Things to Consider When Buying a Laser Cutter
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- Based on viewer requests, I talk to Patrick, the laser steward at my makerspace NOVA Labs, to learn more about the many questions that arise while selecting a laser cutter. Topics covered in the interview include: where to start (the "most important question"), product features (cost, speed/power, bed size, materials cut), ongoing cost and maintenance, pros and cons of Chinese lasers, space requirements (electricity, ventilation, safety), and special use considerations (portability, small scale manufacturing, shared use environments). This is the first in a short series of videos with Patrick, which will cover topics such as a guided tour of the parts of a laser cutter and ongoing care and maintenance.
this is a great vid - first person I have seen not completely bashing Chinese lasers
Eric, our experience with the Chinese lasers has been like a lot of Chinese machines: great hardware, not so great documentation, good prices. Like most complex purchases, there are trade offs and what is best for you depends on your skills and priorities. The Rabbit's combination of Chinese hardware with American product support has worked very well for our makerspace.
Lens size is also important and has lots to do with how thick or thin material your working with. Auto-focus is a good feature and a bed that is motor adjustable height is a great feature. Water chillers are good I suggest the aquarium chillers for about 300-400 for a decent one USA made or Japanese.
Farouqi, Patrick discusses the pros and cons of autofocus in my "anatomy of a laser cutter" video, and all your tips are good ones, thanks!
@@GreylightMay No problem... I've worked with an Epilog Legend for almost 8yrs and that is one incredible machine... Low maintenance and can really do fine detail cutting and engraving... Business guy disappeared with the machine so now I have to find an alternative and the Chinese brands are my option because I don't have 25,000 for an Epilog... Another few things to research are stepper motors and belts being used just make sure they are decent quality...
50W Chinese systems that run about $1400 on ebay are pretty good machines. Not Epilog or Universal good, but good enough to get started in a small laser cutting/engraving business. I purchased one, and after replacing all the optics for about $240, it's a pretty decent machine. Definitely a lot of value there, but there's a learning curve and the manual that comes with the machine is atrocious. If you have prior laser experience (25yrs+ in industrial lasers), you'll have a leg up.
This is a really great interview. Thanks so much
Pravit, thank you, I'm glad this information was helpful for you!
Very useful! I’ve been lurking forever wanting a cutter and needed this info.
Thank you, gc3, for letting me know it was helpful!!
Yeah me too! You asked all the questions I have in mind! Thank you! :)
It helps that I, too, have considered buy a laser cutter before opting to go with another makerspace when TechShop closed. Of course, you have to be fortunate enough to have a makerspace nearby, so I'm grateful for that...
Very helpful! Looking forward to future videos from Patrick as well!
Andrew, Patrick is a real find, isn't he? He really has a wealth of knowledge to share!
Thanks for the video.
You watched it! Remember one option you have is to look for makerspaces near you, that's how I get access to a laser cutter, and lots of other great tools as well.
This was awesome!
Thanks, Matt, I hope it was helpful!
Protective eyewear for the CO2 wavelength are inexpensive. I always wear them when working with the laser, and no one is allowed in my shop without wearing them also. Why take the risk with your eyes?
Joe, is it the class 4 lasers they are recommended for?
@@GreylightMay CO2 laser safety glasses should be rated at 10600nm (10.6um) wavelength. This is not the class 4 visible wavelength. CO2 wavelengths are not visible to the eye, but can still easily damage your eyes if the beam reflects off a surface without protection. As long as there are no methods of looking into the chamber without looking through the polycarbonate window, it should be ok, but passthroughs and cheaper k40 lasers have ways of observing the cutting directly. I was kind of surprised at 18:20 when he mentions at the maker space they don't require them. $40 for 10600nm safety glasses is great insurance to protect your eyes. I love the videos btw, thanks for the great work and inspiration.
Yes, i thought it is the passthrough that requires the special safety warnings. At Techshop, where I used to go, the bed was completely enclosed and no glasses or special signs required. At Nova Labs the passthrough is there but I've never seen anyone use it, probably because the bed is so big. The laser won't fire if the lid is open, but it will if the passthrough is. I would agree that if someone has the passthrough open it would be smart to wear eye protection. I own a pair and keep them in my work bag at all times, just in case. Can't be too careful!
@@GreylightMay Always a good idea to know how materials behave as well. Most absorb the IR, but Aluminum can reflect 90% of the IR laser light that hits it. It might be worthwhile to pay extra attention when engraving anodized aluminum items.
Regular polycarbonate safety glasses are enough protection for these low power CO2 lasers... "Laser rated" safety glasses rated for the wavelength of CO2 (10.6µm) laser are ideal, but you can get away with just standard safety glasses.
terrific. thank you.
Thank you, Leon!
I have a full spectrum laser, using retina engrave. Can I do both vector and raster in the same operation?
Found it!
I'm glad, brunopires, I hope it was helpful!
Where could someone go to find these maker spaces , I live in South Florida and would love to attend some beginner classes
Brad, do a Google search and you should find some, especially near universities. My only fear is that the pandemic may have forced many to close. Mine is still open (though I'm not going right now), but mine is pretty large and well funded.
I need only mm ms sheet cutting, what kind of machine,is suitable
Antony, what does 'mm ms' stand for?
Thanks for the info!!
I never did find out what kind to buy, for those of us on a low budget, to cut stained glass or is it just engraved and snapped by hand ?
Joe, the kind of laser cutters we use, CO2 lasers, cannot cut glass. They can engrave it, but not deeply enough to be able to snap it. I don't think there is an affordable laser that can be used for stained glass. I've done a stained glass effect by using acrylic instead of glass, in which case a CO2 works fine, but that is not what you have in mind, I think...
@@GreylightMay OK, sorry, when I surveyed the titles of your other videos, I assumed you had used a laser to cut stained glass and this video would reveal which one. I'm surprised they can't do that as the temperature is certainly within the range of many lasers. Perhaps it seals as fast as it melts,
Joe, the only CNC machine I have personally see cut glass is a waterjet, which is super expensive. They had one at my old makerspace...
Thanks GM.
You're welcome, Artourious!
Could you please advise on 150w and 180w Co2 laser machine? Are they capable of cutting 15mm MDF in one pass?
I'm sorry, Mamoon, this is outside the range of experience for our makerspace. We only have 100w lasers...
@@GreylightMay 100W should be fine for 15mm. Gotta go a bit slow. say maybe 7mm/s at 90 power, but yeah, 1 pass isn't an issue...especially for a 150w.
What about utilities for a 100W?
M, do you mean the electricity requirements? 110 versus 220?
@@GreylightMay no, I'm referring to the monthly utilities bill. If having a 100W machine at home will dramatically increase my utilities bill. Specially if it's constantly running.
Epilogue says a 120W machine costs 12 cents an hour to run, less than a dollar for an 8 hour day. A clothes dryer uses a lot more energy, but of course you don't run that for 8 hours straight. Sounds like a bargain though!
It does indeed! Thanks for all your useful information! 😊
Can you help me please? Im looking to get a laser engraver for small projects like wwood wall mounted boyyle openers, Ive made some in the past and would like to engrave maybe a logo on them, I looked at diode but dont know what to do, i work out of my home. Thanks so much :)
Meg, while I've only had experience with CO2 laser cutters, one of my viewers has had good luck with a diode laser cutter and they are certainly less expensive. My concern with one has been ventilation, as they seem to be open and engraving or cutting materials will always create smoke. It seems to me that you would need a plan for how to deal with that. You can buy a small CO2 laser for about $500, but the bed is only 8" by 12", so its usefulness depends on how small your projects are.
@@GreylightMay Thank you so much for responding, I’m thinking to go ahead and go with a CO2 laser now I’m just determining which one to go with👍👍👍
Meg, I'm actually buying one next month, I'm currently considering OmTech. Let me know which one you pick!!
Wold love to have one of these talk about the Diode lasers.
Toby, you sent me to the internet to read up on diode lasers!
I would be willing to make a video but I would need to find an expert first. I'll ask around my makerspace, and check with Patrick to see if he knows anything about them...
CAM is NOT laser cutting software
While CAM is the abbreviation of Computer Aided Manufacturing, CAD stands for Computer Aided Design.
John, my CAD software is Illustrator, because I use it for design. CAM software translates the CAD design output into instructions equipment can utilize, for the laser cutter I use RDWorks. Any software that creates machine instructions, such as z height and power settings, can be considered CAM tools.
@@GreylightMay You didn't read my comment properly. Though laser cutting software can be considered a CAM tool, CAM is NOT laser cutting software as stated. The laser machine interprets g-code, whether produced by CAD/CAM tools or otherwise. Inkscape e.g. is an open-source vector design tool that is capable of producing g-code for use in vinyl cutting, plotting, 3-D printing, laser cutting, wire bending and many other CNC applications. You can even write g-code manually without the use of any CAD/CAM tool and feed it into a laser cutter, 3-D printer, plotter, router, etc.
So John, I see now that you are referring to the caption I added over Patrick's CAD/CAM flow comment. So what would you think is the best way to complete "CAM = ?", to help the average viewer understand what Patrick is describing? I appreciate your help!
Got it, John, thanks! I'll see if there is any way to annotate an existing TH-cam video. If not, I'll get it right in future videos.
Im interested in using laser cutter to produce PCB solder paste stencils in 0.1mm aluminum, what power laser cutter would be required? Also, what about the color (red,green,blue) of the laser beam? How do you choose the color of the laser?
Ron, your first question is way outside of my experience, i won't be able to help you with that. As for your color question, a CO2 laser emits an infrared beam of light, I believe, which is outside the visible color spectrum, isn't it? All the laser cutters I've used are CO2 lasers. Perhaps a different sort of laser is used for your application? I know the 100W laser cutters I've used cannot cut aluminum, or any metal, they can only engrave anodized metal. Industrial level CO2 lasers can cut metal but are not what you find at a makerspace, where I do my work. I've heard of YAG and Fiber lasers being used for metal, but have no experience with either type. Good luck! I'd love to know what you learn when you find someone with the answers!
@@GreylightMay Thanks for the reply. I was looking on ebay and saw red/green/blue laser diodes in the 5 watt range, wasn't sure if they could cut through aluminum or not, but if a 100w can't do it then im in the wrong ball-park. Ill keep asking around, thanks again.
@@ronwatkins5775 no they will not cut metal. For thin metals you could cover the metal with a mask/paint and cut the paint away. Then spread an acid that with dissolve the metal could be applied, and the paint would protect the areas not cut away by the laser.
Court, thanks for your input!
You will need MOPA Fiber laser for that purpose, MOPA lasers can engrave metal in different colors but they are expensive, regular fiber laser with 20-30w tube starts from 4-5k USD
Could you recommend a good Chinese laser between 80 to 100 watts? One with a good software? Thanks
I can't recommend but I would suggest looking into the Rabbit laser. My understanding is it is Chinese components but assembled and supported in the United States. We use RDWorks for the software and it is quite good...
@@GreylightMay well I live in Saudi Arabia and it's much easier to get Chinese machines and they are cheaper too. Especially that it will be my first machine of that sort. Thank you for your reply and I will look into that one.
I think Rabbit uses the same Chinese hardware as Boss, so if you find out which company they are buying from at least you will know the hardware is reliable. Good luck! Let me know what you pick, I'm interested in perhaps owning my own someday.
@@GreylightMay thank you very much. I have found a company that manufactures them in Egypt which is very close and duty free for us. I will keep you posted
RDWorks is used with Ruida controllers on co2 lasers. Other controllers use other software and they are free software. Lightburn is a paid software but you get better tools and ease of use with this software, but make sure it works with your controller first. The larger the wattage, the better for cutting thicker items. But the lower wattage usually between 50 to 100 watts are good for engraving and cutting as well. Do your research first.....
I have not seen this answer. What wattage or type of laser subsurface engraves metal?
John, the CO2 lasers I've had access to, which are up to 100w, can engrave only anodized metal, which is more like engraving through a coating than actually engraving metal. I don't know what type is required to actually engrave but probably the same water bed ones that can cut metal. Sorry I can't help!
@@GreylightMay that was helpful. Thank you
@@johnpitts4843 You need Fiber laser for engraving metal, fiber lasers are different from co2
you might wanna start looking into plasma and water injection lol
Metal isnt soft XD
CO2, or solid state lasers (YAG disk or fiber) in excess of 500W will suffice for most, but not all metals.
I wish to stipple polymer pistol frames as a business. Will the laser cutters perform this task, what wattage is most applicable?
David, I'm not the best source for this because I'm not sure what kind of polymer is used in pistol frames, but if what you mean is to engrave them with a stippling pattern I would think they could. Questions I would have are does the process create toxic fumes, I know lasering some plastics can cause this, and how irregular are the surfaces? Laser cutters like flat surfaces, or cylindrical ones if a rotary attachment is used. I wouldn't think the wattage would need to be very high, as engraving plastic doesn't require much power. An 80 watt would do it, perhaps even 60. I'm not an expert, I just want to help you know some of the issues you should explore. Good luck, and I would love to know what you learn!
You are looking for a fiber laser not a Co2 laser. When you buy, ensure you buy from a company that offers training. Ruining pistol frames can be expensive.
Thanks for answering this!!
CO2 lasers of sufficient power can do this as well.
Has anyone had experience using thermark to laser onto metal?
Roy, I'm sorry that I can't help you with either of your questions. Maybe someone else will know...
@@GreylightMay Cermark is my favorite (pricey) but makes a nice dark mark on metal with a sufficiently powerful enough laser source.
No audio.
Narendra, I just checked and it worked for me. Give it a try on another device, good luck!
Patrick is Cute
LOL, yes he is!
No need to talk about high end laser cutters...people who buy them know what they want or need.
"JessG, I think a quick read through the comments here would demonstrate that's not true." Edit: JessG, I've been thinking about this. What did you mean by 'high end'? A $10k CO2 laser cutter, or something much more expensive? I should have asked that before replying!!