laser cutter?

[MWaldorf]

Does anyone here use a laser cutter to make their own custom flat work? If so, what model are you using and how much of a PITA was it to get up and running?

I used an online service and got some flat work out of birch ply, but I'd like to be able to use vulcanized fiberboard and to experiment with form, etc.

Thanks,
Mel

[David King]

Welcome Mel!
Nordstrand and TVJones have had lasers running for years now. They don't spend a lot of time here. Epilogue is the brand I've run into the most but there are lots of "inexpensive" lasers coming in from China now which might be OK.They still cost a lot and the tubes have to be replaced or rebuilt periodically so they aren't free to own either.

[MWaldorf]

Thanks David. I had a feeling this would be a major endeavor, and I'm not sure I'm ready to make that jump yet.

Is there anyone doing custom flatwork for others? None of the maker style online services I found have vulcanized fiberboard as an available material.

[Rodent]

I have been looking into the option of adding a laser cutter for custom flatwork (and other types of work), but can't seem to get an answer as to whether 60W is enough to cut the various .09" materials we can use for bobbins (i.e. fishpaper, Acetal, etc ...)

here's a link to one of several units I've looked at in the under $3K US range.

http://www.cnccheap.com/index.php?ro...product_id=121

I like that this has a US base for parts and tech support, that each unit is verified working post import from the manufacturer, and that any shipping issues can be addressed domestically vs. ordering direct from China


but still the lingering question: is 60W enough to cut flatwork, or do I instead need 80W, 100W, or ???

[eschertron]

but still the lingering question: is 60W enough to cut flatwork, or do I instead need 80W, 100W, or ???

Maybe a local university physics department could help. If they have a laser lab, a sample of the material (or just a description?) might allow them to answer that.

[riz]

Hi Mel, nice to see you here. PM me, I may be able to help.

[big_teee]

Hi Mel, nice to see you here. PM me, I may be able to help.

Could you please share some info with everyone?
T

[David King]

Rod, 60W should be plenty. IIRC Carey's first laser was only 35W. It all depends on how big a hurry you are in. You'll need to price in the ventilation and air filtering systems when looking at lasers.

[Lollar Jason]

I have 2 universals. 60 watts will cut half inch acrylic and will cut forbon quickly. My first one was a 35 watt and we used it like that for years- which will cut 1/2 acrylic too but works slower I expected it would take three years to break even on it but it paid for itself the first year. If you are not in the middle of a city just hook up a small dust collector without a bag as your vent and it is way more than you need, use a 4 inch plastic pipe as a chimney to get it up in the air high enough you wont smell acrylic fumes.get it 15 feet up. The biggest learning curve is the vector software to convert cad drawings into a program the lazer can follow. Also programming the power levels for different materials takes a while.
gurian instruments in WA state- I think its a ballard address- will cut whatever you want and they have forbon in stock, youll need to provide them with a dxf file at minimum and they can convert it if you dont have a vector file they can use. Heads up- know what you want before you call and be specific.

[Rodent]

thanks for confirmation that 60W is more than enough!!

I see that the laser tube has ~3000 hours usable lifespan. if I were to budget $50/hour for labor at a custom shop, that's a break even at just 49 hours of use time.

it also opens the door for adding custom etching to plastic and wooden covers (pickup, trussrod, control cavity, etc ...)

[Lollar Jason]

maybe closer to 300 hours if you buy a large capacity 60 watt epilogue or universal made machine. I wonder how accurate the chinese power ratings are, unbeliveable price even for china. $300 for a new laser tube- thats less than 1/15th the price of rebuilding a 60 watt cartridge.

[David King]

I think I'd probably start with illustrator or a CAD program, possibly even sketchup to figure out what i wanted. It's important to be there when the prototypes are burnt so you can check hole diameters and overall dimensions. I think the beam width is on the order of 3 mils and many parts are going to have a slight taper to the sides i.e. parts will be narrower on the top and a little wider on the bottom.

[Rodent]

since I'm currently utilizing a CNC to cut my custom bobbins, all of the basic CAD work is complete. what I was never able to get from one of the laser shops was what dimensional mods I needed to make to compensate for their laser ... a few thou larger/smaller could easily be done before saving the sanitized file. setting up layers/colors for laser power levels and cut speed will also be handy, and once worked out the details are repeatable with ease

if properly planned for, that taper works in your favor when assembling the bobbin

I currently utilize two tools to cut each flatwork set, and one of my P2 sized split coil sets takes about 10 minutes tool time for all 10 pieces. I'm sure the laser will cut this significantly faster and with less waste

[Rodent]

Mel - great timing on this thread

[Rodent]

thoughts on a laser cutter that has a red dot locating spot, but doesn't have an auto focus? how difficult is it to set the focus manually, and how do you go about it?

everything I see under $4500 US doesn't have an auto focus option, hence my question ... and $4500 is outside of my current working budget