Newbie- Chinese lasers

[AndyboyH]

Hey guys

I'll apologise, I've seen you get asked this a lot (and I've tried to find out as much as I can just by lurking), but realistically, how decent are Chinese lasers for a complete newbie to the laser scene?

I'm interested in slowly making my own workshop - for hobby/friend use, not as a source of income. I'm keen on building stuff, or making things where possible. (e.g. considering making a makerbot thing-o-matic further on down the line) I don't think I want to start with a cutting laser as my first project though! lol

I don't have a huge budget for a laser cutter (as much as I'd like an Epilog or something equally as advanced, it costs more than my car did! ) so my budget kind of forces me to consider the 30-40W CO2 ones on eBay in the £500-£1500 price range. So the equivalent of a Rabbit 40, or similar (perhaps the next model up, if it's got a bigger laserable area - since the size of the 40's bed limits some of my ideas for it)

What's realistic in terms of materials to use with one? I've read some of the posts, so I know it can cut and etch acrylic and rubber and card, and the thinner MDFs/plywoods.
Could I say, etch a mac or an iPad with one? (assuming it fits into the laserable area) and, more importantly - will it actually look reasonable, or would it just be a waste of time & anodised aluminium trying?

Similarly, would it be able to do glass? Googling told me no, but I did see some posts further back that implied it was possible. Glass isn't a deal breaker - again though, it's just getting an idea of what's possible with one.

Sorry for all the questions, very new to this, very excited to get one and start turning some ideas into reality, but I wanted to do my research and not just buy something without knowing what's actually feasible with it!

Cheers all,

Andy

[zax15uk]

Hey Andy,

Welcome out of the shadows...

It sounds like a Chinese laser would be appropriate in your case, it's perfect for your budget and you aren't looking for a commercial system just a 'hobby' tool.

The desktop 40W systems are limited in their cutting abilities but work great for engraving and light cutting. You can cut slightly thicker materials using multi-pass and after adding air assist.

If you can stretch the budget, the next models up have a larger cutting area and usually increased cutting capabilities (air assist out of the box).

So, what will it engrave: anodized aluminium (no problem), wood, glass (sure), plexiglass/acrylic, leather, fabric (jeans for example)... and a lot more, somewhere on the forum I posted cupcakes I lasered (they looked great and tasted great too).

To answer your question about the quality, yes it will produce good results as even the small tabletop units can do 500dpi resolution which is more than enough for most materials and designs.

Cutting is going to be limited to plexiglass/acrylic, paper/card, wood, fabric and some other thin materials. Probably 3mm maximum without air assist or other mods.

If you have any specific questions just let me know, but if you've been reading you'll know that these machines often need calibration/alignment once received as the mirrors shift in transit (this is no big deal but can be tedious, so patience will help the first time you do it).

If you are ordering from ebay, a UK seller with stock available in country would be preferred or factor in any import duty and other costs.

One last thing, do not buy one that uses NewlySEAL or an older version of Moshidraw. Newlydraw is ok, v1.5 is best. The machines also vary, so if you see one you like PM me or post here and I will take a look and give you some advice. Generally if it has the large EMO button on the front it is a better model than the ones that only have a couple of small switches (not always, but in most cases).

Zax.

[bpoulin]

The reason you don't hear much about glass, is unless you're doing very fine text, laser isn't the right way to etch glass. If you want to do glass, your best bet is a vinyl cutter and an air eraser (airbrush sized sand blaster). It has a better look to it. But some people like the look of laser etched glass, and you really can't sandblast a photo onto glass, so they both have their use, but it's pretty universally accepted that sand etched glass looks better. Laser Etched GlassorSand etched First I'll admit that whomever did the horses is VERY talented but you can see how smooth the finish is. Laser usually gives it a slightly crackled look.

[zax15uk]

Agreed. BUT....

That sand etched example is a bit misleading, it was certainly done by someone with a lot of skill and experience and I suspect it took a while.

The laser example could be done by anyone with some basic knowledge and suitable software and would be much faster. You can get some great results etching the silver backing from mirrors too, that way the glass is still smooth.

Zax.

[bpoulin]

I can't agree more on the horse, whomever did that is EXTREMELY talented. It was more to show the smoothness of the etch, I couldn't find a better example that had a large surface that was smooth, I don't have my air eraser set up right now, or I'd go do a side by side example.

[DavenUK]

Hi, Andy have a look at HPC's (here) laserscript 3020 - good support and a growing owners forum. They prepare the machines so it will run pretty much out of the box!

I have no relationship with the company other than being impressed!

Cheers

Dave