OSSO: an open-source DIY machine that makes PCBs with a laser
OSSO takes a copper-clad blank and removes the copper you don't want with a laser, leaving your traces and pads. No etching tank, no mill bits. It is built from 2020/2040 aluminium extrusion, MGN12 rails, printed parts and laser-cut sheet, and sits on its own rolling cart.
- Open source. The design is developed in the open.
- A design exploration, NOT FOR SALE. There is no kit, no pre-order and nothing to buy. It has not been built or tested yet.
- AI-driven co-design. A person sets the goals, reviews the work and makes the decisions. An AI assistant does much of the CAD modelling, analysis and documentation.
What's in the machine
Laser and galvo
A pulsed laser source with a galvo scanner and a 150 mm f-theta field. Manual focus: the source carriage slides on a rail and clamps with two M5 bolts, with a printed scale and a set stop at a 190 mm working distance. A fused-silica window keeps the optics clean.
Motion stage
A custom bed-slinger frame in 2020/2040 extrusion. MGN12 linear rails and lead screws on all axes, with a heated bed under the work area and a tool head with an 80 mm Z axis.
One frame, cart and machine
A single 2020/2040 extrusion frame from castors to top, about 993 W x 773 D x 1234 H mm overall. The old middle shelf is gone; the laser base and chiller sit in the lower bay.
Left zone: air and electronics
Air parts sit at the top of the left zone. The electronics live on a removable plate behind the left panel, cooled by filtered air flowing bottom to top. All cables and hoses run inside the machine.
Screen and controls
A 10.1" touchscreen on a tilt-and-extend arm that folds back into the front niche when not in use. The E-stop sits on the back wall of the niche, easy to slap.
Enclosure and safety
1.5 mm aluminium panels, matte black inside against stray UV. A slide-up front door with an internal interlock, plus E-stop, key switch and fume extraction.
Where the design is
This is the run 8 model: a tidier, smaller machine. See the run 8 machine page for renders and notes. Custom parts are FDM-printed, mSLA-printed or laser-cut only, so they can be made in a home shop or by common online services. Many values are still assumptions to check on real hardware.
A first build path
A simpler first build is planned: every safety item is always kept (door interlock, E-stop, key switch, full enclosure, fume extraction, mains separation), while conveniences like the screen arm, castors, cameras and tray drive are optional and can be added later. The plan is to start with bench experiments on subassemblies (motion, focus column, door and interlock, fume extraction, electronics) before building the full machine.
Design process WORK IN PROGRESS
These pages document how OSSO is being designed. They are incomplete and change often; older pages describe ideas that have since been dropped.
- Development journal: day-by-day notes (359 entries).
- Version timeline: frozen snapshots (18 so far), with the latest version (v18).
- Decisions and design rules, to-do list, pending adjustments, references and tools.
Full model and build files are coming soon. The complete CAD model, BOM and assembly directions will be published here once they are cleaned up.