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Thread: Is it worth buying a Chinese laser used? *Pics*

  1. #1

    Question Is it worth buying a Chinese laser used? *Pics*

    There is a local guy selling a nice-cut.com NC-1390 (48"x36" work area) with upgraded 120w reci laser for $6,500. It includes all the accessories (air pump, chiller, exhaust fan). It's about a year old in 9.5 out of 10 condition. Apparently it was used for 50hrs and the tube life is 8,000hrs.

    1. How much do these usually cost new to my door?
    2. What should I look for when buying used?
    3. Does nice-cut have a good reputation for support?

    Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Video of it in action:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/qofpqqf2nk...Laser.mp4?dl=0







    Last edited by Dan Souliere; 08-28-2014 at 6:21 AM.

  2. #2
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    Never hear of nice-cut, so can't offer advice on the company, per se... but the machine is the same that all of the other Chinese "manufacturers" offer, so...

    Listed tube life nearly a guess when it comes to tubes. Reci is definitely one of the better brands, but there's no easy way to tell what kind of life it has left in it. Your best bet is to see the machine run, cut some thick material, and if you have the ability to, test the output power. Search for similar Chinese machines and see what they cost... do not expect the same depreciation schedule as a higher-quality Western machine.
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  3. #3
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    Dan;
    Pretty standard Chinese design. I would be more concerned over the condition of the mechanicals and controls than the tube. You can get a new tube, including air shipment for less than $1K. What material was being cut in the video and what power and speed were used.?
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  4. #4
    I am actually really new to laser cutting and the sole purpose of buying this machine was to cut acrylic to build custom aquariums.

    With that said, I just read that laser cut edges cannot be glued. It will cause crazing. Just like when flame polished edges are glued together. This is a MAJOR problem and looks like I will need a CNC machine instead. The only problem is that I need to go back to school to take a course on how to use one. FML.

  5. #5
    Dan

    I believe a little more research might be in order. I believe you can glue laser cut cast acrylic without crazing. I've only worked with material up to .125" but have had no problem with that.

    On the other hand, all of the thick acrylic that I've glued has been saw cut and polished.
    Mike Null

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  6. #6
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    Dan,

    Is there a reason you need to go to the expense of a CNC or laser for cutting acrylic for this purpose? Would a standard saw do it and be wayyyyyy less expensive with zip for a learning curve? By the way, with a modern CNC and its software it should not be harder to use than a laser, especially for something like this. You do have the ability to use Gcode to get very detailed in your control of the device, but for most purposes the CAD and CAM package(s) you use will cover it without the need to write code yourself. But a simple saw and drills seem like all you need combined with flame polishing? Especially with the thick pieces you will be dealing with.

    Dave
    900x600 80watt EFR Tube laser from Liaocheng Ray Fine Tech LTD. Also a 900x600 2.5kw spindle CNC from Ray Fine. And my main tool, a well used and loved Jet 1642 Woodlathe with an outboard toolrest that helps me work from 36 inch diameters down to reallllllly tiny stuff.

  7. #7
    The plan is to use 1/4" acrylic to make the following designs.

    These are called "sumps" and they are filtration boxes under saltwater aquariums where you keep all the supporting equipment hidden from view under the tank stand.

    Last edited by Dan Souliere; 08-28-2014 at 12:44 PM.

  8. #8
    Lasering is not the right way to make that box. If you plan on gluing acrylic the important part is that the edges are square. A laser cuts on a taper because the beam is shaped like an hourglass. If you tried to glue, thick, laser cut pieces together to make something that holds water, you'd be making a big mistake, in my opinion.
    Lasers : Trotec Speedy 300 75W, Trotec Speedy 300 80W, Galvo Fiber Laser 20W
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  9. #9
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    That laser looks EXACTLY like a Shenui, (which in turn look very much like any chinese laser) we have its bigger brother and its not been a bad machine. In fact we like it so much we got a matching router https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsRXFvtIMAAxYku.jpg . We use this to cut Alupanel to size, as a laser wont touch it, now i understand how it works its a very handy machine, but its not for the fainthearted and took me a full day to work out the software.
    I would agree a laser is NOT the right tool for this job but a router would do a very nice job
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  10. #10
    If my memory serves me correctly, your partner already owns a router, doesn't he? I seem to recall him telling me that he bought one about 1 1/2 years ago.
    Lasers : Trotec Speedy 300 75W, Trotec Speedy 300 80W, Galvo Fiber Laser 20W
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  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Souliere View Post
    I am actually really new to laser cutting and the sole purpose of buying this machine was to cut acrylic to build custom aquariums.

    With that said, I just read that laser cut edges cannot be glued. It will cause crazing. Just like when flame polished edges are glued together. This is a MAJOR problem and looks like I will need a CNC machine instead. The only problem is that I need to go back to school to take a course on how to use one. FML.
    Can't tell much from the pictures other than they have the laser tube mounted wrong.

    You don't want to edge glue lasered parts if they need to hold water. What you can do is to cut them 1/16 oversized then run them through a jointer.
    Shenhui 1440x850, 130 Watt Reci Z6
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Shepherd View Post
    Lasering is not the right way to make that box.
    Don't tell that to my customer! I laser cut parts all the time that are used in custom aquariums and sumps. The trick is to cut oversize then use a jointer to dress the glued edges.
    Shenhui 1440x850, 130 Watt Reci Z6
    Gerber Sabre 408

  13. #13
    I didn't say it couldn't be done, I said it wasn't the best way to do it. Why have to go buy a jointer with the laser, when you can just use the router and do it all in one step. Not to mention the fact that you can cut acrylic a lot faster on the router than you can on the laser.
    Lasers : Trotec Speedy 300 75W, Trotec Speedy 300 80W, Galvo Fiber Laser 20W
    Printers : Mimaki UJF-6042 UV Flatbed Printer , HP Designjet L26500 61" Wide Format Latex Printer, Summa S140-T 48" Vinyl Plotter
    Router : ShopBot 48" x 96" CNC Router Rotary Engravers : (2) Xenetech XOT 16 x 25 Rotary Engravers

    Real name Steve but that name was taken on the forum. Used Middle name. Call me Steve or Scott, doesn't matter.

  14. #14
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    In this case, they had been using a jointer before meeting me. They did look into having it routed for them, much more expensive than having me do it. Considering all the work that goes into building these things, running the piece across a jointer takes no time at all.
    Shenhui 1440x850, 130 Watt Reci Z6
    Gerber Sabre 408

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Harman View Post
    They did look into having it routed for them, much more expensive than having me do it.
    Maybe your price is too low?
    Lasers : Trotec Speedy 300 75W, Trotec Speedy 300 80W, Galvo Fiber Laser 20W
    Printers : Mimaki UJF-6042 UV Flatbed Printer , HP Designjet L26500 61" Wide Format Latex Printer, Summa S140-T 48" Vinyl Plotter
    Router : ShopBot 48" x 96" CNC Router Rotary Engravers : (2) Xenetech XOT 16 x 25 Rotary Engravers

    Real name Steve but that name was taken on the forum. Used Middle name. Call me Steve or Scott, doesn't matter.

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