Oh, those colors are crisp and bright. Lots of work to get them right but they are impressive, I guess they are worth it. I am also impressed by how it cut the metal and did not warp it much, I guess it is because of what you explain at the beginning, the pulsation.
Once you run a couple of material tests for each type of stainless steel you plan to use, color selection is actually pretty easy since you're just picking settings off a test card when you need them. You can actually cut material that's a couple mms think and there are ways to eliminate any warping as well. I'll probably follow this up with a few more videos as I start applying the B6 to more customer jobs. So, I'll try to work this in.
That's actually a great price for the power. I imagine these will go down some but I think with the availability of lasers now a days the price will somewhat stay the same and the power will go up. Great review.
We have been marking colors to large stainless steel products at my work for few years now. Also good to know is that some colors make stainless steel vulnerable to rust easy. Something to keep in mind if the products are used outside or exposed to moisture.
Yep, the annealing process that causes color to happen really messes up the composition of the metal. I haven't seen any negative issues with lasers of the B6 power level, so I assume you're using industrial lasers with a lot more power.
It should be the same process. The focus distance will be different and with the auto focus, I’m not sue what impact that have since I only ever use the 150mm.
Thank you, very honest review, I got the exact same b6 and I totally agree. I saw 150mm lens is included, and 300mm possible, not the sizes you shown but this may have changed. I was asking myself about colors, I will practice but will they ladt on stainless steel ? I feel a clear coat or varnish should help over time.
You shouldn’t need a coating. This is a very different process than a diode laser engraving. The color is put there as a result of annealing the metal - effectively changing the material.
If you need to do so many tests to get the right colour, then I wonder why you really need a MOPA laser, with varying settings we can get colours on diode lasers too.
You can get colour on higher power diode lasers, but you will find the it is pretty unpredictable. Because the frequency and pulse duration of a MOPA laser are much more accurate, colours can easily be predicted for a given material
Technically the UV is also a galvo laser. A uv laser is generally for surface engraving on most materials, where a fiber laser is primarily for engraving metals, but can do deep engraving and some cutting of those metals.
@@jhatten73 The beam size on a diode IR laser like the xTool is substantially larger than something like an Omni1 UV or a typical Fiber laser like the B6. Couple that with providing much less power and you will find that the 2W IR will be much slower and less accurate. Having said this, though, the 2W IR lasers will do a decent job engraving something like stainless steel, but it will take quite a while to get a good result.
It cannot. It marks them only. I own the Omni 1 and it's a great machine. It can do a lot of things that other lasers can't do (I can do greyscale on thin anodized aluminum with it). However, when I ran a job on a brass coin, even after hundreds of passes, it left only a mark. No engraving.
So one of the things that's hot right now is custom challenge coins and you can make pretty decent money on those and see profit margins in the 200-300%. Also, one of the reasons I showed cutting out earrings is because you can make a ton on those. A $0.50 business card will make 2-3 pairs of earrings. Add some hooks, and you're investing maybe $1-$1.50 to make a product you can sell for $10+. If you do craft markets and coasters or keychains are your mission, you knock these off pretty quickly (making 4 slate coasters is less than 5 minutes of laser work), so for a $5 investment, you can sell a set of coasters for $40 or more. For someone who has a business model like I do, usually only doing custom work, the payoff for a laser like the B6 might be a bit shorter, but then you need to work a lot harder to acquire your customers. But for someone who has a classic car and wants a keychain that matches the brand, model, and even color of their car, the $1 stainless steel keychain turns into $30 pretty quickly because car geeks will pay almost anything to get exactly what they want. Keep in mind that the laser isn't usually the problem when it comes to making money. For me personally, it is laziness that is my biggest enemy :-)
@@chrisfalcon9804 I can't really define what your right market might be, but it's probably different than mine or anyone else's. You just need to carve the environment where you can sell the things you want to sell.
It's definitely something that requires a business plan, but the B6 MOPA will allow you to create things that few other makers can, so your profit margins can be a bit higher. This really isn't intended to be a laser for the weekend hobbyist, but I do see prices coming down over the next couple of years. To be clear, while Commarker sent me this laser, I wouldn't say it was free. :-)
Well I’m not sure what’s driving you to make this claim but I respect your choice. I’ve used my 20W Commarker for 2 years without fault and I have at least 50 hours on this laser and it’s fine from my perspective
Oh, those colors are crisp and bright. Lots of work to get them right but they are impressive, I guess they are worth it. I am also impressed by how it cut the metal and did not warp it much, I guess it is because of what you explain at the beginning, the pulsation.
Once you run a couple of material tests for each type of stainless steel you plan to use, color selection is actually pretty easy since you're just picking settings off a test card when you need them.
You can actually cut material that's a couple mms think and there are ways to eliminate any warping as well. I'll probably follow this up with a few more videos as I start applying the B6 to more customer jobs. So, I'll try to work this in.
@@SteveMakesEverything It will be a pleasure to see those! videos
That's actually a great price for the power. I imagine these will go down some but I think with the availability of lasers now a days the price will somewhat stay the same and the power will go up. Great review.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed this
We have been marking colors to large stainless steel products at my work for few years now. Also good to know is that some colors make stainless steel vulnerable to rust easy. Something to keep in mind if the products are used outside or exposed to moisture.
Yep, the annealing process that causes color to happen really messes up the composition of the metal. I haven't seen any negative issues with lasers of the B6 power level, so I assume you're using industrial lasers with a lot more power.
Great reviews, interesting product.
Thanks for watching!
Just got the 60 watt mopa. Had an issue with it and ComMarker’s customer service was very good.
That's great to hear! They have been decent to people who run into issues
Do you know how to set up the 300mm lens for this machine? I am having some issues.
It should be the same process. The focus distance will be different and with the auto focus, I’m not sue what impact that have since I only ever use the 150mm.
Thank you, very honest review, I got the exact same b6 and I totally agree.
I saw 150mm lens is included, and 300mm possible, not the sizes you shown but this may have changed.
I was asking myself about colors, I will practice but will they ladt on stainless steel ? I feel a clear coat or varnish should help over time.
You shouldn’t need a coating. This is a very different process than a diode laser engraving. The color is put there as a result of annealing the metal - effectively changing the material.
@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you very much for the good news.
If you need to do so many tests to get the right colour, then I wonder why you really need a MOPA laser, with varying settings we can get colours on diode lasers too.
You can get colour on higher power diode lasers, but you will find the it is pretty unpredictable. Because the frequency and pulse duration of a MOPA laser are much more accurate, colours can easily be predicted for a given material
What are the differences in the UV and the GALVO laser?
Technically the UV is also a galvo laser. A uv laser is generally for surface engraving on most materials, where a fiber laser is primarily for engraving metals, but can do deep engraving and some cutting of those metals.
What would be different from the 2W xtool UV?
@@jhatten73 The beam size on a diode IR laser like the xTool is substantially larger than something like an Omni1 UV or a typical Fiber laser like the B6. Couple that with providing much less power and you will find that the 2W IR will be much slower and less accurate.
Having said this, though, the 2W IR lasers will do a decent job engraving something like stainless steel, but it will take quite a while to get a good result.
Can the Conmaker UV laser engrave coins like their MOPA laser?
It cannot. It marks them only. I own the Omni 1 and it's a great machine. It can do a lot of things that other lasers can't do (I can do greyscale on thin anodized aluminum with it). However, when I ran a job on a brass coin, even after hundreds of passes, it left only a mark. No engraving.
The Omni1 is a surface engraver and not a deep engraving tool like a fiber laser.
Affiliate Link? Am I missing it?
Sorry, it's there now.
Is there a demand for its products? Do you think it could pay itself off in a year if you find the right market?
So one of the things that's hot right now is custom challenge coins and you can make pretty decent money on those and see profit margins in the 200-300%. Also, one of the reasons I showed cutting out earrings is because you can make a ton on those. A $0.50 business card will make 2-3 pairs of earrings. Add some hooks, and you're investing maybe $1-$1.50 to make a product you can sell for $10+. If you do craft markets and coasters or keychains are your mission, you knock these off pretty quickly (making 4 slate coasters is less than 5 minutes of laser work), so for a $5 investment, you can sell a set of coasters for $40 or more.
For someone who has a business model like I do, usually only doing custom work, the payoff for a laser like the B6 might be a bit shorter, but then you need to work a lot harder to acquire your customers. But for someone who has a classic car and wants a keychain that matches the brand, model, and even color of their car, the $1 stainless steel keychain turns into $30 pretty quickly because car geeks will pay almost anything to get exactly what they want.
Keep in mind that the laser isn't usually the problem when it comes to making money. For me personally, it is laziness that is my biggest enemy :-)
define the right market
@@SteveMakesEverything thanks for this. Definitely food for thought.
@@chrisfalcon9804 I can't really define what your right market might be, but it's probably different than mine or anyone else's. You just need to carve the environment where you can sell the things you want to sell.
Way out of most peoples cost. Must be nice to get one for free.
It's definitely something that requires a business plan, but the B6 MOPA will allow you to create things that few other makers can, so your profit margins can be a bit higher. This really isn't intended to be a laser for the weekend hobbyist, but I do see prices coming down over the next couple of years.
To be clear, while Commarker sent me this laser, I wouldn't say it was free. :-)
Great review however I will not purchase this ever. Good results but not well made. This will not last. Enjoying switching out your parts.
Well I’m not sure what’s driving you to make this claim but I respect your choice. I’ve used my 20W Commarker for 2 years without fault and I have at least 50 hours on this laser and it’s fine from my perspective