So as stated in other posts I am considering buying my first laser for my Christmas gift to myself.
I have a budget of about $700 or so.
I was thinking of one of the new K40+ that work with lightburn but some folks think a Diod Laser would work for my interests.
Mostly i am looking at cutting thin sheets such as 1/8” or thinner to make scale model buildings out of.
And it looks like a 20w will get the job done. Plus the open units often have expansions to make a bigger cutting area often of $75-150.
Yes i know i will need to build an enclosure and vent the unit (that is mot an issue)
Several companies offer units in this price range that all look very similar. (probably from the same factory in china i would guess)
So anyone have any suggestions on what company to go with?
Yes i know a fancier or more powerful unit is better but i cant afford more and i have been waiting yo buy a laser for several years and I never seam to get to the point where i can spend more then this so i figure being as these seam to be able to do what i want them to, so then a laser that does at least what i want it to today is better then waiting for the day i can buy a “better” laser when that day is years off if it ever gets here at all.
Thanks for the comment. I am always a bit skeptical of what folks/companies have to say about how well something will perform as the companies want you to buy their product and often time reviewers are biased.
So it is mice to hear that they will cut what I am looking for. From someone without any obvious bias.
I would only recommend being very aware that there are many scammers in this market. Regarding laser power, 5 or 5.5 Watt diodes are used for consumer laser machines. To get up to 20 Watts, it requires at least 4 diodes and a sophisticated mirror system. They exist and are also very versatile. But advertisements with 40 Watts or even 80 Watts that I saw today require approx. 16x5Watt diodes… Even if it could be done technically, it would cost 16x the price of a 5Watt diode. Beware!
For example, Laser Tree sells the 5 Watt diode itself for $42 - without mirror system, cooling, power supply or controller.
Without recommending or not recommending “Laser Tree”, there is a lot of information on their site and it seems to me that they are not fiddling with the stated power.
Here is my setup. Sulpfun S30 Pro (10w) and the xTool RA2 Rotary.
I cut a lot of 3mm (1/8") Baltic ply, but reduce laser power and make 3-4 passes. I saw this machine on a BoobTube video cutting 18mm MDF in one pass, so I know it cuts. I once cut out two items very close to each other and the material left behind was 0.03mm wide. I like the fine focus beam and quiet air compressor.
My one encounter with customer support was very good.
It would be good to see a standard LightBurn material test adapted to the desired laser and with only one round per test.
The choice of material also plays a big role here, many state that they test with “plywood”, but is it B/BB, S/BB or BB/BB standard birch plywood??? Or is it a completely third product such as poplar plywood or balsa wood?
A test of 18mm MDF with a cutting width of 0.03mm - made of a diode, intended for the private market, I would like to see that.
There are a number of companies that seam reasonably reputable.
Atomstak, Ortur, Longer, and TwoTrees being among them.
They all seam to use the same or very similar modules, for 5, 10 or 20 watts output using multiple laser in one module as needed. The cost of the 5 10 and 20 would be logical based on needing to in effect gang multiple lasers with a mirror and lenses to focus them.
The reviews are by enough different folks to seem believable.
But I was kind of hoping someone on here had used one of them.
At work, we call the useless leftovers a “skeleton”. Digging thru the mental cobwebs, I want to say a sprue is technically related a molding process. Regardless, it certainly communicates the idea.
I’ve been running an Ortur LM2 Pro (with a 5.5 watt module) and am very happy with it. I started a small business with it, making cutting boards. I switched to CO2 to speed things up (paid for by the money that the Ortur earned), but I still do tumblers and pens with LM2 Pro. The only change I’d make is getting a higher wattage module. Just my 2 cents.
I haven’t ruled out any brand… I simply didn’t write all the companies down as that would he a LONG list.
I simply listed the brands i recalled off the top of my head.
That said i am not really familiar with Sculpfun.
Do you have experience with it?
I have a 10 watt (optical) from Lasertree, and I am very satisfied with it. I’ve been looking at their 20 watt, but I rarely ‘need’ anything that powerful. BTW, I attached my laser to my existing CNC machine. The thickest material I’ve cut with the laser is 9/16" soft cedar, 5 pass, at 95% power. The reason I’ve thought about the 20 watt, is because I like cutting hpl (formica) I0 watt will cut it, but not cleanly; at least for me. I haven’t had an issues with my Lasertree, but customer service did ignore one question I had asked them.
Hi Doug, I am new to Laser engraving and as a newby I would like to recommend to yo the machine that I purchased. It is the Wainlux JL7. It is a good size and works well with Lightburn. I have had great support from them when needed and it is a very good price. Good luck and check out the reviews on Youtube.
I bought a Yorahome 6550 pro as my larger laser. Lightburn works well and has the settings built in already. They have a 40W laser as well, if you wanted to upgrade. I can say that the 20W cuts and engraves 1/8" plywood very well.
When I bought the laser unit it came with an on and off switch the power wire went through. As is typical with many electronics from China, the directions were not clear. The question had to do with how many amps the switch could tolerate. I didn’t want to blow it up. They ignored it; I think because it may have been a bit technical for whoever received my email. The problem with so many electronics, they are highly technical. I gave up and just attached it to my control unit and it worked fine.
Do you have any specific questions? I answered most here: