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Thread: Fiber laser engraver recommendations

  1. #31
    This is the video it's in, but it doesn't show that piece being lasered.


    Trotec Speedy 300 - 80 watt
    Synrad 30 Watt - CO2 Galvo
    LaserStar 3804 - 50 watt fiber - SPI Source
    Tykma Minilase - 20 watt fiber - SPI Source - (MOPA)
    CorelDraw X7

  2. #32
    That's not the video I saw. It might have been a private video. It showed that piece being engraved if I remember right. It was about a month ago when I saw it. It was probably an unlisted video. I think it was out of Europe somewhere.
    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.

  3. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Shepherd View Post
    That's not the video I saw. It might have been a private video. It showed that piece being engraved if I remember right. It was about a month ago when I saw it. It was probably an unlisted video. I think it was out of Europe somewhere.
    There are several variations of the same video for different countries on YouTube, but none show that piece.

    Here is an XT Laser demo for color (no mention of what laser type it is):

    Trotec Speedy 300 - 80 watt
    Synrad 30 Watt - CO2 Galvo
    LaserStar 3804 - 50 watt fiber - SPI Source
    Tykma Minilase - 20 watt fiber - SPI Source - (MOPA)
    CorelDraw X7

  4. #34
    So curious question, does MOPA allow for better results in the color realm?
    Trotec Speedy 300 - 80 watt
    Synrad 30 Watt - CO2 Galvo
    LaserStar 3804 - 50 watt fiber - SPI Source
    Tykma Minilase - 20 watt fiber - SPI Source - (MOPA)
    CorelDraw X7

  5. #35
    Yup, pretty incredible. If you don't mind having to shave between jobs -I've watched mopa's in action doing colors - not a Speedmarker, but I don't see any reason a Trotec would be all that much faster at annealing than the glacial speeds of other machines.

    Here's the thing: Where/What exactly is the market for stainless steel with full-color graphics? As I've noted recently in other threads, I'm lucky enough to have never had to search out work, and I've been asked almost every question in the book by would-be customers in the past 42 years, but never has anyone asked "can you engrave in full color on metal?"

    Just my perception of reality here, but I can't see NOT having to search out work for a mopa. For those who advertise, a mopa might be a good thing, but still, I don't see a market. Or at least, not a REPEAT market. Not because it's not cool, it is! - But because of what one would have to charge people make it worth their while, due to the slow speeds...

    And before I'd ever buy one, I would want to inspect the work done by a like machine, to be sure of "actual" results...

    I say this because of some of my experimenting...
    I created this piece just playing around one day, I was pretty impressed actually, got several colors going on!
    an1.jpg

    And here's a closeup, gold, 2 blues, a nice red above...
    an2.jpg

    Ahhh, but simply hold the plate at a different viewing angle...
    an3.jpg
    ---where'd all the colors go?

    The colors on this plate are obviously created by some prism effect based on the light reflecting/refracting off the various hatch cuts in the metal created by different speed/power/freq settings. And just as obviously, changing the viewing angle totally negates the prism effects...

    Is that fancy flag plate going to look the same at all viewing angles, or is it going to black out like my plate?

    Not that this is entirely a BAD thing, my knife customers LOVE the 'holographic' effect annealed stainless has at different angles. Might be cool how colors react. Or maybe not.

    I think having a mopa would be very cool, but only for my own personal use. As a means to generate income, based solely on my 'business model', I don't see it.

    Just my opinion...
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  6. #36
    Sorry, video already posted above.
    Last edited by Michael Henriksen; 07-18-2017 at 5:50 AM.
    G. Weike LG900N 100W RECI RDWorks V8
    Leiming LM2513FL 1kW Raycus fiber laser cutter
    Wisely 50W Raycus engraver

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Suwanee, GA
    Posts
    3,686
    You want to know who makes money with color marking stainless with a MOPA laser?







    wait for it...







    almost there...







    the laser manufacturers, that's who, and pretty much nobody else.

  8. #38
    If SPI produces fiber lasers, why hasn't anyone here purchased directly from them? Some of you guys could surely put together one of these right?
    Trotec Speedy 300 - 80 watt
    Synrad 30 Watt - CO2 Galvo
    LaserStar 3804 - 50 watt fiber - SPI Source
    Tykma Minilase - 20 watt fiber - SPI Source - (MOPA)
    CorelDraw X7

  9. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by Jacob John View Post
    If SPI produces fiber lasers, why hasn't anyone here purchased directly from them? Some of you guys could surely put together one of these right?
    Because the cost of the SPI source is more than the cost of an entire Chinese fiber
    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.

  10. #40
    So help me out here, as I'm continuing to learn. Of course, this is somewhat subjective (like Coke vs Pepsi), but also objective as well. If you were to rank the laser source manufacturers, would it be:

    1. SPI
    2. IPG
    3(4). Maxphotonics
    4(3). Raycus

    I know some of this is dependent upon materials being marked, but SPI seems to be a very high end manufacturer. Interesting too, in gathering quotes, I'm having a tough time getting some companies to name their laser source. I find that peculiar. In looking at the Maxphotonics site, they have a really clean, western looking site.

    Wifi fiber:

    Last edited by Jacob John; 07-18-2017 at 11:29 PM.
    Trotec Speedy 300 - 80 watt
    Synrad 30 Watt - CO2 Galvo
    LaserStar 3804 - 50 watt fiber - SPI Source
    Tykma Minilase - 20 watt fiber - SPI Source - (MOPA)
    CorelDraw X7

  11. #41
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Shepherd View Post
    Because the cost of the SPI source is more than the cost of an entire Chinese fiber
    Do this, but with an SPI. Seriously though, this Maxphotonics setup is about as basic as it comes, and looks almost too easy. Might have to pick one up after all.

    Trotec Speedy 300 - 80 watt
    Synrad 30 Watt - CO2 Galvo
    LaserStar 3804 - 50 watt fiber - SPI Source
    Tykma Minilase - 20 watt fiber - SPI Source - (MOPA)
    CorelDraw X7

  12. #42
    Mr Sheldrake notwithstanding - most of us are assuming the role of 'pioneers' in this new age of fiber lasers. Triumph put a Max in mine, Weike put Raycus's in Gary's, is either one better or worse than the other? At this point in time, who knows? Has anyone actually wore one out yet?

    I'm one of the few people who've ever had a problem with my fiber, but it was either the scan head or the control board, not the laser itself. And I'm pretty good at crashing EZcad for some reason, also not the laser's fault. But since I fiddled with the control board plug and replaced the scanhead, it's given me no further grief...

    I'm sure you get more bang for the buck with any high(er) end fiber source, figuring out whether you need the extra bang is the hard part
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  13. #43
    Matthew Knott is the one to be schooling all of us on this. He's the pro and knows the ins and outs of all of this.

    In my opinion, and I'm far from an expert, the problem with most Chinese suppliers is the board they are using. They seem to all use a board from one company in China. That company is the company that created EZCAD (well, copied a Western software program), so most everything is running their boards and their software. To me, that's the weak spot in the entire setup. You can put a SPI source in a Chinese laser, but you are still driving it with a Chinese board and Chinese software. There are really powerful software programs out there that are Western made and supported, but the ones I looked at won't support Chinese sources.

    There are certainly a lot of differences in a Chinese one and a brand name one, and everything in the middle. Software, support, etc.

    For me, I'd rather have the better software. To get that, you need a better source/board combo that supports it.
    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. #44
    With Steve's above comment, what would be everyone's recommendations for a Chinese made 30 watt fiber with either an SPI or IPG source? I'd like to try Samlight.
    Trotec Speedy 300 - 80 watt
    Synrad 30 Watt - CO2 Galvo
    LaserStar 3804 - 50 watt fiber - SPI Source
    Tykma Minilase - 20 watt fiber - SPI Source - (MOPA)
    CorelDraw X7

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