Hey All,
I have a CO2 laser and Lightburn and I am looking at buying a fiber laser now to engrave metal. In my price range I am looking at the ComMarker B4 or an equivalent from Omtech. Does anyone have any recommendations on one versus the other, or could recommend another option? I am in Canada, and our dollar sucks right now, so pricing in USD makes it more of a challenge…
Thanks!
Mark
Envy here. You did not say which power but I suggest, no matter which brand, that you purchase the most power your budget can tolerate.
Search the Forum for the brands that you are interested in. Pay particular attention to Lightburn compatibility and maintenance issues. I also think there are different kinds of fiber lasers, so research that too.
Big investment, take your time. One person I know is Fiber savvy is @jkwilborn . Maybe he can jump in and offer some experience.
I’ve seen photos of these, but never known anyone that owns one.
Generally they come as a single unit, like yours to what they call a split unit, where the only a galvo cable and lite pipe enter the part with the galvos, lens and stand.
The split model is much more flexible but requires more room. Mine is a split model with an 800mm column. Longer lenses need taller columns. If you put a rotary under it, you have to move it up a 100mm or more. Silver box is the main unit, above that is the split half where the galvo resides…
I got my M60 JPT M7 MOPA from Cloudray. They are basically a laser source, such as JPT or Raycus, there are others - power supply, galvo and lens.
They didn’t send steps/rotation but answered in a day or two over their internet support site. Glad I didn’t have a business. That goes for any of these 24hr turn around times and for the first couple they probably don’t understand the problem. They speak English better than I speak Chinese…
I’ve heard good things about OMG, Haotian and I can’t really complain about the current machine.
If you want this as a hobby machine, then you want to buy extra lenses. At 100W the price of a lens goes up about 8 times… The pretty standard <100W is about $60 lens, it’s about $500 for a laser >=100W. Personally, I don’t think you need a lot of power, but I really don’t know what/how you intend to use it. I find my 60W plenty so far, but you can find 90W models.
The one you posted, I don’t think it’s a MOPA, does not have the many of the adjustments or range of values as a MOPA, so I’d suggest that would be a higher priority that power. Keep in mind these are pulse lasers, not a continuous wave (CW) laser like a diode or co2.
Most of these people will offer you money off, so email them before you do go buy one off the cuff.
I’ll try and answer any questions you have. I realize these are a bit more expensive than what you originally posted. I’d think these people would ship to Canada, maybe lower cost if it’s not in the USA. Something to ask them.
Thanks for the advice @jkwilborn and @MikeyH ! Those units you mention, @jkwilborn, are quite a bit more expensive than I am looking to go at this point. My only application for the unit right now is to engrave guitar effects pedals. The CO2 laser is just too unpredictable. If the paint/metal interface underneath is not clean, the engrave looks dark and bad. I had a guy with a fiber laser do a test for me and it made a huge difference when the laser can take a small layer of the metal off too. So I really only need about 30W, and not sure the extra cost of a MOPA makes sense if this is my only use for it at the moment.
Thanks,
Mark
Thank you for the information! My business partner decided to purchase a Monport 30W. I will post back with our results once it arrives and we’ve had a chance to dial it in.
Cheers,
Mark
Hi Everyone,
I got my Monport 30W up and running in Lightburn after jumping through some hoops with the files included with the machine. But after some setup and calibration, it is doing a great of job for our intended use case. Thanks for the support!
It looks like you’ve found the right machine for the right job. It’s extra nice when it’s so clear to see, not under or overpowered, just right. Congratulations on the fine result.
