New Laser Engraver...Your thoughts and Feedback??

[velocitygraphix]

Hello everyone,
I was thinking about purchasing a laser engraver. I have done a lot of engraving on glass and wood, but the demand is so great, that I need something for more of a "production". I obviously want something reliable, and easy to use. I have looked into about every engraver on the market. From the $700 dollar models in china to the $40,000 dollar models in the U.S. I need something for the size of around 8x10, and will engrave on acrylic, and wood. Or at least etch on it. I guess the word engraving is thrown out for glass, but you know what I mean...I found this one, and the seller has been helpful, and is located in the U.S. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CO2-Professi...QQcmdZViewItem
It says it is the Artcut M40, but appears like a laser from rabbit. Not sure, but very similar. I wanted to know if anyone has used this, and what your opinions are of it. For the money, and the size, not sure if it cant be beat. Appreciate any feedback. Thanks!!

[ccroyscuba]

I have one of these, if you are trying to do fine engraving, be prepared to go slow, if you go faster than the slowest setting, the stepper motors can't keep up and they skip, therefore destroying your project, maybe this is just my machine but i have been trying to resolve the problem for months and have no luck. It will do it when you scan also.

[bisjoe]

For the small size you need, you can get a reliable U.S. built system for $10,000 or less. If you go for that Artcut, buy 3-4 of them so you have backups, once you start doing production work downtime will hurt.

[Neil Pritchett]

The M500C laser from Redsail will do the job.
OK, we sell them in the UK so this is a biased to Redsail.

We run them at 300mm sec. and power of 30% for glass and up to 700mm sec. for wood.
Whichever laser you buy, just make sure it is from a good dealer who will give you support if things go wrong!

We commission every machine in our factory in the UK before it is shipped to the customer. We also send an engineer to do the installation and training. This ensures the machine is up and running, and the user knows how to get results from day 1.
Full spares are also in stock, just in case!

Best regards, Neil (for CTRfuture Ltd) www.ctrlasers.co.uk

[austin.mn]

can anyone tell me, would one of the above mentioned 40w lasers wok for doing cut outs of 3M double sided tape?

i have been machining custom car emblems and would like to be able to add the double sided tape to them to make them a bit more finished, cutting that tape to a shape with a razor is a real pain, and doesn't give good results.

thanks for any replies/recomendations

[box0303x]

i just purchased the artcut m40 from ebay... i havent opened it up to use it yet. but what is your take on it?

[reedt]

I have not yet purchased the laser engraver/cutter. I am looking at the Artcut M40. Can anyone recommend another laser engraver for under $5000? and will the Artcut M40 cut wood as well?

[bisjoe]

Originally Posted by austin.mn can anyone tell me, would one of the above mentioned 40w lasers wok for doing cut outs of 3M double sided tape? i have been machining custom car emblems and would like to be able to add the double sided tape to them to make them a bit more finished, cutting that tape to a shape with a razor is a real pain, and doesn't give good results. thanks for any replies/recomendations

Most any laser with 25+ watts will cut double sided tape. I will apply it to material to be cut ahead of time and cut the part and tape together for easy application. I have also cut just the tape in shapes to match parts that were not cut by laser. This is often 3M467 (thin laminating tape) and 3M VHB foam tape.