What laser cutter are you using?

[dajt]

I see the long thread about the Emblazer, but what other machines are in use by members? I'm not convinced by the fact the Emblazer uses 3d printed parts and seems to have a very low power laser.

 

I may be able to get one soon and would like something that can at least engrave metal, if not cut it. I'd also be using it for 7mm buildings and rolling stock.

 

Has anyone had any luck engraving brass with the various coatings you can spray or paint on?

 

Regards,

David.

[monkeysarefun]

If you are after something to engrave metal, you'd be needing probably to look at a fibre laser, such as this one on the Full Spectrum laser site (fslaser.com) :

 

 Scanning Galvo Fiber Laser

• Rotating Mirrors rapidly move laser beam up to 100x faster
• Mark, engrave and micro-machine metal and most plastics directly
• Laser is contained within fiber optic cable (no optics to adjust)
• Virtually no maintenance
• Low energy consumption from standard 110v.
• Starting at $12,000

 

Cutting it costs a bit more:

 

Metal Cutter Series Flatbed CO2 Laser

• Cut up to 4'x8' sheets
• Cuts up to 1" acrylic/wood and up to 1.2mm stainless steel
• CO2 laser offers economy option over fiber laser
• Lowest cost steel cutting capabilities
• Starting at $25,000

Those are US dollars by the way.

 

It might be worthwhile checkng out the Chinese lasers on Ebay which are usually much cheaper, but MAY require some tinkering to get accurate performance( and to meet safety standards)  - going solely by what I read on forums when researching laser cutters.

[teetrix]

Hi David,

 

most lasercutters don't like brass and copper, because the metal vapours can damage the mirrors. Engraving is possible, but don't expect something similar to chemical etching.

 

Because metal is such a hard material it isn’t possible to achieve any depths beyond a surface marking.

 

cited from this page:

 

http://www.cutlasercut.com/laser-cutting-materials-laser-engraving-materials/laser-etching-brass-laser-engraving-brass

 

To get deeper into the topic, I recommend two Forums (or "Fora" or whatever :-)  ):

 

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/forumdisplay.php?8-Engravers-Forum     (american)

 

http://www.laser-engravers.de/?l=2                       (german)

 

Michael

[dajt]

Thanks. I knew a machine that could really cut would be expensive but I thought 0.010" tin might have been possible.

 

Perhaps the Emblazer is the way to go. Most people seem to like it and it looks like it can do whatever small scale modelling requires. It is a shame they don't like plasticard but perhaps there are other thin plastics that work, or just make paper and card models like those ones Mike Trice was showing!

[bmthtrains - David]

If it's for metal parts, especially etching, why are you looking at lasers anyway? Far cheaper to get an acid etching tank, or simply use a photo etching firm like PPD.

 

David

[monkeysarefun]

Thanks. I knew a machine that could really cut would be expensive but I thought 0.010" tin might have been possible.

 

Perhaps the Emblazer is the way to go. Most people seem to like it and it looks like it can do whatever small scale modelling requires. It is a shame they don't like plasticard but perhaps there are other thin plastics that work, or just make paper and card models like those ones Mike Trice was showing!

Hey mate, there are laserable plastic alternatives available that the emblaser should handle. I have the address of a place in Riverwood, just off the M5 that I can get to, I'm hoping to get there  this week  and getting some samples to try on my emblaser so I can let you know how it goes.

[dajt]

If it's for metal parts, especially etching, why are you looking at lasers anyway? Far cheaper to get an acid etching tank, or simply use a photo etching firm like PPD.

 

David

 

Because the laser can do all sorts of useful stuff so having it be able to cut through some thin metal would be nice too. I was pretty sure it wouldn't but was hoping someone had tried with their machine and could report what happened. Even marking metal with cutting lines would be useful.

 

I haven't found a convenient way to get etching done in Aus, and while I have done my own etching I don't enjoy the process.

[dajt]

Hey mate, there are laserable plastic alternatives available that the emblaser should handle. I have the address of a place in Riverwood, just off the M5 that I can get to, I'm hoping to get there  this week  and getting some samples to try on my emblaser so I can let you know how it goes.

 

Thanks monkeys, I look forward to hearing how it goes! Pretty sure I'll get an Emblazer (if anything) based upon the success you've had in the Emblazer thread. It seems like the next step up is about 3000-4000 GBP or 8000-9000 USD and I'd rather spend that sort of money on something else!

[flubrush]

Because the laser can do all sorts of useful stuff so having it be able to cut through some thin metal would be nice too. I was pretty sure it wouldn't but was hoping someone had tried with their machine and could report what happened. Even marking metal with cutting lines would be useful.

 

I haven't found a convenient way to get etching done in Aus, and while I have done my own etching I don't enjoy the process.

 

If you want to cut or engrave metal then you probably want to consider a CNC mill of some type.

 

Jim.

[monkeysarefun]

Thanks monkeys, I look forward to hearing how it goes! Pretty sure I'll get an Emblazer (if anything) based upon the success you've had in the Emblazer thread. It seems like the next step up is about 3000-4000 GBP or 8000-9000 USD and I'd rather spend that sort of money on something else!

 

 

Thjere is also the glowforge, which looks really impressive but the release keeps getting pushed back and it relies on cloud access, and MicroMark do one too, which looks like a rebadged Chinese Ebay one and requires an external water cooling setup utilising a plastic bucket, has a small cutting area given overall size of the unit  and weighs about 30kgs so postage charges to AUS would be....'noticeable'.

[linds]

Hey mate, there are laserable plastic alternatives available that the emblaser should handle. I have the address of a place in Riverwood, just off the M5 that I can get to, I'm hoping to get there this week and getting some samples to try on my emblaser so I can let you know how it goes.

Geeze mate you've got a lot to answer for.

I've just received confirmation that my emblaser is on its way.

 

Please let us know how you get on with the plastic sheet. I'll see what I can find around Melbourne.

 

Linds

 

Edited to tame unruly tablet.

[teetrix]

I can second Jim (flubrush) regarding the CNC mill. Cutting and engraving styrene and thin metal isn't a problem for them, and the drawings are prepared with the same software.  There are entry level machines and kits at reasonable costs. Maybe you find something similar to this in Australia:

https://www.stepcraft-systems.com/en/ 

 

Btw: The emblaser uses other wavelengths of light as the CO2 thingys do (blue instead of infrared). I doubt it can cut clear plastics, because the laserbeam is not absorbed by the material, but simply goes through.

 

Michael

[Giles]

I'm pretty sure I read that the Emblazer will cut cast Perspex (clear) to 1.5mm or so, as it's 'clear' to the visible spectrum, but definitely not 'clear' to the wave-lengths of the laser.....

 

At some stage I'll order some and try it.

[monkeysarefun]

Geeze mate you've got a lot to answer for.

I've just received confirmation that my emblaser is on its way.

 

Please let us know how you get on with the plastic sheet. I'll see what I can find around Melbourne.

 

Linds

 

Edited to tame unruly tablet.

 

 

Your in Melbourne - you should get yours tomorrow then!

 

(Don't forget to register the software via the link on the confirmation email, they work UK business hours and its a long wait until Tuesday if you get the laser built on the weekend....)

 

Hmmmm, we seem to have invaded this thread too!

[AdamsRadial]

For cutting thin metal, why not look at Electrical Discharge Machining? Like laser cutting there are no side-forces on the moving platform so the machine would be less heavy than a CNC machine. The awkward factor is the need to use a liquid dielectric to additionally carry the swarf away from the working spot.

 

Cutting plastics can be done, but there are two issues with the laser, (three if you count the fact that some of the fumes produced by burning plastic are toxic).

 

First, low-power laser beams tend to melt the plastic rather than turn it into fumes, so doing several passes with the laser just seems to lower the line by a small amount, and the sides fall in much like digging a canal through soggy ground.

 

Second, the shiny surfaces tend to reflect light and so some of the beam intensity is not available for cutting. (There is also an increased risk to people nearby because of stray beams).

 

I've experimented with pieces from old VHS cassettes, trying to find a way to recycle them, and have managed to burn grooves into them perhaps 0.5mm deep with a 500 mWatt diode, but repeated passes simply seemed to widen the cut more than deepen it.

 

I'm currently experimenting with the reflectivity problem by first using the plotter to draw black lines where I am going to cut to see if I can reduce the amount of beam-scattering. So far it looks good for the first cut, but it isn't feasible to then go over it again with the pen because of drag.

[linds]

Your in Melbourne - you should get yours tomorrow then!

 

(Don't forget to register the software via the link on the confirmation email, they work UK business hours and its a long wait until Tuesday if you get the laser built on the weekend....)

 

Hmmmm, we seem to have invaded this thread too!

Yes,that's what Australia Post reckon.

 

Registered the software as soon as I received the email.

 

This is my last post on this thread. I'll use the other one if I have any thing sensible to say.

 

TTFN

Linds