I make custom backpacks for a living and currently cutting everything by hand. Although the packs are fully custom they all have parts that are generic. So I’m looking to cut these with a laser instead to speed up my slow production. Currently doing 2 or 3 packs a week so not bulk by any means.
Most of my fabric is about 1500mm wide and either nylon or polyester with some uhmwpe aswell. Nothing to thick 800d max.
I currently have a tennis table set up as my cutting table that’s just over 1500x2000mm. So I’m thinking about replacing this with a diy table that has a laser cutter under the lift up table top. This way I can still have a large cutting table on top of the laser cutter.
I don’t have a massive budget to build something $2500nzd max including the tablet. Been looking at the big kits feungsake do as they are the only ones I can find that has anything that size.
My question is would this be a good idea?
Would the frame from feungsake be any good? I’m sure even if it’s a little shaky it’s still got to be more accurately cut then me rushing with scissors.
Would the most powerful 21w laser they do be okay to start with? I could always upgrade down the line if I needed to. Or would I be better to just get the frame a spend more on a 40w from someone else?
Sorry for the long message but any advice appreciated.
Not to pour too much cold water, but … probably not.
Cutting fabric with a diode laser is do-able, but will be difficult on the scale you describe. The key problem is keeping the fabric flat with clamps / vacuum / pins on a platform that must also be flat over the entire surface. The overall tolerance is on the order of a millimeter, less than 0.1% of the platform size: this will be … difficult … with a flimsy base and lightweight rails.
Cutting “plastic” cloth differs from cutting cotton, because it tends to melt / char rather than burn cleanly. A visible-light diode laser has difficulty depositing enough energy into fabric, particularly for fabric colors ranging from white into blue / violet. Discovering how color interacts with material requires experimentation.
I’d read those older posts already. I know of a few people who are cutting the same fabrics i use with a 50w co2 and also another with a 40w lasertree. The one with the laser tree is using a 1.5x1m frame from feungsake.
So the main problem would be building the bed that size level and solid enough right? They even do a 2.4x2m frame so the same smaller 1.5x2m can’t be that bad right?
I’m wondering if a powerful extractor fan sucking from under the fabric would help to keep the fabric sitting flat enough.
The main fabric I’d be cutting is black so should be better then blue denim or something right.
I have a 1mx1m x19mm thick MDF bed that is +/-0.5mm flat. I use it as a CNC router and laser bed. The MDF is reinforced under side by a 19x19mm steel tubing grid, while the whole structure sits on a steel frame table, but it could be a wooden table instead. [the total bed thickness is 19mm MDF + 19mm tubing] I suspect 1.5mx2m is doable with similar design. Neither the steel tubing (1.5mm wall) nor the MDF are expensive. Fabrication of the steel grid should be no more than a 4 hour job by a moderately skilled welder/fabricator. You can drill the mounting holes and attach the MDF. Use shims or screw jacks between it and the table to flatten to spec if need be.
As for holding fabric flat, vacuum may be the best choice to keep cut drops in place and to evac debris and fumes (or it could clog the system, some experimentation needed perhaps). An alternative may be edge clamping the fabric at the board/edges of the bed, using 9x9mm extruded AL I-beam or C channel strips the length of each side. Pull minor tension on the fabric in X and Y direction. You could also add clamping strips across the table on X (1.5m) direction if need be.
This is sort of what I was thinking for the bed. I can weld and super hand with tools so shouldn’t be to hard for me to work out. Maybe a 2x1.5m frame of 25mm steel angel frame with 19mm MDF. I was then thinking of a heavyish (1.6mm ss) mesh suspended on lots of aluminum box section cut into small section so you’re looking down the tube from the top to raise the mesh off the ply by say 30mm . Could just sand down the alu box to get the mesh 100% level maybe. Does that sound like something that might work?
maybe one or two extractor fans on the underside for ventilation and help keep the fabric flat?
The concept of an empty space below the material to be cut is always a good idea for debris and fumes extraction. The practicality of building what you describe, on a scale of 1.5x2m, with a flatness tolerance of +/-0.5mm of the mesh (expanded steel I assume) surface… the odds are not good. Also, in the US, expanded steel sheet is made with process of punched thin slots then expanded along the axis perpendicular to the slots. The punching and expansion make for thousands of sharp edges and fabric snag points.
MDF on the other hand is within the flatness tolerance needed but requires an under-bed steel grid to keep from sagging on such a large span. MDF is smooth also, no fabric snag points, and can easily be groved with a router and straight edge to make vacuum channels. If you filter the vacuum, then its also your fumes extractor and char debris collection.
Well I decided to give it a go and ordered the kit. If I can’t get it to work I figured I could always cut it down to 800x800 or something and still use it.
I’ll let you know how it goes, or doesn’t fir that matter.
Hey Luke, did you get Feungsake machine? I wanted to get your thoughts on how sturdy they are and whether it worked for your requirement? Also, what power laser did you go for? thanks
Yes got it and I have to say it’s better made then I was expecting. I went with the most powerful 20w laser and I think it’ll do most of what I want.
Im still finishing up the build so not really used it properly yet. Just making the bed at the moment.
I have noticed that at full speed some lines are a little shaky. But that’s not a problem for me any way and expect it just needs adjusting. I’ve also not tried since attaching the frame to the base which I think will have helped with that.
Also I didn’t realize just how large the overall frame would be once all setup.
Wow that’s huge. But looks like a set up I need to cut felt. When you say at top speeds lines were shaky - what speed was that? Also, how big was the package. Wondering if it’s possible for me to fit it into a suitcase / golf bag ? Thanks.
I know I’m coming late to the party, and I have no experience trying to do what you’re doing. BUT any reason you can’t use a plain sheet of window glass to hold the fabric - seems like avoiding the vacuum would greatly simplify this project. There might be issues with synthetic fabric melting and sticking to the glass, but it seems like it would be worth a quick test.
Or it could be hinged on one side (duct tape?) Or use a half dozen smaller pieces and skip the cracks - a few snips with a pair of scissors would be an easy workaround.
While lasering through a thin sheet of glass works wonders when the work area is around 600*600 or less, things get very difficult, very fast when the sheet size increases.
Even that smallish (at least for fabric cutting/marking) size requires a suction cup to manipulate the sheet in and out of the work area unless it’s framed and hinged, or moves in and out / up and down on rails.
A glass sheet of 1500*2000 will absolutely need a sturdy frame and strong hinges or rails, so:
will introduce You to the “death of ten thousand cuts” @ednisley there mentioned sooner rather than later.
And a trip to ER to be sewn or glued back together if You’re fast and lucky enough.
If an uniform result is the requirement -and it usually is- there can’t be any gaps in the glass on the lasering path, nor can the sheet be tempered or laminated.
Manipulating smaller pieces of glass sheet in and out of the work area without chipping the edges (and causing the laser beam to scatter) is also pretty much impossible.
Just a quick update.
I have a very large honey comb (1500x2000) on the way for this and plan to use magnets to hold the fabric a little tight. The bed isn’t aluminum FYI, they said it’s iron but I guess they mean steel.
Also I’ve been testing a bit of different fabrics and sorting digitalizing my designs.
The make shift bed is just a sheep of cement board at the moment as I can’t wait for the proper bed. But even with maybe 3mm± of not total flattness it’s cutting great. Cutting at 1300mm and 30% seems to be great for most of what I use. Just the white and orange colors need more power or slower.
