Technical specification for my new laser machine - a few questions

[Erik Goetheer]

Yep, I will. But it won't be a big risk, since years we hardly have any frost in The Netherlands and because of the good insulation in floor, walls and ceiling the small oil radiator heater can keep the temperature above 0 degrees Celcius with ease.

[Steven Taitinger]

Hi Guys!

First post... I am about to order basically the same as above except the 7050. Anyone in Canada get charged warehousing costs or try express? What did it cost for sea shipping for you guys? I am thinking of going with https://cargofromchina.com/. One of the guys was fairly responsive and gave me a quote for 840usd for the 6040 size (the last one I was considering ordering).

Anyone try to cut through pallet boards with an 80W EFR or RECI tube? I think the boards are normally 3/4in raw spruce or something like that. I really like the idea of building custom things out of pallets and cuttting and engraving them.

Thanks and looking forwards to joining the conversation!

Steve

Check out a chair I am almost done designing for my personal use below. I am thinking of using a couple sheets of 1/4in wiggle wood as the seat and back.
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/f5...b3d6d8d8802a9f

[David Somers]

Steven,

Afraid that I can't help you with Canadian costs for shipping and Customs. But, I can tell you that 3/4 Spruce, or any 3/4 wood stock for that matter, is going to cut ugly. You will have to make multiple passes, 4 or more, changing your focal point as you go, and your will have a coyote ugly edge on it. Think burned. Big time burned. There are far better tools than a laser for cutting wood that thick. With an 80watt laser you are in good shape to cut 1/4" thick stock, maaaaaaaybe 3/8". Beyond that you need to make multiple offerings to all the gods, great and small.

If you do want to cut wood that thick have you considered a CNC? Another option would be a laser combined with a good shaper or router table. Use the laser to cut a template from thinner materials that can be easily cut. Then use the router to cut along that template. Or just go to a CNC and skip the laser.

[Steven Taitinger]

Thanks for the reply David! I was hoping that softer wood might cut easier... Lasers can obviously do fine details that no cnc machine can do which is a large part of why lasers are appealing to me. I like designing in Illustrator over my cad programs for products. I guess I will just have to try it to prove myself wrong lol. That isn't the critical application I want to use it for though but just for side interests like my chair I designed. I will mostly be doing the standard cutting of thinner materials or engraving for my business. I am interested in testing the limits of what it can do though. Maybe I will even start a google sheet that anyone could add examples to (machine specs, settings, material info and a picture) for any of the limit tests we have done ourselves.

[John Lifer]

I had a piece of just under quarter inch Bois D'arc (0.225 actual) that I had brought in to see if I could cut it. 6mm/s and 85% power on my 80watt laser. Which is about as slow and as high a power as I run. It cut, but it charred badly
and would take more sanding and cleanup than is worth it to make anything useful. Just my opinion.

[David Somers]

Steven,

Just a thought, but a laser and a CNC can work together nicely, complimenting each other in terms of materials and thicknesses. A CNC can cut thicker materials for an assembly that would not work well on a laser, and then your laser can do the fine engraving that it is so accomplished at. If you are buying from China doing both is not a bad combination and the costs may be less than you think. That is how I ended up with both for what that is worth. At this point I use the laser more, but am glad I have the CNC now and am working up more things to run through it. I also do a lot of lathe work as well. (wood lathe)

[Kev Williams]

If you want to make intricate cuts in big wood, get yourself a scrollsaw like my BIL did. He has 2 lasers, and found out long ago cutting thru wood is for saw blades

These are some of the first things he made when he got it, for is wife- He's a wiz with Corel, and it seems it didn't take him long to learn how to use the scrollsaw. He used his LS800 laser to engrave the design work, and to mark the cuts (I think, it's been awhile).

macaw1.jpgmacaw2.jpg

[Erik Goetheer]

Allright, on topic again. I've been busy the last few nights installing the air exhaust system and before connecting the final piece of tube to the roof-through pipe I switched it on.



And it's loud, very loud. My Android app showed 72 dba at 3 meter and still 61 dba on the ground floor. It's worse than sitting next to our powervacuum cleaner. So that is a no-no for me and I ordered another vent, a tube vent which produces max. 46 dba at 3 meter. >> https://www.spirototaal.nl/buisventi...taal-3967.html

I estimate that it will be about 37 dba - 40 dba on the ground floor, which is so much better than 61 dba. It will arrive tomorrow.

I also got some nice 2mm thick perforated steel plates. One fits perfectly on top of the knife bed (perfect for engraving)



and some smaller ones will be used as spiked beds (great for cutting). I guess the honeycomb bed will remain unused.

[Kev Williams]

my Triumph came with that exact blower. Without the tube connected to the air-out, its WILL be loud. It won't be anywhere near that loud with the pipe connected...
And I would not mount it to the wall, or anywhere else...As it is, the vibration will turn that whole wall into a woofer. I would get some blankets, or some 3" wall insulation, or whatever, just something soft to just SET the blower on to absorb the noise and vibration...

[Erik Goetheer]

Well, I did put some rubber material between the exhaust fan and the wall. But I will check what effect the final pipe will have on the sound level.

[Doug Fisher]

I have the same fan. I routed my air out a window via a custom built window insert. The noise is about as loud outside as it is inside even after using vinyl tubing that has a turn in it after the fan. I may have to buy a duct muffler for it.

Glad you are getting a new fan. There is no way I would trust that fan running out of sight, especially in the attic.

[David Somers]

I saw someone recently who had taken their fan and suspended it from rope so that it was not in contact with the floor at all (in their garage attic space) and that made a big difference in the noise transmitted through to the garage. Simple.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have the same fan. I routed my air out a window via a custom built window insert. The noise is about as loud outside as it is inside even after using vinyl tubing that has a turn in it after the fan. I may have to buy a duct muffler for it.

Glad you are getting a new fan. There is no way I would trust that fan running out of sight, especially in the attic.

If the fan fails you will know it no noise

[John Lifer]

Blower is very loud running without duct attachd. Once hose is on it it will be better. I had door open today and connected it just outside and im sitting 6 feet away. Yeah louder than i want to listen to all day.

Eric, I like your plate, but it looks like that frame around it is 10 to 15mm higher than the plate. I cant tell, but make sure that you have clearance enough so that when machine resets your nozzle doesnt hit it! If too high,you can damage it. I cut some thin stuff and i don't think it would work for me. I put some 3mm thick rulers around the side and was afraid I might hit it! Just be careful

[Doug Fisher]

>>If the fan fails you will know it no noise<<

I am more worried about the fan overheating and catching on fire and burning unseen in the attic for a while before you are aware. It runs very hot. As others have reported, once these fans get really hot they can ooze grease out from the bearings. I have seen this myself.