This isn’t great, but after a few test cuts and engravings I did this as a prototype for fridge magnets. I have to wait for magnets to come before cutting the back piece with the correct dimensions for the magnet.
I am just amazed a 30 watt laser can get this detailed cuts. All but 3 pieces fell out, they were cut, just stuck. I probably burned a bit too high just to make sure the tiny pieces were fully cut.
3mm baltic birch ply
10000 mm/min 80% power for engraved line
600 mm/min 90% power for the cuts
Thanks man. I am amazed at the smoothness of this machine. It is a bit loud, but that’s why I have speakers.
I wasn’t sure when the 2nd box would ship (always comes with machine and honeycomb in one box, then air assist, module, power supply, etc in 2nd). Messaged support at 12:30 am, at 6:30 am Leo responded personally with the information. He’s owner and CEO and not sure if he’s human. Never sleeps it seems and…come on an Owner personally responding? Hardest part getting up and running was feeding the air assist house out the back. I had kinked it and couldn’t understand why I was getting some scorch marks in first few test shape cuts.
I am more excited now with this laser than I was with my 1st one.
Thank you for confirming that Leo is truly dedicated to the ongoing growth of Roly Automation. Planning to purchase a Roly MK2 XW in May.
There are other lasers that seem better suited to the work area I need. However, there is one main reason I am going to buy a Roly. After I watched the recent interview between Leo and the LA Hobby Guy I was sold. Leo is no ordinary CEO. He recognizes that the companies who make sure their machines continue to keep running will be the leaders in their industry. Eventually, he may not have time to continue responding to customers personally, but he’s the kind of guy who will continue to provide top rate customer service.
My Dad had a BA in Electrical and Mechanical engineering and he always told me that ongoing supervision of production and maintenance had to be considered part of the design process. Leo gets that. Talking directly to people who are using the equipment and helping them troubleshoot its operation makes him a better engineer. Leo spends his time with his customers to improve his product line. I was also impressed with his diction and succinct way of expressing himself.
Hoping you might be able to answer a question for me Brad.
I believe the working area for your machine is advertised as 410mm x 390mm. After spending the last 3 months researching laser engravers, I know some of them have a different work area depending on the module size. Still others simply do not have as large a work area as they claim. Someone informed me that the engraving area size may be selected in Lightburn. If that is the case, would you be so kind as to share the setting you use with me? A screenshot would be awesome.
That is indeed the actual working area. I just ran a frame with those parameters and did not trigger any limit switches. And you are correct that 90% or more of manufacturers lie about the work area. I have never found Roly to falsify any information about their machine. In lightburn, with your current laser selected, if you click the wrench and screwdriver icon, on top left corner you can change your working area. Roly goes one better than most as far as settings for Lightburn. When you import their .dev file when initially setting up the laser, it even has the offset scanning parameters set. This is a very nice plus and saves a lot of time. This ensures crisp engraves without any ‘fuzziness’. Also their honeycomb locks into place making using absolute coordinates a breeze to use and is great for repeatability.
I personally can’t recommend them enough and feel it is worth the wait to get one of their machines. They really are the new standard others are trying to copy. I hope they never start to mass produce. The workmanship and quality is second to none.
Hi Brad,
Thank you so much for your reply Brad.
That information is very helpful!
I am almost as excited about owning Lightburn as I am about owning a Roly MK2 XW.
Back in 2001 I bought a Roland MDX-15 CNC mill. A good machine - but it was a bit quirky and it came with a proprietary software suite that owners were basically forced to use. Unfortunately, it was not very thoroughly developed. Importing certain file formats was sometimes buggy or just not possible.
After researching and reading about Lightburn and Roly - they sure seem like a winning combo.
In any case, I expect I’ll have more questions and hope you will be willing to continue sharing your experience and info with me. Keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll get a Roly in May.
No problem. I needed, and still do usually, need help on quite a few things I try when lasering. Just be prepared to go through quite a bit of material at first testing and trying to get settings dialed in. I had never used any design software before Lightburn and it was a pretty steep learning curve for me. If you haven’t yet, you can purchase Lightburn and familiarize yourself with it before even owning a laser. You do need to set up a laser first but they have a ‘ghost machine’ setting that by-passes the need for an actual laser to be present. I’d recommend Hobo with Wood, Rich the LA Hobby Guy, Dave at the Clackshack, and Steve Ventauri for videos to help get you started. There are tons more but I find these guys extremely helpful for me anyway.
Thanks for your tips and advice. A friend who owns an Epilogue 45w CO2 laser let me use it to experiment on many materials. I own a small Roland MDX-15 CNC milling machine. Both units are now 25 years old and counting. But I haven’t used either in quite some time. Adobe Illustrator was my go to graphics app for a long time, had to learn Corel Draw to run the Epilogue, now I’m relearning Affinity Designer.
Sometimes I’m slow to put good advice into play, but I have watched 2 of the guys you suggested, For right now, I’m going to watch some Lightburn Tutorials. I’ve watched enough of them to be impressed, I have a lot of studio reorganising to do.
Regardless of how well, or quickly I am able to follow your tips I truly appreciate your guidance and encouragement.
