Hello all,
I am getting fairly proficient with this setup. I bought it on amazon and so far I like it.
I’m hoping a few others out there may also use this machines and we could have kind of a question answer thread here because the information out there is fairly limited for how capable this machine is.
The first question I have is how does the laser focus ring affect the cutting depth of this machine? I am struggling to cut 6mm wood at the focus distance I’m using but I love the engraving results I can get with this focus so I don’t want to needlessly change it.
Then it’s basically down to you asking about whatever you don’t know and other folks responding.
However, putting all that Q&A in a single thread means other folks must read through the entire pile to find their answer, which pretty much defeats the purpose of the (admittedly feeble) forum search tool in the upper right corner of this very page.
As an example of Too Much Information, this thread is a classic:
Some good info there but I’m not finding the conceptual knowledge I’m after. Also there appears to be a lot of A40640 s that are all different so thats unfortunate. At least I learned some things in reviewing.
Imagine what it’s like on this side of the keyboard, where we can’t even see what you see.
Laser cutting & engraving use high-energy light to destroy a material, with results depending on:
Laser wavelength
Beam power
Beam focus
Speed
Material properties
So, for example, the answer to “how does the laser focus ring affect the cutting depth?” is “It depends”.
Don’t worry about deliberately changing something for the worse, because you will absolutely do that by accident and it’s vital that you know how all the adjustments work and how to reset them.
Try it and see what happens!
That’s not facetious, because it’s the only way to gain the knowledge you need.
Running Material Test patterns while varying all those parameters will give you a quick look at the range of possibilities.
Start practicing on cheap stuff, like cardboard, until you gain confidence in your ability to set up the power / speed / focus and predict what will happen.
With a focus ring it will focus the energy of the beams at a different height from the laser module. A change in focus can still be brought into focus on the material through changing z height. Just thinking through it logically.
I guess my question is; would the beam power be different at a different point closer or farther from the laser?
So maybe you would be able to cut thicker material focused farther away or maybe you would not need to move down as much on z to cut with a closer focus.
I’m ultimately probably going to end up having to try it but maybe, just maybe, there is that dude that’s used this machine for 1000 hrs and can just tell me.
Your focus looks excellent on the project you showed us.
How many Watts of optical output does your laser module produce or how many Watts of electrical power does your laser consume?
Some manufacturer’s obsure the meaning and the value of the laser power ratings they provide. It’s important to note this distinction when setting up cutting.
The answer is barely. If you cut 1.5mm deep with your laser in the first pass, moving the laser head down 1.5mm after the first pass may help with cutting the second pass.
Focusing below the top surface may also help with cutting.
Does your NEJE have a motorized Z-Axis? You can advance the Z-Axis after a cutting pass.
Do you have air assist? I found that air assist was the next most valuable contributor to cutting after power and focus.
Your focus looks excellent on the project you showed us.
My focus is good but I can change it. Example: My laser is in focus at roughly 20mm above my material. I can move my laser down 2mm and refocus there. Or I could move it up 10mm and refocus there and maybe have extra room on my Z axis. I’m wondering what affect a change like this might have on max cut depth.
How many Watts of optical output does your laser module produce or how many Watts of electrical power does your laser consume?
The answer is barely. If you cut 1.5mm deep with your laser in the first pass, moving the laser head down 1.5mm after the first pass may help with cutting the second pass.
This is how I get the stepped effect shown above. Each level is a 2mm step down using fill areas. I also slowed the speed slightly for each step down because it needs to engrave deeper.
Does your NEJE have a motorized Z-Axis? You can advance the Z-Axis after a cutting pass.
Yes and I use it a ton. For cutting I do move my head down with z offset each pass but I seem to hit a wall around 6mm thick material. Even if I go way down below what should be through the material on the z it wont punch through sometimes. My though is that maybe changing focus a little would give me a few extra mm of cut but not drastically change my engrave.
Do you have air assist? I found that air assist was the next most valuable contributor to cutting after power and focus.
I have a basic air assist using the bendable tube and a 100 gallon fish tank pump. With it I can not get the laser low enough to cut through 6mm unless I do like 30 passes on 90+% power. It helps a little but I find I can get cut through faster just by removing the air assist and brute forcing with Z axis move. My air assist mostly benefits engraving but I have everything except the solenoid to hook up the more powerful one… I bet this would solve the problem regardless of changing my focus point height.
