Hello and possibly wrong place to post

[Hseboston]

I know what I want to make I know what I want it to look like I just don't know how to make it everywhere I've been told I get a different answer either I need a CNC machine or I need a cricut machine.

I want to make very small designs like you would find on laser cut wedding invitations they would be approximately the size of the quarter very intricate designs within it. Using soda cans left over materials, wood or plastic.

so obviously I don't need this large expensive machine I need something that's going to be micro can anyone point me into the right direction I'm not looking to spend a fortune but certainly want something that is quality the items I will always make will not get bigger than a 5 x 7.

Thanks

[Storen]

Welcome to the forum!

Most of the laser machines are very accurate and could be an excellent choice for making small, intricate products (with some limitations). However, you should keep in mind a couple of things:

- Not all materials are safe to process with a laser. The lasers essentially evaporate the material and the fumes could be quite toxic.

- Different materials require a different type of laser, so you may have to limit the options for materials or buy more than one machine.

- The laser technology is relatively expensive.

[abyss]

Beside all other things:
Keep in mind if you will use white paper for invitations and you cut it with a laser you can expect slightly brown edges. Some material works better than other - but still you will have it. Check it in practice BEFORE you spend money, and don't trust seller pictures/writing - just check it standing beside machine. Quite often big factories uses for this purposes galvo CO2 laser machines which are small, but definitely NOT cheap as few hundred quids. They as fair I know use quite high power and speed and mentioned "browning" is reduced.

[ledaero]

Adjusting frequency and PPI you can get good results on white paper with air-assisted CO2, without browning. You need to do lots of testing to find the right settings, is all.

[ledaero]

I know what I want to make I know what I want it to look like I just don't know how to make it everywhere I've been told I get a different answer either I need a CNC machine or I need a cricut machine.

I want to make very small designs like you would find on laser cut wedding invitations they would be approximately the size of the quarter very intricate designs within it. Using soda cans left over materials, wood or plastic.

so obviously I don't need this large expensive machine I need something that's going to be micro can anyone point me into the right direction I'm not looking to spend a fortune but certainly want something that is quality the items I will always make will not get bigger than a 5 x 7.

Thanks

Soda cans (aluminium) are going to be problematic with small CO2 lasers - you just can't cut them until you get up to the 150+ Watt range, and even then it's not easy.

CO2 lasers work best with organic material - wood, paper, leather, ply, mdf, and glass, acrylic, rubber, polystyrene, etc. (not PVC! Ever!)


A CNC router and Cricut won't be any more accurate than laser as they use physical devices to cut and your accuracy is limited to the smallest cutter or mill you can use, where a laser is accurate to about 0.1mm

Taking into account that the laser works by ablating material using heat generated by exciting the material - so a piece of plastic with a vaporisation temp of 250C or a sheet of mdf with a temp of 300C means that you are always going to be balancing heat with material removal.

And that's most of the 'art' - getting your frequency, speed, PPI (pixels per inch), power, focus, correct for the specific material you are wanting to cut or etch is half the battle.

You couldn't go far wrong by buying a K40-size machine (A4 - 300 x 200mm) with air-assist and having a go. You will invest $500 and at the worst case, will have a bunch of fun cutting stuff. Even if it ends up not being the tool for the job you want, you will find many uses to put one to.

As a reference, I pay US$350 for a quality K40 with a genuine 40W laser and air-assist. Try and find one that has had decent reviews, as there is a lot of crap out there.

[abyss]

Definitely on RF machine is a way easier than on DC.
Sadly Hseboston don't come with more details as for example budget range.

[ledaero]

Definitely on RF machine is a way easier than on DC.
Sadly Hseboston don't come with more details as for example budget range.

At 5x the price for RF over DC, it’s not 5x the performance, and the RF can’t cut aluminium.