Ready to upgrade from my Modified K40... Thinking of this Monport 60W

I remember that thrill, a couple of times…

You’re pretty mentally stressed waiting for this… seems like you could use a sick day :face_with_spiral_eyes:

:smile_cat:

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Well… I uncrated it in my driveway, then my son and I muscled it up the stairs and onto the bench… upon unwrapping, I have to say… I’m really pissed.

I was sold a Laser with “Dual Work Bed” (Knife Blade and Honeycomb Bed).
You’ll also notice the nice debris hopper design:

Instead, I got this barren metal cabinet which allows debris to go ANYWHERE, and without the hopper, it draws ventilation from NOWHERE and at the same time EVERYWHERE (including through all the electronics).

And three welded in L-Bars are hardly a Knife Bed (I was already researching purchasing additional aluminum blades to fill in between for certain projects).

Also… I specifically chose this Monport because of the center mounted Y-Axis Motor, as shown here, and in multiple locations in the documentation:
Y Axis Motor

Instead, I was sent this offset motor design:

All of these photos are either from the actual web page on the Monport website where I placed my order, or photos that I have taken tonight of the unit that was shipped to me.

I am not happy. I feel like I’ve been taken advantage of in a Bait-and-Switch scheme.
These are not minor changes to design elements… these are blatant cost cutting design changes that are totally misrepresented by the company.

Heading off to the Monport site to register my concerns in the morning, when I have cooled down.

Jim

Edit:

Wait… I’m not through yet… take a look at this cover as shown in the marketing materials:

Instead I got this heavy metal hatch with a much smaller “Viewing Window” to use their own term… it’s not much bigger than the opening on my K40:

I wanted to be able to see inside from my chair at the computer on the adjacent workbench… now I have to go stand over the unit and peer down inside from a much smaller window (I’m so torqued, I’m not even peeling the film off it). Where is my framed transparent lid, as SHOWN on the website and documentation???

I’m not sure how Monport intends to resolve this misleading marketing, but this is hugely disappointing.

Jim

Sorry it’s didn’t make your expectation…

I’ve never seen one of these low cost lasers with a hopper as you describe… that would sure add costs to the machine.

On mine, the aluminum bars supported the honeycomb…

My China Blue 50W 5030, looks like yours, underneath. But I didn’t expect anything else.

The only resolution would be to send it back… they aren’t going to fix the items that you point out… maybe cough up a few bucks…

Calm down before you have an exchange with them…

On mine, I have to leave the lid open about an inch to get reasonable air flow across the work piece…

Sounds like yours is sucking air from anywhere it can, just like mine did. With it all enclosed, there is no planned air flow.

Good luck… keep us updated.

:smile_cat:

That’s what I was expecting.

More than the hopper design for debris, I liked the idea that the airflow would first be funneled through the bed surface… whether Blades or Honeycomb. I’ve even seen videos of warped or softer materials (such as leather) being pulled flatter because of this airflow concept. The idea makes total sense to me. If this wasn’t designed into this particular model of laser, then it shouldn’t have been implied that it was. Even the instruction manual says, “Empty the waste bin on a daily basis,” so I was expecting it to be there. I also chose this particular model because the ductwork exits the back, not the side… at least that part was right.

Yeah, I know… it’s just that I put so much effort and research into making the Monport decision, only to feel so let down upon arrival. I’ve started a text thread with the sales rep that closed my deal, but she’s not able to do anything until her “aftersale colleague” gets in on Monday.

As it sits, I have a bunch of upgrades and modifications sitting here that I can’t mess with this weekend, because I don’t know if the solution will end up being, “send it back.”

Thanks for letting me vent here, Jack.
You are a sympathetic ear.

No perspiration… I think we’ve all been in that boat.


I must be a major let down to do all of this and find it’s not what you researched and paid for.

Always kind of bummed out when I can’t use something that.


I’ve dealt a lot with air flow. That’s why I don’t have a honeycomb bed. I’ve found none of these seem to work like you expect. My OMTech has it’s lid open about an inch for air flow. At least with debris flow, you can easily watch it…


Let us know how it works out… hang in there I’m sure you’ll get going.

:smile_cat:

So far, dealing with Monport support is like yelling down a well… that ends in China.
Nobody could do anything over the weekend, and I still have no response with their support department as of this morning.

Seems to me this isn’t a support problem anyway… it’s still a SALES problem, as I did not receive what I ordered. It’s not broken (as far as I know, I haven’t even fired it up yet)… it’s wrong.

Ugh.

Might try some logic with the sales person … you got a working machine, just not what you ordered …


I follow and totally agree … If I were fixing these things, I couldn’t help you either… if the machine works that’s all I can do from my end…


I hope you bought it on a credit card… I’d go to them … root issue… control the money, you become a major squeaky wheel…

Good luck

:smile_cat:

Well… without going into a long post here… after a few days of getting ignored, I am now getting some help.

I’ve explained, and well documented my concerns, I asked for parts that would make my purchase match what I was sold, and discussed some other compensation options. Finally Monport appears to be making efforts to make things right.

Unfortunately, I expect these items will be coming from “Manufacturing” (AKA China) and will take weeks, or even months to fulfill. But in the meantime, I have been given the green light to go ahead and use this laser as shipped (I was holding off on firing it up and peeling all the “first time user” protective plastic off).

Time will tell if they make good on their promises, and I have suggested that they update their website, marketing materials, and documentation, to represent the machine they are currently shipping… because these are some serious design changes, and customers should not have to go through the disappointment I experienced.

If Monport fulfils my requests (actually, either way), I will certainly return here and update.

Jim

If you purchased this with a credit card, you have limited time to wait before you lose any chance of getting your money back from them… probably won’t happen, but …

Glad to hear they seem to be taking care of you.

:smile_cat:

I used their “Affirm” program for 12 Months 0% same as cash deal… so there is some control over funds, but yes, even Affirm has a time limitation on disputes.

In the meantime, let the modifications begin!

I got my 6" duct system and inline fan installed through the wall of the bedroom last night (previously a 4" system for the K40). Purchased and installed some 15" long LED lights for the interior of the cabinet (the skimpy strip light they stick on the back wall shines right into my camera). Oh yeah, Installed an HD, 60FPS, 120FOV, USB Camera inside, routed to an external panel mounted USB jack. Put some 1/4" x 1/16" felt stripping around all the rattley doors and panels. Wired up a Yellow/Red stack light that is on the wall just outside of “the Laser Lab” to show when the machine is Idling or active. And I have a 30 Milliamp analog gauge on the shelf… for that day I’m willing to drill a 2 inch hole into the top of the unit.

Jim

It’s too bad you didn’t get what you expected. I just searched Monport’s website and I was shocked that I could find nothing in the features that there either bed design: blades or honeycomb. “Items shipped with…” do not mention bed parts either. I downloaded their user manual for that model, the bed(s) are mentioned: " Workbed—The workbed can be adjusted in height to fit thinner and thicker materials, as well as adjusted between the aluminum and honeycomb platforms." It would be interesting to know the build date of your. machine- is it a recent build, or has it been sitting in a warehouse for a while and is an older build. Keep at them, remind the of the power if user group complaints to keep them honest.

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@patricr
It appears to be a newer build… especially since the cover (or lid, or viewing window, or hatch, or whatever they call it) is now about 80% steel with a small acrylic window on the top… not much bigger than my K40 to be honest. This new design is their “Fireproof” design that they are touting… yet nowhere do they show or tell you that the new cover is such a major design change. I believe I saw 2/2023 on the outside of the crate, so I’m thinking it hasn’t been sitting in storage too long.

Also, their “Dual Work Bed” image and description clearly calls out the 16x24 bed size.
The owners manual that you refer to (and that shipped with my laser), also states that the “Waste bin should be emptied daily” yet there is no hopper or waste bin on my laser.

Please see images in earlier posts in this thread… I don’t want to be redundant.
I’m hoping for the best, but nervous that they are just waiting until my time to contest the payment expires.

We shall see.

Jim

Wanted to bend this thread back into the positive direction (while I wait to see if Monport does me right as discussed) So I thought I would update with a few pictures of the installation and modifications I’ve done.

Shortened one workbench and put heavy duty 3" casters on it. (Removed the wheels from under the laser, to get it down another inch or two). I’ll only need to move it for maintenance or if I want to use the pass through.

Installed a USB Camera inside (moveable on magnets).

Installed LED lights under both sides of the inside of the cabinet, and removed the cheesy rear strip that shined right into your eyes (and the camera). Just look at that nice new honeycomb bed… with only a few test cuts on it.

Here’s the new 6" exhaust system, vented with hard pipe through the wall, creating only negative pressure in the cabinet and hose. Also removed the factory fan, which made a lot of noise and was just in the way of the downstream in-line fan doing its job. (Keeping in mind that this duct will eventually get connected directly to the hopper plenum.

I installed panel mounted connectors for the USB Camera. Moved the Ethernet Port to the back (I’m a bit OCD about cable management, and don’t like seeing anything coming out of the side of the cabinet). Wired in a two color stack light just outside the room, so people will know if the laser is running.

I also ran 1/4x1/16 weather stripping in all door panels so it doesn’t rattle at all when operating. And pre-wired for an Analog Milliamp Meter (getting those grey plastic wire channels open is a real pain, so I ran two extra wires for future use while I had them off). I sealed up the huge slots in the bottom of the unit for better airflow and to keep debris off the desk until the hopper arrives.

Other issues aside, I’m finding my happy place again. Spending hours in the “Laser Lab” when I should be doing other things (oh yeah, gotta run downstairs and change the laundry).

Jim

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Anything you put in the path is a loss to power… not a lot, but still a loss.

For a combiner to work the lasers must be perfectly aligned, which is very difficult is not impossible…

Take a few (< 20 minutes) and watch this Russ Sadler video on pointers and combiners… and the inherent errors produced…

:smile_cat:

Yeah, saw this video in my quest for perfect alignment. In truth, the single, side mounted red dot on this Monport is so much better than the one on my K40… I’m liable to just keep things as they are. The spot is crisper and better defined than the one on my old laser.

Still thinking about setting up a second opposing red dot and doing a “bring the two dots together and you’re focused” sort of thing. Maybe down the road.

Jim

I was really leaning toward getting a Monport 60w or 80w machine, but after reading this thread, I think I’ll have to pass. It’s stressful enough doing the research and shelling out the bucks. I don’t need another headache of not receiving what I ordered, and it’s further complicated having to deal directly with China and the time delays just for them to respond to an email.

Both of the phone numbers I have been given (for support, and the sales rep) are New York area codes… but I find it very odd that I get responses late at night, when the East Coast is actually hours ahead of me.

The Monport machine is stout… but I can only compare it to my No-Name K40. I just wish they were shipping what they actually advertise. I did notice they removed the “Dual Work Bed” image from the 60W pages now… but they still show the Acrylic “Viewing Window” and not the ugly metal one I got… fireproof or not.

Jim

Yep. I’ve been going back and forth with them asking questions. I ask a question and I have to wait until the next day to get an answer. The address and phone number are marketing gimmicks so they can say they have a presence here in the States, but I’m sure it’s an empty office.

The 20x28 60w still shows as having a dual work bed and the waste bin and the panoramic lid. I wonder if they only changed the smaller bed machine or if I’ll end up with a surprise if I order this. Ugh. Spin the wheel…

At least they ship from an L.A. warehouse. And somewhere I saw a Seattle WA address for their support department… but I checked it, and it went to a Mailboxes-R-Us kind of place.

I expect it still does. It’s an entirely different chassis from the 16x24 that I ordered. Either that, or they haven’t pissed off a loudmouth like myself recently.

Jim

I don’t think any of them are US based at all. With OMTech I had to wait the 24 hours minimum to get an answer and most of the time it was incorrect. Mine came from China and I’m sure no one looked at it after it was shipped…

The junk plywood was falling off it when it arrived and there is no way they could have taken it out and put it back in… so nothing was check here in the US… it came from China, dropped off in Long Beach and came by truck to the home… 3 weeks waiting in the queue off Long Beach to drop it off… :face_with_spiral_eyes:

Even Cloud Ray takes overnight to answer, if you’re lucky, so I’m sure they are in China… Some of their answers on their site are total bs, so I think we are just stuck with this… or pay big dollars for something else.

I get people calling me with a local area code, but they are from elsewhere… can’t trust anything anymore…

My fiber came in 3 to 5 days, so it was in the US when I ordered it, as was promised by Cloud Ray…

:smile_cat: