If I have a 400x410 laser capacity, am I better off with a honeycomb bed in the 500x500 range?
Hi. I have the same size laser and the actual working area is 360x370mm and I have the 400x400mm honeycomb.
My honeycomb is a little smaller than my work area. I find this convient for taking in and out depending on the project.
When I bought my first diode laser I bought an oversized honeycomb bed that was large enough to accommodate the entire work area. Glad I made that decision.
When I bought my CO2 laser I overlooked this and realized that I am losing about 1-1/2" of work area on each axis due to the aluminum edge around the honeycomb. For many of my projects I need the entire work area so now I have to run without the honeycomb for those projects, which is not a big deal but unexpected and a hassle at times.
So my opinion is if you will ever want to use the entire work area for any projects, then get one big enough for that.