Hello, I’m looking to buy my first laser for small business use in my garage workshop in Cheshire. I work with 6mm laser poplar ply that has been painted and varnished (0% voc stuff) before cutting lots of small interlocking pieces
Up to now I’ve paid someone local to cut all the pieces I need but am now ready to get my own machine. My issue is that when I’ve done test cuts on a second hand machine using my material I’ve not been able to replicate the clean-ness of the cut. There is a shiny brown residue on the top surface around the cut lines. It can be mostly wiped off but as I’m cutting 100s of tiny pieces at a time I couldn’t mask / clean each one. Bottom surface is perfect.
The local laser guys machine that I’ve had good results on has a 95w bulb (peak 130w) and gets a clean cut on both surfaces with little to no residue. It has an upgraded compressor.
The 2 machines I’m considering buying are a 2nd hand laserscript LS6090 or a new Omtech - both 100w bulbs. (Keen for any options on which to go for here?!)
I want to make sure whatever I buy can get a clean, residue free cut on both surfaces. The image shows the shapes with brown residue that are the test cuts made on the LS6090 compared to the clean rows of shapes that were cut previously elsewhere. I tried lots of power / speed settings but no improvement.
Would an upgraded compressor make that much difference? Would I need to upgrade the compressor on both the machines I’m considering? How easy is this to do?
If you are primarily processing 6mm poplar plywood, 100 Watts is not necessary. You (I) can cut this material fairly quickly and neatly with(my) 60 (55?) Watts.
You don’t need a special compressor either, but the distance from the nozzle to the material surface is important and should be close to the material. In some cases, this may require a modified nozzle, but can be easily made/bought.
ps. if you are going to use the machine for professional use, I would recommend a new one over a used one, unless you know exactly what you are buying and from whom you are buying.
Looks like not enough assist air to force the fumes down through the kerf.
A rule of thumb: whatever compressor came with the machine is the bare minimum required to put an “has assist air” item in the description. They’re typically repurposed aquarium air pumps with low pressure and limited airflow, with the bonus of more noise than you’d think possible for so little output.
I have been running 2x120l/min “aquarium pumps” for a long time and used my 10bar workshop compressor very few times - it is nice and quiet without the “big one” and the risk of a heart attack is minimized. (when you are deeply concentrated or just dreaming and the big devil starts up…)
You can use a delay-ON Contactor relay to provide a little pause between the pressure switch set point and turning on the compressor, and tie that ON signal to a little beeper or light so you don’t jump out of your skin
Ha not backlash thank goodness… this is a deliberate lead in and out on the design. With the laser that I’ve outsourced to previously, adding this lead in and out avoided a more noticeable burn dot!
Thanks - this is what I suspected but I don’t have much experience with laser. I don’t really have a desire to tinker with a machine too much so am interested to understand how big a job it is to upgrade the compressor? Are their any resources you’d recommend for the DIY?
I have a kit build CNC that I’ve had to tinker with a lottt (built cyclone dust extractor/ anti torsion workbench etc) so I’m hopeful I can manage it
Thanks that’s interesting. The guy that cuts for me at the moment has a 100w machine and is able to cut this at 20mm a second in a single pass - that’s really why I’m looking at this spec. I guess going more powerful gives me scope to cut more variety of stuff in the future? Speed is also important as I’m cutting a lottt of these pieces for my business so want it to be as efficient as possible. Interested to understand though, how fast would your 60w manage this cleanly do you think?
I understood that it was mainly 5mm poplar… that you want to use the machine for.
100 Watt probably gives you a real opportunity to cut exterior plywood which is significantly cheaper than interior plywood (here in Denmark). Plus, I get a “useless” cut edge on exterior glued wood, which requires a lot of post-processing if I use it - it should be significantly better with 100 Watt.
I cut 6mm poplar plywood with 20 mm/s and 50% power which corresponds to 13mA. It could be done faster but for me this is reasonably optimal. The color is a bit misleading, the cut edge is actually nice and bright.
Whether discoloration / fire marks is a problem for you, you must judge.
PS. there is of course also a quality difference with poplar plywood but it is usually nice and easy to cut.
Basically, the OEM pump blows air into a plastic hose. Turn the pump off, disconnect the hose, connect the hose to your compressor, turn the compressor on, and you’re done.
The internal diameter of the tubing will limit the maximum flow rate, regardless of the pressure. Because the OEM pneumatic fittings were intended for low pressures and flows, one will pop off as you crank up the pressure.
There will be some details:
Pneumatic fittings on the hose
Disconnecting the OEM pump’s power supply
Removing it from the laser frame
Drilling a hole for the compressor hose
Optional compressor on/off control
Depending on your shop’s wiring, the compressor will produce enough electrial noise to cause USB data dropouts, so plan to use Ethernet with the Ruida controller. If the controller doesn’t support Ethernet communication, plan for some annoying troubleshooting & tinkering.
Google “California Air amazon” for a relatively quiet compressor. If they are not sold in your area, there are others from China that look like it. From what I have read in the Forum, 20-25 PSI will be your maximum.
