Affordable Laser Cutter and questions on use

dpg posted:

A lot of these state USB port but I'm not sure if that's a cable from my PC or a USB thumb drive. 

 

Neither.  A USB port is a socket, into which a USB cable is inserted.

Balshis posted:

dpg posted:

A lot of these state USB port but I'm not sure if that's a cable from my PC or a USB thumb drive. 

 

Neither.  A USB port is a socket, into which a USB cable is inserted.

Yes and you can also insert a USB thumb drive so my question is do I use a cable or thumb drive to send a file to the laser cutter.

The question you also need to ask is what materials do you want to cut and/or engrave? I have a 15W  40"x 40" laser "cutter" that I assembled,  coming from a Chinese company.  The issue is also with the software controlling the cutter. Chinese software is not well-written compared to American software. Chinese software and product "support" is all but non-existent, meaning that that the more you complain the less you are listened to.

A 15watt laser will engrave Masonite as I used it to cut joints in sidewalks that are perfectly straight and orthogonal. Engraving on most materials except glass and clear Lucite or other plastics, except I was able to engrave clear when the paper was left on both sides of the clear plastic.

  I tried to use it to cut 1/8", 1/16" specially designed laser cut-able wood and did not have the best results. It burned the cut.

If you want to cut wood, plastics, clear or otherwise you need at least a 30Watt gas laser. But if you are going there, you really should have a 100Watt laser. However with these you must ventilate the cutting area with a very functional blower.

On the larger 30-100Watt gas lasers the cutting occurs from a stationary laser whose laser beam is moved across the cutting surface with a series of mirrors mounted on movable x/y arms focused on that surface. For depth control there is a focused lens that is adjusted for depth.

All of the preceding is all controlled by the software that takes your image created in let's say CorelDraw that produces a .jpg file. The .jpg file is turned into G-code by the printers software. G-code is the same language that is used for CAD-CAM machines, except instead of spinning a router bit it turns on and off the laser beam.

AlanRail posted:

I tried to use it to cut 1/8", 1/16" specially designed laser cut-able wood and did not have the best results. It burned the cut.

That's how a laser cutter works, it incinerates the material, so on wood it will always have a 'burnt' edge.  But with a low power laser like 15W what you do is speed the laser up and make multiple passes.  In this way you'll get a cleaner cut with less scorching.

Now that you mention it, it does seem like most (maybe all) of the laser cut kits I have seen do look a bit scorched around the cut edges. I'll pay closer attention form now on. Shows you what I know about laser cutters.

Also, I see Micro Mark is now offering a couple of laser cutters. I didn't look closely at them, but it seems like they were in the $2500-$3500 price range? One was a Dremel, I forget the other one's brand. Anyway, just curious if anyone has looked at or knew anything about these items? Good, Bad, Ugly, etc....

Maybe you have thought of this, but I found several sources to do the actual cutting for me to get my feet wet designing the building parts first.  Several of the model kit builders will do custom cust with your file for a reasonable cost.  

depending where you live the public library has laser cutters you can use for free, and there are maker type clubs/shops you can rent/share time on larger machines.

not dissuading you fro  buying a machine, but for me in the end simply having the parts cut to my design was much simpler that buying the machine.

OP here,

After careful review I am going to stay away from the cutters on eBay. Many reviews express extreme dissatisfaction with the setup process and customer support is non-existent. Also you have to buy additional software and other items to obtain full use of the cutter. 

I am considering a Glowforge cutter. https://glowforge.com/our-products

The website addresses most of my questions and they are located in the United States. They are considerably more than the eBay cutters but there is a company behind the product. They also state that in most cases you are up and running in 30 minutes or less. They also offer files that you can download and cut/print. 

Also the eBay 50 watt and up cutters have hidden fees such as lift gate and residential delivery charges of $150. These charges are on a separate eBay purchase and are required for any residential delivery. I agree that these machines are more heavy (143 pounds) but I would only require lift gate. I asked what the residential charge covered and was told it was a charge to deliver to my house. Also they advertise a rotary cutter engraver option but to make it work you have to buy an Irregular-Laser-Cylinder-Rotary-Rotary-Axis-For-50W-100W-Engraver-Cutter-Machine at a cost of $183. 

If anyone is familiar with Glowforge system please let me know how it has worked out for you. I'm still going to do some more research before I put down that kind of money.

Thanks!

Dave

I looked at the GlowForge.

Take a look at Mr.Beam II ( https://mr-beam.org/en/  )  as well.

I thought Mr. Beam had better software and it has an internal camera for placing the image on the material. However, they dont ship to the US as yet!

I feel like laser cutters are still in their early days and as such, I have been reluctant to dive in just yet.  There are so many pros and cons of each model online that it can be overwhelming.

I'd recommend trying them out at Maker spaces just to get your feet wet and decide what features might be the most important to you.

Also, look for brands that offer some sort of local support.  One thing to consider it to buy from Rockler if you have one in the area.  With something as expensive as this, I like being able to go to a physical store if I have issues.  https://www.rockler.com/search...amp;w=laser%20cutter

towdog posted:

I feel like laser cutters are still in their early days and as such, I have been reluctant to dive in just yet.  There are so many pros and cons of each model online that it can be overwhelming.

I'd recommend trying them out at Maker spaces just to get your feet wet and decide what features might be the most important to you.

Also, look for brands that offer some sort of local support.  One thing to consider it to buy from Rockler if you have one in the area.  With something as expensive as this, I like being able to go to a physical store if I have issues.  https://www.rockler.com/search...amp;w=laser%20cutter

Towdog,

Thank you so much for this response!

There is actually a store about a 1/2 hour away from me. I can get a Full Spectrum 40W laser with a full 2 year protection plan that even covers accidental damage for $4200. There is a "product specialist" at the store to answer any questions and they have a demo machine there that you can actually see it in use. 

I know that $4200 is a lot of money but this way I know I'm covered for repairs for two years and I have someone I can call and ask questions if needed. Also this unit is fairly portable so if we started doing craft shows once my wife retires we could take it with us and personalize any items that the customer would want. 

Thanks again!

Dave

Hmmm...That is a very good tip! Never would have thought to look there? I think our local woodworking store is also a Rockler store/dealer? It was a Woodcraft, but I think they have made some changes the last couple of years. May not be buying anything, but it would be nice to learn more about these things. And it just happens to be right on the way to the local train store too!

At some of those prices I'd go for a ULS system.  They've been making lasers since 1988.

I am in the same place… I have been using outside contractors to do my laser cutting and would love to have my own machine. But $4,000 to cut four buildings makes for some pretty expensive buildings. If I were to cut 40 of them, then that's a different equation. The LED lasers on the cheap Chinese machines are not good for cutting the materials we use for models. For now, I've identified several folks that are doing their own commercial kits and do my work for a fee. One is River Leaf Models. Others are Mini-etch and Rail-Scale-Models. Each has their own way of valuing how much you job will cost, but it's still much less expensive than buying your own machine and dealing with the distilled water and fume extraction issues. They are not maintenance free. CO2 lasers don't last forever and are expensive to replace.

There are a bunch of commercial laser cutting services targeted to the Maker market. Here's one pulled from Google at random:

https://www.ponoko.com/laser-cutting

Wouldn't a place like that make more sense than kitmakers doing it on the side?

Could be… kit makers have down times and custom work fills the queue. It depends on price. The kit makers would be more familiar with the needs of us model makers especially in making windows and engraving bricks. Kit makers are also more familiar with the materials we want to use.

We are available to cut the pieces for you. Please give me a call at the shop or, if you are going to York, stop by at Orange Hall DD-11.

ToddModel posted:

We are available to cut the pieces for you. Please give me a call at the shop or, if you are going to York, stop by at Orange Hall DD-11.

Thank you for your offer!

I really want my own unit as wife is really interested in making a variety of crafts with it as well

Dave

Dave-

If you and yours have not done so already, check out the forums on sawmillcreek.org. Their Laser Engraving General Topics may be a good source of information- methods, equipment, materials and problem solving. 

We have a Trotec and most likely could not be convinced to use another brand. My first machine was an Epilog (20 years ago plus) and it still runs in a former employee's basement.