I will be in the market for a fiber laser and looking for recommendations on which ones have been most compatible with LightBurn.
$2000 to $2500 range. Thanks!
As of now, the way I understand it, is the support is for EZCad2 compatible boards.
The newer EZCad3 boards support a Z axes and probably other things, but are not supported by Lightburn. The Chinese won’t tell anyone how they work… 
Are you looking to get a mopa or q-switch?
JPT or Raycus source?
Just starting my journey and trying to do my homework. Looking for the best all-around system.
JPT are more durable, at least that’s what they say. Followed by Raycus.
I think IPG makes many sources/machines and I think they are US as far as I know. They are also about twice the price of a JPT, but considered one of the most dependable.
Of course the prices go up starting at the Raycus → JPT → IPG
Sing out if you have questions… there are a number of people here that use them…
1 Like
Question,
30 watt MOPA is about the same price as a 50 watt q-switch. If I do not care about color, is the q-switch a better choice?
The mopa has more ways to vary how it’s used. The q-switch is usually determined by frequency.
I think it’s just the Q of the circuit they are switching. Maybe a simple explanation, it’s what they are doing.
Yag laser diodes seem to do this in normal operation. They produces 1064nm beam. Probably what’s in most of these galvo combo’s of visible and ir. They may be the pump diodes in my fiber, for all I know.
The mopa allows both frequency and pulse width control to a much greater degree… besides power/speed.
This is the source manual for my jpt.
Maybe you can look through it and get some answers, but like me, probably end up with more questions. Might want to dig up a Raycus manual for comparison.
It comes down to pulses/mm and the duration and power of the pulse. Both of these can be more adjusted with a mopa than a q-switch.
After a couple months of what I want to do and which machine, I was recommended the MOPA. It was not cheap.
IMHO, I’d go for lower power and better controllability. As you know engraving is removing layers… lower power just takes more passes…
Another odd thing I found, is that when you hit the 100W level, lenses increase in cost by 8 times 
Good luck
Not sure what type of projects you are planning in making but this one is $1999 and Lightburn compatible
Comes with 2 lenses and is capable of handheld engraving away from the base.
They can also provide 30 & 50 watt options.
Power up and down as well as manual.
Nice little machine for the cost.
Also free shipping.
Cheers 
old friend
Sas
1 Like
Have you ever seen someone, besides the video rep actually try and use this on a vertical surface… I’ve seen nothing but complaints…
Lens selection appears to be limited and I don’t know their costs. The column height will limit what size lens (assuming more than two) you can use.
My column is about 800mm in height, so I can put a long lens and the rotary on it.
Lots of people have these and I’ve seen some pretty good work from them. It’s certainly an option…
Yes I have seen it being used successfully for people that actually have a need for such a tool. It may not be a good application for you personally however there are people who actually do use that feature.
Here is a video from a hand held fiber laser manufacturer that shows you what applications it can be used for.
Cheers
Sas
As I stated… the video is from them …
I also assume you follow their lead and don’t wear any eye protection when operating it? 
Most applications are industrial. You are not going to find a blue collar worker that works a 9-5 job that uses the hand held features of a fiber laser make a You-Tube video.
I showed you the applications where a portable hand held unit is practical and a desktop version is not.
It seems to me that you take great pride in making inflammatory statements in order to generate a dialog/conversation. That’s not my style at all. Case in point your comment about eye protection.
Don’t assume you will make an “a$$” out of “u” and “me”
Cheers
Sas
I have settled on 30 watt MOPA laser. Now just to figure out which vendor is the most reputable.
One of the things that you may want to pay attention to is column height and table size. Longer lenses and using things like rotaries require it to be even higher off the table. As far as I know there is no standard table size…
I bought a machine with a 300x300mm coverage. This came with an F420 lens and an 800mm column and a larger foot or table.
I’ve got 4 lenses total now, nice to have the height range in the column. My lens use would be more limited with a shorter column or smaller table…
Something to stick in the back of your mind when shopping.
Good luck …
I asked Russ Sadler when I bought mine and he suggested Cloud Ray. I think he actually has met and worked with the owner.
Personally, I don’t think either Cloud Ray or OMTech are great with support. Both take 24 hours for a turn around, so the support is clearly in China.
Ensure you know this about these sites:
Notification:
All customer support services and policies will be only applied to orders on https://www.cloudraylaser.com/.
If your products are not purchased from our official website https://www.cloudraylaser.com/, but purchased through Cloudray store on shopping platforms (Amazon,ebay, Aliexpress etc.), we will not be responsible for your order directly.
They will refuse service and point you back to the vendor…
They do say your order directly… seems to indicate it goes through the vendor and maybe back them in the end… but It’s a guess or assumption
1 Like
Eye protection? nah. 
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.