Trotec vector cutting?

[Jason Alan]

Love this forum so much info! I am currently looking at Epilog ULS and Trotec for a new machine. I am really liking the Trotec and ULS from all the reading I have done. However I have a question on Trotec. Seems like the consensus is it’s is the fastest at raster engraving, but seems like I am reading that the vector cutting isn’t as good? Can anyone expand on vector cutting on the Trotec vs the others, quality and speed.. I will be engraving and cutting wood primarily 1/8” to 1/4”

[Steve Morris]

Vector cutting speed is about tube power and material so like for like speeds will be nearly identical. Raster is about how fast you can get the head to turn around on each pass.
My 2p

[Mark Canada]

At a previous employer we had two epilogs one trotec and a chinese laser. The trotec has faster rapids (moving between cutting points), so cycle times on the same job were often considerably shorter. The vector quality was superb. I've seen the 80W trotec with a long lens cut through 1" plywood in a single pass - not fast, but it did it and the edge was almost square! The epilogs did have some weird artifacts on some cuts, we never found out if it was the machine's mechanics, drivers, or software that was causing it.

The tubes on the trotec's are what sells them for me over the epilog and anything else. After 2 years the 80W trotec read 84W on our power meter. The Epilogs would lose 3-10% power month the laser tubes were replaced every year as a result, so running cost was pretty high.

[Scott Shepherd]

Mark has it right. If you cut 1 big piece out of, then the times would be about the same, but if you have 100's of cuts, then the Trotec will walk the dog on the Epilog due to the speed from cut to cut. Honestly, it's so fast, when moving about 3 inches or less, you can't even see it move. It's in one place and then it's in the next. It's so fast in rapid.

[Steve Morris]

This is true