In this video I walk you through configuring a GRBL based hobby CNC (specificly a Shapeoko 3 XXL) for use with a J Tech Laser and Lightburn software.
The CNC and Jtech aren't your typical laser configuration like a standalone unit would be, so there's some extra steps to configuring Lightburn with the Jtech and the Shapeoko.  These steps should work with most other hobby grade CNC units like the inventables X-Carve.
I'm using a Jtech 4.2w Laser.