OMTech Polar CO2 Laser: A New Glowforge Challenger?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ต.ค. 2022
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Unboxing of the all-new OMTech 50w POLAR laser.
The desktop CO2 laser market might have a new sheriff in town. Ready to go out of the box. Compatible with Lightburn Software. Doesn't need WIFI. Non-proprietary parts. None of the constraints of the GF, and more speed and power.
EDIT: The Beam Attenuator controls the amount of mA produced by the laser tube power supply and the laser. You want it turned all the way clockwise to start. The Remote Interlock Connector is a secondary key (found in you tool box) that is needed to allow you laser to fire.
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Thank you for the walkthrough. I just pushed the button on it. My ship date is by Feb 20th. I really hope it ships before then. I look forward to more of your videos.
How has it been using the polar? I have a laser now and looking to add another one. I like the size of the polar and that it is 50W. Would you recommend it?
Duuude first review I’ve been waiting for this👌🏻
Same
Yes!!!! I’ve been waiting for this video! Thanks Cam!
Hope you like it!
Really great video! Thank you for the walk through and showing everything. I was just looking at this laser and it looks very promising.
No problem and thank you for watching! There's more coming so keep an eye out.
Awesome bud! Looking forward to see what you create with it 👍🏻
Thanks! Hoping that come out as clean as 80w!
That’s a pretty sweet unit! I’m excited to see what you can come up with.
Thanks Oscar!
Great video Cam! Looks like a well design laser
Heck yea man. I'm excited so far to see what I can do with it.
Wow, so helpful. Great content. Thanks. Also, your a stud! 💪🏼
I agree
Thank you Sir
Thank you for the video! You answered a lot of my questions!! I appreciate all the info 👍👌
Awesome glad I could help!
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OMTech Polar Users Group
facebook.com/groups/573428424122143/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF
Really looking forward to hearing more about your experiences. I'm torn between this or the more traditional Omtech 50w and 55w machines. Hope you can provide some insight on how to choose one.
This will be more ready out of the box. The MF1220-50 will have a bit more flexibility because of the depth. You’ll be able to engrave taller objects and use a rotary with larger diameter objects. The trade off is that you’ll need to buy your own in-line fan and you may consider doing additional upgrades such as a cw5200 chiller and/or air assist.
Appreciate the unboxing, and hope you're working on a demo video, too! I'm about to pull the lever on my first laser and wondering if you have any thoughts about this vs the FSLaser Muse. Thanks!
Coming soon!
I just got mine yesterday and came from glowforge. Everything worked great out of the box- I followed Cam’s setup instructions you see on TH-cam. I had a couple initial hiccups running it with my Mac (no usb and I needed a usb to usb c conversion and then still my Mac not recognizing it for whatever reasons and next trying to run it through a gfci outlet was a no go and still trying to figure out Wi-Fi/Ethernet connection stuff). But now running lightburn on my daughter’s pc it is working great. Much more powerful /fast/capable than my glowforge plus and wow for the price. If you follow the unboxing and setup videos that are on TH-cam, read the manual thoroughly, then it doesn’t take long to understand it and get running. Also 7mm hold down pins -someone asked that somewhere
Wow glad to hear. I currently have a GF plus and want to add a second laser. I use it for my Etsy shop. The price is what I like as well and the size as I do not have the space for a bigger 60W laser. Are you still loving your laser?
Were you ever able to get yours to work on the Mac? I don't have a PC so I need a laser that will for sure work on my Mac. I hate that Apple removed the dang USB ports.
Thanks for a great video. I have one question, is that a plain glass window meaning I have to wear laser glasses ?
Well at least it looks like you only need to clean/align one mirror, so that is a huge plus over the larger OMTech models.
Allegedly its aligned out of the box. Testing for video this weekend
Thank you for the video. Will there be a video on using the pass through slot in the back?
Using the passthrough is a function of the lightburn software. Not the machine. The only thing you need to know about the passthrough on the polar is that you're limited to 1/4 inch or 6 mm material. The lightburn functions are already well documented on youtube.
Great review and very helpful. I had a question about the height adjustment when it comes to the rotary set ups. Is it possible to replace the feet that come with the Polar with screw type feet that would allow you to self adjust the height? That would be a quick way of dealing with the focusing issue on tumblers and such. Does this model etch glass? One last question do you feel the air assist that comes with the unit was sufficient or would it need an upgrade to keep scorching down?
Again thanks so much for your review. I'm trying to decide what unit to start with and this has definitely tipped the scale in OMTech's direction.
1. Is it possible to replace the feet?
A. Yes, but it may be hard to find direct replacements. I am almost done with another video on how to create risers for the feet so you can get additional height for the tumblers
2. Does this model etch glass?
A. Yes, all CO2 lasers can etch glass.
3. Do you feel the stock air assist is sufficient or would it need an upgrade?
A. Surprisingly, the stock air assist works really well. I have concerns that it will get dirty and sticky over time since its inside the machine, but you shouldn't need to upgrade right off the bat (if at all).
The Polar has a Ruida control board on the left side of the machine, so you can hook up an air compressor driven air assist using that control board. Its pretty cool.
I'm just curious if the air assist and cooling is upgradable. It doesn't seem like it is which is a shame.
awesome, im going to buy one
Keep an eye out for the next video showing it in action. Also, save 5% with LASERGUYS5OFF
@@EdmondsWoodshop Cool, my friend
It's beautiful
Its like my big laser had a baby
Just ordered my Polar today. Can't wait for it to arrive....100 day lead time though but worth the wait I think
They bumped it from 45 days to 60 days of lead time because they're behind on production. With that being said, I've never seen them actually take up to their lead time limit. Its always been before.
Are you happy with the polar? Anything you don’t like about it?
I’m tempted to purchase one
Awesome video! Which machine would you say would be best suited for engraving tumblers? Thank you!
That’s a pretty broad question because all OMTech machines can do tumblers with the right rotary setup. I do tumblers on a piburn rotary in an MF2028-80. The polar will be limited due to its size.
Would you say that this would be ok for extensive travel in an Rv if I were to secure the gantry to a stationary position? I’m just worried about the tube breaking. I mean it’s shipped obviously but we plan on full time rving. I already have an 80 watt but a little too big to bring with but people want wood products and my fiber can’t do those.. I just don’t feel a Galvo co2 will give me the same quality that a gantry co2 would. I’m also a little concerned about the cooling as well especially if we are in like AZ where an Rv ac might not keep up.
As long as the gantry is secured, like you mentioned, then I dont see a problem with it. The tube is mounted to the gantry so you want to make sure it secured in place. They pack the inside with dense packing foam so just keep those pieces are they are already premolded for the inside of the laser.
One of the downfalls to the polar is that it doesnt include a thermometer so you dont know what the temperature of the coolant is. Most co2 lasers operate around 15-25 degrees celsius with the ideal temperature being around 21 degrees celsius. The AZ heat would have me concerned as well.
Yes! I've been going back and forth with Gweike and Omtech Polar, but there aren't any videos/reviews on this one...YET! I didn't want to go with GF with all the issues, but it was very tempting as I am not a laser pro. I want to get busy making things without having to know all things laser (I have a very basic diode now).
Some of my pros/cons for them are Omtech Polar-con: early to the market and therefore may not have worked out the kinks, pro: company has been around and produced many successful lasers already, Gweike: con: doesn't offer financing from main website (can get it on Amazon though), pro: already being used and company looks to be active in offering support.
Both have great prices, although I'm not quite ready in my business. Both can be used offline, which is a huge advantage over GF. Sounds like Gweike is a lot quieter than GF, so I expect the Polar to also be.
Thank you for this video! I look forward to more! I aim to use my laser for leather as part of my business, but I dabble in all things maker, diy, creator, crafts, art, and so on.
Excellent feedback! I'll try and integrated some of this when I'm doing my testing video
Some are saying the Polar is a rebranded Gweike th-cam.com/video/6U2sRjVik_k/w-d-xo.html
Nice video. I’ve had a Glowforge Plus for almost two years and it’s still working. I did have several days of downtime due to WiFi issues. I also have an XTool with the rotary attachment. This looks like a really good unit to phase out the Glowforge. Besides the advantages of not requiring WiFi and being able to use Lightburn what are the other factors to consider?
This has non proprietary parts meaning if it breaks down and you know what’s wrong, then you don’t have to send the whole unit back to get it fixed. The polar also includes not one but two rotary’s. The GF doesn’t have any. Also, the speed capability is much faster on the polar. The GF is so slow
@@EdmondsWoodshop Do you have an estimate of the time difference? Maybe a percentage improvement?
It is so much faster and capable than my glowforge plus and wow for the price- I dumped my glowforge plus on the marketplace for most of what I paid for the polar and pretty happy 😂
I would love one to compliment my 80 watt. Sometimes i get small jobs and my big laser is working his butt off.
That's exactly my setup right now. I have an 80w, a 30w fiber, and now this desktop 50w. These are going to go great together
Have you ever used a Glowforge laser and if so, how would you say the speed compares? I have a GF now and want to upgrade because I have a lot of maintenance issues with it, but I want to stay within a budget as well as I appreciate the user-friendliness of the GF. Thanks for any info you can provide!
What's frustrating about GF is that they dont use units of measurement to identify speed, but I can tell you that even at glowforge's 1000 speed indicator, they dont match up to the speed capability of the polar. OMTech boasts capability of 600 mm/s. I doubt it can really accurately achieve that speed (I haven't tried), but on the speeds I have tried its already faster than the glowforge. Even the cutting is so much faster. I'm cutting almost as fast on my polar that of my 80w.
The Polar will be much louder than your glowforge. With the lid open, I used my phone to record the decibel rating and it clocked in over 70 dB. That's loud. It also doesnt include an internal thermometer to monitor temperature which can be a bit concerning for the user that wants to run hours on end. CO2 lasers like the temperature to be between 15 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius with the ideal range around 21 degrees.
The polar did come aligned out of the crate. I got started in a matter of minutes after downloading lightburn. The only learning curve for a new user is going to be learning the software.
@@EdmondsWoodshop How can I keep track of the temperature to know that it's not overheating?
Hey! Nice video! In your opinion Polar vs Gweike vs Gf, who you chose ? and why ? for which applications you would rather use one and for which applications you would rather use the other one etc ? Who's the best in term of price/quality/features? Thank you in advance :)
The Polar and Gweike Cloud are made by the same manufacturer. The differences are the designs. The Polar has a built in air assist, an opening at the bottom for the two included rotaries, and a more well know YL laser tube. In terms of capabilities and versatility, the polar will be better than the gweike. The GF has a weaker 45 watt laser tube compared to the polar's 50w. The GF is also considerably slower. You are confined to using wifi only and can only use their software. If anything breaks down you have to send the whole GF unit back to them. With the polar, you don't need wifi, you can use the highly recommended lighburn software, its faster and stronger than the glowforge, it includes two rotaries, and its much cheaper than the pro version.
CON's to the polar include:
- Noise. Its loud. I used a phone app to record the decibel and it came in at over 70 dB with the lid open
- No thermometer. CO2 lasers work in a range of 15 to 25 degrees Celsius with an ideal range around the 21 degree mark. This unit may not be good for people who run their lasers for hours on end because there's no way of known what the temperature will be unless you buy an aftermarket thermometer.
@@EdmondsWoodshop Thank you a lot for these great insights!
Hi, Edmonds! Question.. I'll have to install an extra tube to exhaust the fumes outside.. do you think this inline fan is capable of doing the job by itself? the distance will be probably an extra 6 feet of tubes..
The in-line fan produces 353 cfm of airflow. How long is your total length of ducting/tubing?
@@EdmondsWoodshop From the machine to the exit will be 15 feet total
im really debating between this and a gwike cloud to complete 3d printers and cnc mill in my workshop (
Just in case you didn’t catch it in the video, Gweike is the collaborative partner and manufacturer of the polar, but it’s OMTech’s design. With that being said, you have a unique built in air assist, a reputable laser tube, two rotaries, and US support. You also have some additional accessories that the Gweike cloud doesn’t complete. I also have a cnc and two 3D prints and they compliment each other in the shop.
How efficient is the cooler? Does it use just water cooling radiator setup like the Omtech cw-3000 or a real chiller using refrigerant to remove the heat?
It’s like the 3000 and uses a radiator type setup. There is NOT an active refrigerant in this system
@@EdmondsWoodshop Thanks. At this time, the Polar won't work for me then: I doubt I can keep my garage below 80 degrees during the summer and early fall.
i am wanting the 50W coming from a xtool user. how is setup on the cabinet one for someone feet already wet into laser. just upgrading for speed and ability to do acrylics
Are you talking about the MF1220-50 from OMTech, and not the polar? Setup on co2 lasers are different from diodes so the most frustrating parts are going to be alignment, focal distance testing, and finding settings for layout material in lightburn. I still advocate for the bigger cabinet size lasers because they a bit more versatile as far as bed size and depth for a rotary, but the appealing thing with the polar is that it’s aligned and ready to go out of the crate. Either way, if you’re willing to learn the steps and practice what it takes to set these things up then you’ll be fine. Check my fb OMTech users group link in the caption. I manage 19000 members and we have a decent amount of information regarding setup, upgrades, and advice
What is the max thickness of material you can engrave on? I make personalized cutting boards 17.5x10.25 roughtly 1.5" thick. Can this accomidate?
2 inches (51mm) if you remove the tray. There’s also a cutout in the middle that measures 13.75” x 8.5” (243mm x 216mm) so if you have anything that fits in there, you can engrave taller items
My honeycomb bed can't slide all the way through because of my laser nozzle. What can I do to be able to slide it in all the way?
take the cover off your laser head and manually turn the silver screw until the laser head goes up and clears the honeycomb bed or turn your laser on and the head should go up.
If that doesnt work, post a video in our polar facebook users group so I can see.
Did it get shipped on an 18 wheeler or a box truck? Where we live 18 wheelers are not allowed.
I own three lasers from OMTech and I manage their users group. I cant tell you that I've had different carriers every time. My biggest laser was delivered on a UPS box truck. Smallest (fiber laser) was delivered on a fedex box truck. My polar was delivered on a Semi-truck and trailer. It's really luck of the draw. If your area isn't allowed semi-trucks and you order the polar, chances are they will bring it on a smaller box truck.
The only other thing you didn’t mention was the working bed size area
I actually realized that as I was editing the video. **Facepalm**. My bandaid was to write it out at the 14:07 mark
@@EdmondsWoodshop what is the bed size lol ?
20 x 12
what is the max thickness of Baltic Birch plywood that this will cut?
1/4 inch will provide you a nice clean cut with one pass, but OMTech was able to 1/2 with one pass, but it was charred to hell. Anything between that will range in terms of cleanliness and cut quality. I'll be doing a test video on thickness and cut quality in my next video.
@@EdmondsWoodshop Thanks just did the pre order. Will be looking out for your video on it working
Can this cut leather and etch it? I do custom leather patches on hats, but currently sub out the laser part. Would like to start cutting and etching my own. Thks
Yep, leathers, acrylics, wood, paper stock, etc. This is a standard 50w co2 laser. Whatever any other branded standard co2 laser can cut and engrave, so can this one. With it being a 50w it generally means slower than the higher wattage ones.
Did the Polar require a liftgate service? And if so, can the seller set that up for me or do I need to Google a liftgate service and hire them myself?
Everything is set up by OMTech. Although the polar is smaller compared to the rest of their lasers it still does require liftgate service since the driver loads and unloads it with a pallet Jack/forklift. When you purchase directly from OMTech’s website it comes with liftgate service included.
looking at getting this machine, do you know if 5mm perspex/acrylics can be cut on this machine?
Absolutely. Make sure to join our polar Facebook community linked in the description. We have people doing all sorts of designs on 6mm acrylics all the time.
@@EdmondsWoodshop awesome will definitely do!!
How wide is the passthrough bed?
14 inches
You could need a mic to record your voice with..... when you are far away from the phone, the sound is verry bad.....
Thanks for the feedback. This is definitely on my “buy” list.
Can it cut transparent 3mm acrylic easily?
Yes. A 50w laser is more than enough to cut 3mm acrylic
@@EdmondsWoodshop appreciate!
Omtech: Can I have a look at your Machine?
G·Weike: Why not, but make sure to change it up enough!
Omtech: No problem, thanks! - ( Changes E-Stop into Key and adds fansy LED Bar to the front )
Customers: Why are both of your Machines practically identical?! 🤔🤨
@08:40 Any idea what the "Lens" taped to the top of the Tool Head is for? My G·Weike Cloud shipped with the same and I have no idea what it is for ( doesn't look like a replacement )
Haha. That sounds like the extent of their collaboration. Gweike is their partner though so it’s not far off.
The plastic piece on top of the laser head is a test piece with a pulse mark to show you that they aligned the laser. That piece would sit where the lens would sit
as far as I can see it, omtech is the producer of parts for the glowforge and other similar CO2 lasers anyways, so why not cut out the middleman and buy directly at omtech?
Far from the truth. Glowforge has their own proprietary parts and manufacturer.
@@EdmondsWoodshop then I remembered that wrong, but it is true for some of the glowforge clones
Omtech and all these videos seem to ignore some things. Like they are dirty secrets. Omtechs PR stuff says engrave wood acrylic rubber leather but glass is not mentioned and considering that the depth is 30-70mm (1.18 to 2.9 inches) glasses/mugs/beer steins don't seem possible. 2 emails to OMT and no reply and no reply from their FB page. Also nothing on replacing the tube. Can we do it or does it need a tech or sent in ? And the power supply is it replacable off the shelf or a special built one ? End user replaceable or service call/tech/sent in.
I highly recommend you join my OMTech Users group linked in the caption box. I share content with the members that covered things such bigger cups. As it stands, you are limited to 30 - 74 mm diameter objects for the rotary. That's not very big. What I did to work around that was 3D printed leg risers (similar to bed risers) and raised the entire unit roughly 40mm. Now I had clearance underneath the laser to engrave a much bigger object.
I also just posted in my users group photo of my polar somewhat disassembled. The tube is installed similar to other CO2 lasers and doesn't appear to be priorietary, HOWEVER, I could not find a 50w tube that fit the size requirements. The tube allegedly made by tube manufacturer, YongLi, and after reviewing their website they didn't have it listed. I am waiting to hear if OMTech plans on selling these tube exclusively on their website, but from what I see its very serviceable by the owner.
Hope this helps.
@@EdmondsWoodshop It's clearly not 50W as the size of the tube determines the output power. Mine is a China Blue 50W... it's actually 880mm in length and measure 44W with a Mahoney meter and Sadlers dohickey. Since the cabinet is less then a meter and it's mounted on the Y axes, I'd bet it's under 40W... Did you measure length and power output?
Had to read, I think you should have mentioned that it has a Ruida controller in the video...
Thanks for the time to do the video. Take care.
Free material? Funny.
How much you pay?
Anyone looking for a GF Plus really cheap?
Hahahah
no one is gonna come after you if you say "GlowForge" LOL
Says glowforge right in the title