Questions and advise as i am looking to buy a new laser for the first time

Community Laser Talk
1

Hi Group

I am in the UK and I want to be able to deep 3d type engravings into metals like brass, bronze, alley, steel and stainless as a main job for the machine, but as well as other stuff like general laser etching and marking and hoping to potential play with and use colour marking too.

I would like to ask:

  • Laser power
    if i can afford 100 watt or more is it a no brainer to get this power level?
    I guess my concern is that i won’t be able to do more delicate stuff as perhaps the beam is to big or too hot etc…
    Or will be perfectly ok to do my deep 3d type engravings with a lesser power machine say 60w or even 30w thus saving money

  • what to look for when choosing a laser
    I guess i need a Mopa fibre laser but what do i look for when choosing, i.e laser power, laser frequency, marking speed etc…
    is there some base minimums i need to get and then if the numbers are higher then it is better?

  • engraving depth
    I have seen this listed on some laser specs, does this mean maximum depth full stop i.e it won’t go any deeper or does it mean it can cut 2mm depth in one pass?

  • machines to go for:
    I have looked at a couple of machines around the £6k mark i.e:
    “cloudray” i think they have a JPT M7 machine i looked at so i assume it has a jpt laser source?
    and
    “wisleylaser” who offer a JPT mopa laser and they offer a jpt laser source or a Raycus laser source
    are both these good companies to buy from or are there better ones to choose from?

  • Expected service life
    i have seen 100,000 hours listed is this a real figure will they run this long?
    and does this depend on power and what i am doing or is it purely on the hours of use?
    what happens at 100,00 hours is it new machine or a new laser source?

  • fume extraction
    do i need a proper self enclosed filter box that runs in the same room as the laser and exhaust air to the same room but the filters catch all the junk, and dangerous stuff, then i just change filters
    and if so are these expensive to run?
    Or can i just stick a 100mm pipe to out side and its ok?

do i need to consider anything else?

it’s a major purchase and decision so I hope I get some good feed back to help me make a decision to make a purchase.

2

Looks like you did enough research to ask the right questions. I have only Diode machines, so I will only respond where that would be relevant. I will leave the machine selection to those that have them.

Laser Power
With a given machine, more power means you can complete a project faster. What is often not considered is how low will the power go? Not everything gets engraved at full throttle.

What to Look For
Depends entirely on what type of laser it has, Diode, CO2, Fiber, IR, and RF. No one machine fits all. MY choice would two lesser expensive machines. I would rather be able to do two different materials slower than not be able to do one of them at all. Yeah, I know, 3 diode machines kind of limits my options.

Engraving depth
Without changing the laser head height, this is controlled by DoF, or depth of focus. Some machines have a long DoF (Sculpfun diodes) and some have a very narrow range, like IR lasers. For CO2 lasers, the DoF varies with the lens chosen, so you buy multiple lenses to go with it.

Machines to go for
I hope @jkwilborn jumps in here and offers his expertise. He has a vast experience with the type of machines you propose. I will say this… Search the forum for each machine you are considering. Here you will get to read the negatives that should be considered before purchase.

Expected Service Life
Depends entirely how well you maintain the machine and the operating environment.

Fume Extraction
I have the new Sculpfun iCube 10w laser which has a paper and a carbon filter. I am using it indoors. A 3-5 minute burn is not bad, with some odor that dissipates within an hour or so. But a 10 minute or longer burn is not so good. My two machines at home are both vented outdoors. I recommend this unless you are operating in a carport.

Read or watch everything you can. Even the bad information can be useful.And be active on the Forum. You may find solutions to problems you did not know you had.

And… G O O D L U C K ! ! !