The laser in question is a 500 mW unit, driven by the Z axis on the Arduino CNC shield used to run the system.

An interesting Arduino project has been published to the Instructables website showing how an Arduino CNC shield and controller has been used to create an awesome 3 axis Arduino CNC plotter.

Then the laser motor slides the laser to and fro. The motors are paired with three other main components: an off-the-shelf 250 mW laser module, an Arduino Uno, and an Arduino-compatible CNC shield.

“The pen plotter in question is a DIY machine that Oaks constructed using linear rails, stepper motors, and an Arduino Uno board with a CNC Shield that runs Grbl firmware. The computer connected ...