LC6090 Laser Engraver/Cutter Review

[victorbl]

I've been a long time member of CNCzone, and have built a router and converted a mill to CNC in my time here. Recently, I've been following laser cutter threads to try and settle on a reasonable sized laser system. Keeping the system in budget is always a concern, especially these days. I ended up purchasing a G.Weike LC6090 laser engraver/cutter system in early April from wklaser.com. I had a great experience and I'm already making plenty of scraps.

I documented my entire experience, thoughts, and every penny spent from start to finish in a review here:

G.Weike LC6090 Laser Engraver/Cutter Review

I tried to capture every step of the process to create a walk though that I could have referenced when I was thinking of placing an order for a laser engraver overseas.

I hope you enjoy the read, at the very least there are plenty of pictures and videos to keep you entertained.

[zax15uk]

Excellent and fair review of the process and equipment. Thanks for sharing.

Zax.

[SkipW]

Great job, Vic. I'm sure this will be very helpful to anyone thinking about importing a laser. Thanks for taking the time to document the process.


Skip

[SteveS]

Vic,

Great review and information. The costs after arrival on US soil amaze me. The actual shipping charge seemed cheap for the weight and size.

My interest is in cutting wood at less than 1/2 inch and most likely 3/8 inch. The wood is maple, basswood or oak. Is the 80 watt version capable of that?

Also, any info you could give me on the kerf when cutting the thickness of wood?

Steve.

[SkipW]

Vic,

Great review and information. The costs after arrival on US soil amaze me. The actual shipping charge seemed cheap for the weight and size.

My interest is in cutting wood at less than 1/2 inch and most likely 3/8 inch. The wood is maple, basswood or oak. Is the 80 watt version capable of that?

Also, any info you could give me on the kerf when cutting the thickness of wood?

Steve.

Hi Steve,

I have the same 80 watt machine so maybe I can answer your questions.

I cut 1/4" oak, maple, and poplar quite often at about 45% power, so 3/8" to 1/2" should be no problem. This is solid wood, not plywood. With plywood the glue sometimes causes cutting problems.

I'm using the 54 or 55 mm focal length lens. My focus gauge is marked 54mm anyhow. The kerf is .005 or .006 thousandths wide with that lens.

Hope that helps,
Skip

[SteveS]

Skip,

Thanks for the response. I have been following some of the Laser threads looking for the answer you gave.

Laser sites and their sales guys didn't seem to have actual wood experience. (Or their answers were worded in a way that seemed a bit unbelievable.)

Steve.

[the4thseal]

if you could just buy the laser stuff so you could build you own cnc table that would be awesome.