Laser for semi professional work

Community Laser Talk
1

Hi, I have a question.
I bought a Sculpfun S6 laser a while ago to learn a bit about laser work. However, now I need to start doing my work a little better and at a higher level. Unfortunately, the Sculpfun S6 does not serve me very well for this, as it takes 3-4 hours to cut out a picture of, for example, a 20x20 cm tree!!! This is unusable. So I have come to the conclusion that Sculpfun is a toy for children and I need something better for my work. Do you have any tips? I’m thinking about the CO2 4040 variant here for example.

What do you think? Thank you for your advice.

2

Looks like a K40 type which are very popular and work pretty well. I noticed it has an option for a Ruida controller kit…

The basic K40 won’t run with lightburn as it’s not a grbl machine. Curious about the Ruida controller ‘kit’ they sell with it… Which can use Lightburn.

Before dumping bucks into this, you might explain what you mean by ‘a little better and at a higher level’?

What do you wish to do and how fast are you hoping to do it.

Will you want to do objects like for a rotary or similar? What usually happens is that you want to do something that is larger or thicker… Most of the around $2k machines allow for a Z adjustment.

I have pretty much this machine… a little more expensive but much more flexible…

My tube was rated at 50 watts and measures 44… the tube is 880mm in length, so that’s about right at 44W. The cabinet on the model you posted is on 800mm and you need room for the mirror 1 corner and the tube, so don’t expect 40W…

When you bring in a co2, you usually have to have some kind of coolant to remove the heat generated in the tube… I have a chiller 5200, that is a refrigerated type.

Air assist is included, but it’s an aquarium pump and leaves a lot to be desired… I removed it and run on a 20G tank air compressor.

There are also mirrors and alignment maintenance.

You can change lenses and do many things that the smaller machines either can’t do or have restrictions…

Choose wisely :face_with_spiral_eyes:

Good luck

:smile_cat:

3

Hello, Jack!
Thank you for your broad response. I’ll explain what I meant a little better and on a higher level… :slight_smile:
Until now I considered the laser as a better toy, but I would like to take it a bit higher, get a machine that can start making me some money too. That is, if I want to carve an image that will be a bit more complex in design, so that I’m not waiting 3-4 hours and the result is uncertain.
For example, to cut a 20x20 cm image of a tree in 10 minutes max in a material like plywood or sololite board with a thickness of 3 mm - 8 mm .
I have already seen the laser you have and which you sent me and it is clear to me that if the result of the work is to be worth it, you need to invest in the machine. OMTECH strikes me as a pretty good brand, but I have no personal experience, only reviews and now your recommendation.
Is there anything to watch out for with this laser? What have you come across, any recommendations from you?

Otherwise, thank you for your time. :raising_hand_man:

4

I’d suggest you pass on the K40 types and go with something like I suggested considering your response of it’s intended use.

If you get on OMTech mailing list they will notify you on sales or specials. I used them because of the horror stories of people that have paid less and ended up waiting longer and not getting the machine they thought they ordered.

Most of these companies are in China or based there, so you sometimes have to deal with that and they are translating…

My laser came and worked fine. So I never had a reason to contact OMTech for any issues. Most of the people that have blogged it, claim they respond pretty well, compared to some companies that people never get a response from.

Some have gotten great deals, others have had it dropped off in San Fransisco when they live in the Midwest and had to hire an attorney out there to deal with customs and getting it shipped to their home…

Most of these will not have a ‘square’ work area. Mine is a 5030 which is close to 20"x12".

If you are just going for engraving, thickness is moot. If you wish to engrave and cut the object out (typical) then the thickness.

Choosing the ‘right’ power is one of the problem areas with lasers. What power is dependent on thickness you wish to cut along with what speed it occurs.

I purchased mine entirely for educational purposes, for me to learn how these work.

Having access to a cnc machine, I purchased a CNC3018 and later a laser and Lightburn. This gives some education on how they work and since you had one, I think I can image where you are at… but it’s an assumption…

You read about percentage power and speed control… Keep in mind that power is actually power/time and the when it lases, it does so at 100%. If you set the ‘power’ at 50% then it will lase 100% power for half the time.

DC excited lasers co2 use high voltage to excite the nitrogen. The main issue here is that most won’t lase below 10% power level and it takes times for it to lase, unlike an led.

What I’m driving at, is if you want delicate engravings look more at the lower power than the higher power. You have more ‘power’ control at the low end of the power rage of the tube.

If you have a 100W laser and can get 10% power, you have about 10W, if you have a 50W you get 5W. Generally engraving does not take high power. As I stated earlier, the 100W will lase at 100W and do 100W of damage to the material when it’s lasing…

Higher power is usually used for cutting purposes… go more this way if you are mostly cutting materials.

Take you time and listen to the others that have followed your path.

There is definitely more ‘fiddling’ with tubes, mirrors and lenses… it also increases the flexibility of what you can do…

Mine’s had a change or two… Good luck

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original-current-202206142991×1005 556 KB

I like doing these… etch off the back and paint it black…

aztec-vader-paint-scaled
aztec-vader-paint-scaled1000×1056 163 KB

:smile_cat:

5

Hey, Jack!
Thanks for the comprehensive answer. I think you’ve pointed me in a good direction. I was already looking into OMTECH technology before. I live in Europe, so I’ll have to check if they ship these lasers here, but I’ve seen some on amazon and ebay, so I assume they do.

I see the type you are using as ideal for me as well. I want to use it for cutting more complex shapes and for modelling decorative things for the home. Thanks for your photos, you create beautiful things and it looks very nice! I will look at some more reviews and as you write, it is something to consider.

If I need anything else, I’ll be in touch, but for now, thanks for the comprehensive reply.

Tomas

6

I’m in a place not much different than Tomas. Yours is great guidance and context Jack, thanks for sharing that. At the moment I’m favoring The Sculpfun S9 with air assist as it does a reasonable job with cutting and it’s great for engraving. I do also have a Flux Beamo CO2 laser, but as you said Jack it takes some constant fiddling to get what you want out of it. My Atomstack M50 does OK too, but the S9 so far works best as The Right Tool For The Job :wink: .

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