Low cost laser Engraver

[JoelDirn]

Hi Steve,

Earlier you said the machine would work from a .PLT file, is that correct?

Have you tried configuring your HPGL driver to print to a file?

Then you would hopefully be able to plot from CAD to file, then dump the file to the laser.


- Joel -

[sidi_steve]

Joel -

I wish it would work from a .PLT

There are 2 output options:
1)The software can output directly to the machine
2) The software can output to a .PLT file

I have tried many, many ways to plot one of those files, but no dice. The file is standard HP-GL (very simple X and Y coord data and pen up + pen down).

But apparently the device itself does not run directly on hpgl.

So, what I am hoping to do is redirect the output from the port to a file. Then I can read the file and determine what it is that the device is expecting...

Steve

[Salty72]

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[Mick Molloy]

I am looking for a machine to cut balsa and ply wood as well as etch various products... I hav looked at Epilog but they are dear...

What do you sell hkxy???

[hkxy]

I sell the machine which the laser cuts,Cuts the size is the 1200*800 millimeter,
Also may defer to you to request to make 3,000 millimeter below the laser to cut the machine,He may relaxed cut balsa,I have the experience,Because I use this machine building model airplane

[scott wiggins]

I might be in for one of these, if the price is right and the software is acceptable.

[hkxy]

price and the software is acceptable

[miljnor]

hey has anyone used these machines to engrave on chrome or polished aluminum?

If so what steps do you have to do the make it work? ie cover with paper, lamp black or what not.

How many watts would you need to cut tin foil type thickness in metal? (don't answer unless you done this, as I realy don't need speculation)

Also Sid_steve when you engraved the mirror/glass for Dairmaid did you run the laser over the whole surface or just on the features?

if you ran it over the whole features, why? and will it let you just engrave on the image itself?

edit: i looked at the image more thuroughly and I see that it was run as a negative image. Can you run it as a positve image where just the bird and leaves are engraved?

[diarmaid]

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[sidi_steve]

Hey Miljnor -

In this case, the laser engraved where the image was light in color and it did not engrave where the image was dark. There is a choice. There are 2 check boxes (click on one and the other goes unchecked) One check box is for "cave" and one is for "convex"

Here is what the manual says:
Convex/Cave: Two kinds of mode of the seal, choose the mode needed;

I forget which option I chose, but one engraves the black part of the image and the other choice engraves the white part of an image.

I will test on alum foil later

steve

[miljnor]

I was reading an artical on focal length and watts vs focal point size and focal length, It said you need a certain power level to burn through certain materials.

So a XX watt laser is needed to burn thru X material at XXX focal point size (something about engergy density). So I think a 40watt laser will never be able to get to this energy density, because you can't focus the beem tight enough, due to Wavelength of a C02 laser.

I am more interested now in if it will engrave a chrome part without a laser marking compond (acts similarly to toner from a laser jet but wont come off of metal surface).

[scott wiggins]

Can the engrave a cylindrical object, such as a glass, or is it limited to flat plates?