Brief background, I am moderately proficient at Fusion 360 and 3D printing with a Prusa mk3. I want to add laser engraving/cutting to my skill sets. LightBurn seems like a great investment of my time. Before I invest more time learning graphic design ( I have Inkscape loaded and have been following along with some YouTube tutorials) I simple want begin scratching out basic shapes and text, then move right over to operating a very simple laser machine.
My question is can anyone recommend with confidence the least expensive laser engrave/cutter that is easily compatible with LightBurn? I really don’t care if it’s sold on Ebay or Amazon, $119.00 or even $1000.00, I simple want to scratch out simple things, copy to an SD card or connect with a cable and push print. The Emblaser Core from Darkly “seems” easily compatible at $1000.00. But what about a $350.00 K40?
I really lucked out learning Fusion 360 and the ease at which I can print things out on my Prusa printer. Doesn’t look like Prusa is going to enter the laser world anytime soon. Thanks for your assistance.
One factor to consider in your selection process is peripheral requirements. My 60W red clone required a cooling system as well as a means of exhausting the fan output to the outside world. It also takes up a ton more space than my Emblaser 1, which currently resides in a corner of my hobby room. I was able to roll the E1 out to the garage, crack the door and fire phasers.
Of course, I can slice through 3mm plywood at 50 mm per second with the clone, while it takes seven passes at about 3-5 mm per second to accomplish the same result with the E1.
It was a good entry level device and let me know that I could enjoy the big one, but it’s a buncha money overall.
Make me an offer and I’ll sell you a nicely operating Emblaser 1 that does work with LightBurn with a minor re-wiring.
A K40 will not work with Lightburn unless to change the controller to something like a Cohesion3D Laserboard. That’s what I did with mine. But as stated above, you have to consider exhaust fans and water cooling. The basic K40 package does come with a cheap fan and ducting as well as a small pump for the water. I used a 5 gal bucket with ice packs for cooling. I really like my K40. It’s a really good beginner CO2 laser IF you are willing and able to tinker with it. It’s only got a 32 watt tube in it but you’d be surprised what it can do.