Ideal Laser Engraver?

[Rodne Gold]

We unpacked my longtai's fitted the tubes and began engraving immediately
I followed Yarde Feng , the R&d guy at shenui to his new position at longtai..
He checked each machine before shipping , they were all aligned , square etc etc..
REALLY well made machinery for the price ... the 20w fiber he supplied was the same , unpack and run

We havent even bothered with chillers for these machines , we use a 25l bucket of water and the aquarium pumps provided , same with air assist , we havent connected the machines to our main air supply , just use the cheapo pumps that came with the machines..
As to fires..well we have had a few in the 15+ years we been running lasers despite having dedicated operators... never take them for granted.... ESPECIALLY if they are in your house.. a fire can happen in seconds...
I am on the cusp of deciding to buy a 2-3kw fibre laser cutter , 3m x 1.5m from Yarde ..must just decide whether I want to get into that side of the laser business..
A month ago I had a massive heart attack and that resulted in a quad bypass ..open heart.. so I am still recovering .. it might be too much for me to mess with a laser cutter this year..I wanted to fly to china to see Yarde and the machine in operation ..,so it will most likely be next year.. this machine will be well over $60k
5000lbs in total....

[DARRELL WOOTTON]

Many thanks for everyones input, suggestions and experience. I must admit I am leaning 70%-30% towards a chinese machine based on the information provided and the more I read. The BIG problem for me is restricted space, I had a look at the HPC machine (HX imported) however its a bit too large, the maximum machine width i can accommodate is 1200mm.

I have had a look at the Thunderlaser Nova24 (Mini60) but their biggest tube in this model is 60W. If i have read up correctly an 80W tube is a good choice for cutting and engraving. Does anyone know if an 80W tube will even fit into a 1200mm machine case / space?

Thanks again.

Daz......

[Dave Sheldrake]

the maximum machine width i can accommodate is 1200mm.

an 80 watt tube wont fit in your machine space

The RECI is 1260mm long, the EFR is 1250mm long, a standard narrow body 80 watt is 1650mm Long

[DARRELL WOOTTON]

an 80 watt tube wont fit in your machine space

The RECI is 1260mm long, the EFR is 1250mm long, a standard narrow body 80 watt is 1650mm Long

Thanks Dave, might have to consider a 60W machine.

[Bill George]

Rodne, Some open heart bypass surgery patients can take up to a year before they are back to normal. Good Luck and just take your time for recovery.

[Kev Williams]

Good luck with your recovery Rod!

And that laser cutter sounds like a bargain, you can't buy 2 decent Trotec's for that money...

I was not too long ago looking into a laser or plasma cutter, but--
(a) I already have enough machinery stuffed into this little house and garage, and
(b) half of my customers are in the metal cutting biz, the other half have their own machines to cut their parts...

[Dave Sheldrake]

Hope things get better Rod

Humm metal cutting...given my time over again I'd go for a few 2kw fibres on a 3m x 2m bed and a couple of plasmas for the thick stuff. Big CO2 is dying very quickly mostly due to maintenance costs and initial price

[David Somers]

Rodne!

Seems like I am in the wrong hemisphere to be of quick help to you but if you need anything that I can help you with please don't hesitate to ask!!!

Dave!

[Keith Downing]

Thanks Dave, might have to consider a 60W machine.

I have the 60 watt tube and it cuts up to about 1/4" wood just fine. I'm not sure how thick you're trying to cut, or if you're just trying to do it 10-15% faster, but I think there is minimal difference between a true 60 watt and 80 watt. In fact, a lot of the manufacturer's I looked at jump from 60 to 100 w tubes. And I think you'll have to go up to at least a 100w to cut 1/2" or thicker wood on one pass.

[DARRELL WOOTTON]

I have the 60 watt tube and it cuts up to about 1/4" wood just fine

Keith do you happen to know if 60W will cut 6mm Acrylic? The wood I am thinking of cutting and engraving is primaraly Oak with other types of wood in lower quantities, speed at the minute is not important.

Daz.....

[Kev Williams]

I cut 3/8" cast with my 40w synrad, I see no reason any 60w wouldn't cut 1/4"--

[Rodne Gold]

Thanks for the concern and good wishes .. recovering well touch wood...
60w chinese tube will cut 6mm well , 8mm is about their limits
Lasers dont do well as wood cutting machines barring thin stuff , engraves well tho

if you want to get into the business , shell out $3k and get a cheap machine , make it work for you and dont lose the farm doing so..if the business takes off .. buy a few more .. if it doesnt you have a nice toy and just spent $3k on school fees...

[Keith Downing]

Keith do you happen to know if 60W will cut 6mm Acrylic? The wood I am thinking of cutting and engraving is primaraly Oak with other types of wood in lower quantities, speed at the minute is not important.

Daz.....

I think you already got your answer, but yes the 60w I have will reliably cut 1/4" (6mm) acrylic!

[Rich Harman]

Keith I don't really think its necessary to stand by and watch it engrave wood, theres little if any chance it will catch fire while engraving...

... unless a stepper fails, or a driver fails, wire comes loose, belt breaks etc...

If there is anything flammable in the machine you are rolling the dice every time you leave it unattended, cutting or engraving.

[DARRELL WOOTTON]

Thanks for everyones responses.

I will continue researching, I have contacted Thunderlaser direct for a quote but it appears they have a dealer in the UK. On a side note and I have not checked this out with UK Trading Standards etc yet but if I bought a chinese machine BUT from a UK importer supplier, with UK VAT invoice etc do I have more warranty cover and consumer rights regarding breakdowns etc than importing from China? Hope that makes sense.

I sell some electronics that I import and I sell them with 24 months warranty, albeit they are imported from the EU, I have put a link below regarding EU rules on sales etc.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/b...ty-EU-law.html

Thanks again

Daz....