Controlling Automated Laser Ablation Machine

Hi all, newbie here,

I am planning to build an automated laser ablation machine. Will be ablating (removing) rust from steel on flat platforms only.
My question is regarding the controls of the gantry system that I plan on building.

Gantry will be 1000mmx1000mm, XY axis only controlled using NEMA 23 stepper motors. Z will be controlled manually.

What do i need to use as the brains of the project (tiny g, cnc xPRO, smoothieboard etc) if i just want the laser to be going back and forth then up x amount of distance.
Basically repeatedly the same motion over and over, then going back to the it's origin (0,0). No complex designs with the laser or any CNC-type movement.

The gantry will be held on a chassis with wheels so it can't be fixed. This is a must.

Can someone point me into the right direction? This is my first Gantry/CNC type project as a final year student in mechanical engineering. I've been doing a lot of research with regards to control and automation. I have extensive experience with programming in C++ and Arduino type stuff.

Thanks for the help,
Cheers

This type of laser “cleaning” machine has been made by a Chinese company over 6 years ago. I remember seeing a demonstration of how it works.. as a hand held “laser spray gun” that cleaned the surface of the metal. It was cool, but obviously dangerous. .. and I didn’t need it at that time.

Ray Scott