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Thread: Laser cutter for paper art questions

  1. #1

    Laser cutter for paper art questions

    Hi there. I'm sorry to beat this dead horse, and to jump in on your forum when I am not a woodworker, but you all seem so knowledgeable. I am an artist and some of my work involves stacked paper designs...I cut out hundreds of pieces of paper with my pro blade cutter, and stack them. Anyway, I want to make the leap to laser cutting. I can't afford the big brands, but I'm wondering about Automated Technologies cutters. They seem to be so much less expensive than others, so I just worried a bit. I did look through your other forum topics and saw the discussions on AT, Chinese machines, etc. AT seems to not have offended anyone Here are my parameters:


    1. I have no plans to cut anything but paper for now, so I don't need overkill on the machine.
    2. My paper is 160 gsm...nothing fancy.
    3. I would like to minimize burning...although I assume that's just a matter of getting to know the machine and settings.
    4. I don't necessarily want to order a machine from China. I like things to be easy.
    5. I'm in Canada, but don't care about ordering from the US.
    6. I would like to keep my paper sheets similar in size to what I cut from now... 12" x 24".....just don't want to go down to 12x12 or anything.


    So...assuming AT is acceptable, here are my questions:


    1. Would one of the machines in the $3000 range be ok, without major upkeep?
    2. I will be cutting from Adobe Illustrator. Do I need additional expensive software?
    3. Are there additional things that need to be purchased that I might not know about? I don't want this to turn into a $5,000 purchase. I can get optional stuff later.
    4. Is there another machine that anyone feels would be good for me? I'd be thrilled with anything less expensive, but reliable for my needs.


    I would really appreciate any help at all. I knew the machines were expensive, but when I saw prices of $40,000 plus I realized I knew nothing

    Thx.

    Sue

  2. #2
    Well looking at the AT machines the closest they have to 12x24 is 22 x14 and your at 2400 dollars it 35 watts. getting up to 24 x 12 is gonna put you in the 4500 range. If you can live with 22 x 14 then that would be a fairly good machine for you 35 watts will be ok for paper and you shouldn't have a lot of burnt edges once you tweak your settings. I think it supports AI so no need to buy more software, altho most of us use corel so theres a lot of support here for corel. Basically machine cost goes up as the bed size goes up and the same with power more power more cost. Your doing paper so you should be fine with 25 to 35 watts. It looks like it comes with air pump water pump and exhaust fan so you shouldn't need much else to get going.
    Last edited by Bert Kemp; 11-22-2014 at 10:58 PM.
    If the Help and advice you received here was of any VALUE to you PLEASE! Become a Contributor
    Rabbit RL_XX_6040-60 watt Laser engraving/cutting machine Oh wait its a 3D Printer my bad LOL
    Lasercut 5.3
    CorelDraw X5

    10" Miter Saw with slide
    10" Table Saw
    8" bench mount 5 speed Drill Press
    Dremel, 3x21 Belt Sander


  3. #3
    Thank you. 22x14 is great. I'll look at that one further and try to find more reviews online.

  4. #4
    Theres several companies that sell rebranded lasers. Being you don't know a lot ABout lasers you going to want to deal with a company that will give you good support, Rabbit Laser USA is really well respected great machine and top notch support, may be a little more then your budget but if you really want a good laser at a decent price and great support Rabbits top of the line in re-branded Chinese lasers I've also heard Boss Laser is pretty good. Stay away from Full Spectrum.
    You get what you pay for and its doubly so with lasers.

    E=Suzanne McNenly;2337743]Thank you. 22x14 is great. I'll look at that one further and try to find more reviews online.[/QUOTE]
    If the Help and advice you received here was of any VALUE to you PLEASE! Become a Contributor
    Rabbit RL_XX_6040-60 watt Laser engraving/cutting machine Oh wait its a 3D Printer my bad LOL
    Lasercut 5.3
    CorelDraw X5

    10" Miter Saw with slide
    10" Table Saw
    8" bench mount 5 speed Drill Press
    Dremel, 3x21 Belt Sander


  5. #5
    Suzanne

    Welcome to Sawmill Creek. I would suggest a call to AT. I haven't seen nor heard of any issues with their equipment.
    Mike Null

    St. Louis Laser, Inc.

    Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
    Gravograph IS400
    Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
    Dye Sublimation
    CorelDraw X5, X7

  6. #6
    Thx Mike and Bert. You've helped, as I just really wanted things narrowed down. Decent small laser with good support. I'll call both companies and go from there.

    Have a a great day.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzanne McNenly View Post
    Hi there. I'm sorry to beat this dead horse, and to jump in on your forum when I am not a woodworker, but you all seem so knowledgeable. I am an artist and some of my work involves stacked paper designs...I cut out hundreds of pieces of paper with my pro blade cutter, and stack them. Anyway, I want to make the leap to laser cutting. I can't afford the big brands, but I'm wondering about Automated Technologies cutters. They seem to be so much less expensive than others, so I just worried a bit. I did look through your other forum topics and saw the discussions on AT, Chinese machines, etc. AT seems to not have offended anyone Here are my parameters:


    1. I have no plans to cut anything but paper for now, so I don't need overkill on the machine.
    2. My paper is 160 gsm...nothing fancy.
    3. I would like to minimize burning...although I assume that's just a matter of getting to know the machine and settings.
    4. I don't necessarily want to order a machine from China. I like things to be easy.
    5. I'm in Canada, but don't care about ordering from the US.
    6. I would like to keep my paper sheets similar in size to what I cut from now... 12" x 24".....just don't want to go down to 12x12 or anything.


    So...assuming AT is acceptable, here are my questions:


    1. Would one of the machines in the $3000 range be ok, without major upkeep?
    2. I will be cutting from Adobe Illustrator. Do I need additional expensive software?
    3. Are there additional things that need to be purchased that I might not know about? I don't want this to turn into a $5,000 purchase. I can get optional stuff later.
    4. Is there another machine that anyone feels would be good for me? I'd be thrilled with anything less expensive, but reliable for my needs.


    I would really appreciate any help at all. I knew the machines were expensive, but when I saw prices of $40,000 plus I realized I knew nothing

    Thx.

    Sue
    Sue:

    Have you considered a Silhouette Cameo?

    http://www.amazon.com/Silhouette-Cam.../dp/B005Y1CPSU

  8. #8
    Thx Matt, but the Silhouette Cameo was what I started with a few years ago. I have been using a much faster, professional machine for the past year, The Silver Bullet, but I'm at the end of the line when it comes to what I can do with a blade, as opposed to a laser. But, for anyone interested, the Sil is a great machine for those starting out with paper, and don't want to invest in an expensive machine. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

    Sue

  9. #9
    Sue: Do you make one-of-a-kind pieces or several of a particular design?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Iowa USA
    Posts
    4,441
    I have a machine from Automated Technologies, decent. The laser tube did not last as long as I thought but new ones are cheap. You did not give your location but they are in Chicago.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  11. #11
    Matt, every piece is handmade by me, even if they are the same design, so, a bit of both. You can see them on my website. Suemcnenly.com. Look under the Secret Garden tab.

  12. #12
    I'm in Canada, Bill. I'm actually now considering a boss laser. I've heard good things for the price.

  13. #13
    Wow your closing in on $5000 the cheapest Boss is 4 grand and then Don't forget to include shipping cost ask for actual shipping cost and not what they quote on the website, gets you right a round 5K thought you wanted to stay in the 3K range . Shipping to you from Chicago versus shipping from FL will be cheaper. Just another thing to consider. also you only have a 14 x 16 engraving area on the boss where the AT was bigger and under 3 K. if your really thinking of spending more then you originally planned you won't do any better then a Rabbit.

    Quote Originally Posted by Suzanne McNenly View Post
    I'm in Canada, Bill. I'm actually now considering a boss laser. I've heard good things for the price.
    Last edited by Bert Kemp; 11-23-2014 at 10:53 PM. Reason: add stuff
    If the Help and advice you received here was of any VALUE to you PLEASE! Become a Contributor
    Rabbit RL_XX_6040-60 watt Laser engraving/cutting machine Oh wait its a 3D Printer my bad LOL
    Lasercut 5.3
    CorelDraw X5

    10" Miter Saw with slide
    10" Table Saw
    8" bench mount 5 speed Drill Press
    Dremel, 3x21 Belt Sander


  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzanne McNenly View Post
    Hi there. I'm sorry to beat this dead horse, and to jump in on your forum when I am not a woodworker, but you all seem so knowledgeable. I am an artist and some of my work involves stacked paper designs...I cut out hundreds of pieces of paper with my pro blade cutter, and stack them. Anyway, I want to make the leap to laser cutting. I can't afford the big brands, but I'm wondering about Automated Technologies cutters. They seem to be so much less expensive than others, so I just worried a bit. I did look through your other forum topics and saw the discussions on AT, Chinese machines, etc. AT seems to not have offended anyone Here are my parameters:


    1. I have no plans to cut anything but paper for now, so I don't need overkill on the machine.
    2. My paper is 160 gsm...nothing fancy.
    3. I would like to minimize burning...although I assume that's just a matter of getting to know the machine and settings.
    4. I don't necessarily want to order a machine from China. I like things to be easy.
    5. I'm in Canada, but don't care about ordering from the US.
    6. I would like to keep my paper sheets similar in size to what I cut from now... 12" x 24".....just don't want to go down to 12x12 or anything.


    So...assuming AT is acceptable, here are my questions:


    1. Would one of the machines in the $3000 range be ok, without major upkeep?
    2. I will be cutting from Adobe Illustrator. Do I need additional expensive software?
    3. Are there additional things that need to be purchased that I might not know about? I don't want this to turn into a $5,000 purchase. I can get optional stuff later.
    4. Is there another machine that anyone feels would be good for me? I'd be thrilled with anything less expensive, but reliable for my needs.


    I would really appreciate any help at all. I knew the machines were expensive, but when I saw prices of $40,000 plus I realized I knew nothing

    Thx.

    Sue

    Hey Sue,

    I just spent the past week doing nothing but cutting paper with my laser. Definitely takes some dialing in, but works really well. Keep in mind, you won't be able to cut more than one sheet at a time. Stacking more than one sheet becomes a fire hazard with a laser.

    There's some great information on paper and lasers here: http://candyspotting.com/faq. Be sure to check it out.
    Epilog Helix 24 - 50w
    Kern HSE 50x100 - 400w (rated at 479w!)

  15. #15
    Just looked up your artwork online. Cool stuff!
    Epilog Helix 24 - 50w
    Kern HSE 50x100 - 400w (rated at 479w!)

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