I'm not sure which way to go

Community Laser Talk
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Unless you are willing to put up the coin to purchase a CO2/Fiber dual output gantry style you are going to be quite limited. As you know, CO2 lasers are good for a variety of materials including stainless. Fiber lasers will do metals, plastics and ceramics. They do not handle woods glass stone and other organics.

If being able to engrave metals is most important the I 100% agree with Jack, but based on how you responded, I still think a second CO2 would benefit you more.
Keeping or not keeping your gantry laser is a mute point. I have a 35x55 gantry CO2 laser bed that I absolutely won’t give up when I do purchase a CO2 galvo. I do large production pieces that I can’t do with a galvo.

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I have to disagree with this… you can’t do much with stainless with a co2 without something like LBT100 or Cermark…

I fried my first lens with stainless… did get a mark, but cost a lens…

I’m sure he’s not going to cough up enough money for a combination co2/fiber gantry type…

He also doesn’t have the large sizes you are working with…

He will have to make a choice, so thanks for chiming in.

:smile_cat:

63

I was intimidated by learning mine too. I’m at two weeks and kicking out some nice stuff already. Tomorrow night, I’m going to start on scrap metal so I can engrave my 5.56. It’ll be a 1st AD patch on one side and the Texas Come & Take it cannon on the other. :smiley: Then my 300 blackout, then my 7.62, then my .357 with a color flag (it’s stainless!), and when I get super comfortable with it, my Desert Eagle and my 6.5 Grendel will get some designs, along with a SHHHHH on the side of my suppressor. Fortunately, I have a lot of guns to practice on. :laughing:

Seriously, they’re different settings from the CO2 but it’s all the same principle, just a few extra settings.

https://www.lasertips.org/

This site has managed to get me close on a lot of things. You have to be careful of the type, wattage, lens type but it’s extremely useful. I’ve started a spread sheet with validated settings and I’m eventually going to probably use a second PC with a second Lightburn so I can standardize on settings by colors. One for MOPA, one for CO2. I have the second PC built and ready, I just have to get time to install it in the garage but I need a dust blocker built into my cabinet first. That’s this weekend’s chore if I don’t get a slew of orders. :smiley:

64

This all very interesting to me. Especially now that I do have “some” experience with the help of folks here and other off line info. I’ve learned a lot about my settings on my laser to get things done that I need to get done. I’m in such a small rural market, I don’t see any interest in folks paying up for metal engraving, unless the cows need some tags for their ears. :slight_smile:

Could I be wrong? Heck yeah. Just like business cards. I can’t see anyone paying me 75.00 or so for 100 engraved biz cards here. The money just isn’t here.

For the time being, I’ll keep pushing my tumblers, slate coasters, and keychains, while in the background trying to see what else I can sell. Your probably saying, well if he isn’t going to sell metal engraving, then why not just go CO2. I figure have one of those, if I’m going to buy a 2nd laser, go fiber.

I know I can get a 50w fiber with a JPT laser source from BWM shipping from a US warehouse, with two lenses and a rotary, frequency range 1 to 600 for $3800.00 all in delivered to my door. Total. Is that a fair deal? Is that a decent machine? I “think” it is based on what others are peddling.

Since I buy all my sourcing material from Alibaba, I thought I would check there too. Wasn’t a whole lot cheaper. Last thing I want is to just barely get by, and then find out, OH, I can’t do this or that. At this time, I don’t see the need/want for anyone needing annealing type of work here in PoDunk.

Anyone, I’m still grinding out these 1500 cork coasters. I setup a jig for 6 of them yesterday, and run time is 12 minutes for all 6. It is what it is I guess. I’m fixing to break off the coasters, and start on their tumblers so I get “something” in their hands.

I started to look at my work area yesterday, and I know how all this is going to fit into the area. I’m in I.T. so I have access to PC’s and laptops. I believe I’ll have to buy an additional license for LB for the fiber PC. Just a guess though from what I’ve read.

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I think you’re misunderstanding what I’m talking about… or what kind of capabilities the fiber has that you will miss.

Few people want a stainless mug for their hands they can feel the engraving, which is rough… it also collects things in the crevices…

With a fiber you can engrave on stainless, but the results don’t feel that great… The only option with a stainless mug is some type of coating.

It’s your decision…

:smile_cat:

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Na. I gotcha. We’re good jack. Totally understand.

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Well, I’m inching my way closer.

I noticed in the background, this guy is using a CO2 Galvo Laser. Of course, my goal is to be able to engrave tumblers like he’s doing, even though my laser will come with a rotary, and 2 lenses.

On one of his pages, he mentions underneath the picture of his laser, he has 6x beam expander and a 20mm head. Why did he have this? What is it doing for him? Is it necessary to engrave tumblers like he’s showing him doing?

I figure I’m going to go CO2 Galvo since I really don’t have any market yet for marking or engraving metal.

The vid is Buying back your time and do you need web to print - YouTube Make note of around marker .27 seconds or so. That’s where I’d like to be at when I get one. If I cant, well fire up the rotary then.

What does the 6x beam expander to for anyone?

Thanks for any info on it.

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Basic lens physics… the larger the incoming beam the smaller the possible dot…

:smile_cat:

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Thanks Mr. J

I’ve finally got my prices down.

30w Galvo Fiber - 3350.00
50w Galvo Fiber - 3950.00
w/2 lenses and Rotary

30w CO2 Fiber - 4100.00
40w CO2 Fiber - 4250.00
w/2 lenses and Rotary

All prices include to door shipping. No other expenses.

Now to determine do I want metal marking capability or not. :slight_smile:

Thanks for all the input.

1 Like
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If you want to mark people cutlery or kitchen knives, you don’t want them engraved, you want them annealed…

If you can’t produce with annealing, you can never market to that group.

The prices you state, are these Raycus, JPT or whose laser source…?

Are they MOPA or q-switched?

I doubt you’ll be able to match the dot size of a 1064nm fiber… with any available co2…

:smile_cat:

71

Not sure about the MOPA or q-switched. I can ask, but I do know they are JPT.

You know Jack, when I started this journey, I was looking to increase efficiency in my Tumb’s. It’s funny how things progress. I thought about it again this a.m. I have an order for 1500 cork coasters. BUT, that’s not really what I sell many of. It’s usually tumb’s, slate coasters, and anodized bottle openers. I just got my 800 pc pens in yesterday to use for engraving.

Having said that, I’m trying to block out this Cork stuff in my head, since that order was basically a 1 off.

It’s been very educational though. I appreciate all the input.

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Did you mean gantry Fiber? All things being equal, I’d run with the 50W galvo but I also selected MOPA.

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Good Afternoon Tex. At marker 1:16 it’s visible. I’m pretty sure it’s a CO2 Fiber.
His laser line up is here…

https://timetomakesomething.com/my-lasers

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Never heard of a CO2 fiber is all. :slight_smile:

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Fiber can be used to transport the beam to a glavo or gantry head…

There are also co2/fiber combinations.

Seems like most things… if you can think of it, it probably out there already…

:smile_cat:

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Hey Tex, the only laser I’ve ever seen up close and personal, is the one I have in my shop. I’m still trying to figure out all the terminology and associate it with what I need/want to do.

:slight_smile:

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Yeah, I saw both of those. I think terminology relating to SayCheeze’s post is a gantry -vs- Galvo. I was confused by these for a long time, I thought Galvo was Fiber but someone here corrected me!

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So a few things that clarified it for me not long ago:

Galvo is where the laser doesn’t move and the beam is directed with mirrors.
image

Gantry is where the laser head moves on an X and Y axis.

image
image1600×557 81.8 KB

Below is a chart of the types of lasers and what they’re good for!
image

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79

I’ve decided to get this.

50w Galvo Fiber - 3950.00
w/2 lenses and Rotary

2 Likes
80

Sounds like a plan, I don’t regret buying mine!!

1 Like