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Thread: Buying A Chinese Laser - the FULL story for those looking to make a purchase

  1. #46
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Medina Ohio
    Posts
    4,515
    I had the same problem with cutting acrylic on a honey comb bed. I cut the same part out all the time so I just cut the part smaller out of some scrape and use it to hold the good part up off the bed

  2. #47
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    101
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill George View Post
    Adam I just want to thank you for doing the OEM post and follow up. Just hoping all those newbie people read it before they order.

    I'm a newbie (this is my first post) and I love this topic! As I also love 100's of other topics here at SMC, about all kinds of interesting and educating stuff. Thank you all for sharing your (professional) knowledge and experiences with machines, suppliers, cutting and engraving.

  3. #48
    Wow!!!

    Most of our posts on here are "Chinese"!

    Your post was a "Trotec"!!

    You did everything right, google/YouTube research, actual face to face / trade show research, negotiations direct with the suppliers and then finally a purchase. That's why your story has a happy ending because all of the leg work you put in before actually buying!

    Ps one interesting thing you brought up was the expense of replacing the laser or having it recharged. My Universal 30w laser is 7 years old and putting out 32 watts. Cost of replacement always needs to be balanced against frequency of replacement, but there is much less information regarding that out in the wild.

  4. #49
    So... it's been a couple of years since I posted my original post on here and nearly three years since my J. Weike 6040 laser showed up at my home. For those who read the original post and may be interested in finding out how the machine is running a few years down the road, the answer? Flawlessly.

    As I reported in my last follow up over a year ago, the machine doesn't run continuously every day and this is not my primary business. I actually run three businesses and the laser stuff is really the sideline one.

    That said, I have used the laser quite a bit and am still on my original tube. I clean it routinely and don't abuse it.

    The laser has produced everything from cutting boards and acrylic LED lights to EVA foam costume parts and backlit instrument panels. I've literally not had a single hiccup.

    The only issues I've had have been either user caused (like the other day absolutely banging my head against the wall because the laser would barely cut my acrylic piece... I sent the project three different times and figured I'd FINALLY run into a laser problem, only to eventually realize I'd had a brain freeze setting up the file and set the cut layer to 90% speed and 10% power and not the other way round) or computer based. My computer is an old PC laptop (because the Lasercut software won't work on newer operating systems) and the laptop is a piece of crap.

    I'm currently exploring getting into some new software in the hopes I can find something that doesn't require changing the controller. I'm looking at LaserWeb and LaserBurn. They look good and may work plug and play with my machine. I'll see. That said, I find LaserCut easy enough to use. I do all my designs in Adobe Illustrator and import the cut files into LaserCut to do the final layer settings and send to the laser.

    From my own experience I would not change a thing and would still highly recommend going my route as long as a) you are prepared to do some leg work and some research and b) recognize the potential challenges (even though I didn't really have them) and can justify them on the basis of risk vs reward / cost vs benefit.

    I love my machine. She's my baby and she is an endless muse for my creativity and at times a welcome partner in my many project adventures. Hopefully some of you have the same experience and the same success I have had and don't let the naysayers stand in your way!

  5. #50
    Thanks for the update! (Do you perhaps mean LightBurn instead of LaserBurn?)

  6. #51
    I think I do, yes. Sorry.

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