Darkly Labs emblaser - affordable laser cutter - review

[Simond]

Nick

 

I fear you might be right.

 

I've just clocked that you're in Canterbury. I'm assuming that's the one in Kent, rather than NZ. I get my MDF from Wessex pictures in Beaver Rd Ind Est, in Ashford. I'm in Sandgate. Not the one in Brisbane...

 

HTH

Simon

[nick_bastable]

Nick

 

I fear you might be right.

 

I've just clocked that you're in Canterbury. I'm assuming that's the one in Kent, rather than NZ. I get my MDF from Wessex pictures in Beaver Rd Ind Est, in Ashford. I'm in Sandgate. Not the one in Brisbane...

 

HTH

Simon

actually in sunny Deal       

 

ply I get is via that auction site  truth is time I drive to ashford its cheaper to mail order it...

[Simond]

Yep, I can see that.

 

If you expect to find yourself in Hythe of a Thursday evening, drop me a PM, we partake of a beer...

 

Best

Simon. (Currently in Poland, again)

[monkeysarefun]

I couldn't get a good cut of in the end last night. I did place the laser underneath the cooker hood, which was successful at venting out the smoke. That said, I'm not going to rely on this, I will be putting something together permanently.

 

Nick, Those are some very fine lines you are producing there!

 

Out of interest, has anyone cut 4mm scale bricks? I traced the bricks from the photo I used last night and tried scoring the bricks into that ply but ended up with a charred mess. It was a bit late, so I decided not to continue. Maybe I need to go and find some MDF.

 

The good news is that the new gantry brackets arrived this morning. Luckily I wasn't stung for more tax & duty, so that's a definite win. I installed them, and while the right-hand one is still a little bit loose, the left one is absolutely solid, and the x axis rods aren't moving at all, which is great news.

 

I'll have time at the end of work to reattach the belts and give it another go.

 

cheers

 

Jason

 

G’day Jason,

 

Can I attach .svg files here? If so here is a small section of 4mm bricks, if you feel like giving it a go.

 

FLEMISH_extract.svg

 

I initially created it using a script to generate the horizontal and vertical lines but sending this to the laser didn’t give a completely satisfying result – the lines were too thin and there was a slight overburn from the vertical joins intruding on the bricks. Playing with Inkscape I converted all the lines to paths and then joined them all together to give a kind of brick stencil  if you can picture that.. kind of like the ones they use to cover concrete paths and drives with brick patterns. It is tileable,. To join tiles together, butt them up, select both tiles with the path tool and select the union  option under the paths menu.

 

I’ve also included the .pdf that can go straight into CutLaser.

 

 

FLEMISH_extract.pdf

 

To cut in ply, select ‘cut’ at 80% power, 20mm/sec 1 pass. This will etch each brick individually. If you select the ‘fill’ option it will ‘engrave' the mortar lines rather than drawing them as straight lines (ie, imagine ‘colouring them in’ with tiny lines across the mortar joins rather than drawing straight lines with a pencil). I

thought at first this option was the one to go with  but in reality it takes longer than the cut option, looks no better and can do strange things if there are other lines such as windows or wall edges that bisect the mortar lines – you can end up with sections of bricks engraved rather than the mortar lines.

 

The result should be similar to this if using  the above settings .( ignoring the undercoat and the dry-brush experiments!)  , if you have the focus and belt tensions set right.

This is cheaper poplar ply, rather than the more expensive beech, the beech doesn’t cut with the laser. 

Edited May 7, 2016 by monkeysarefun

[Giles]

News just in.....

 

Emblaser 2 Pre-Order Special

 

$1299 USD (50% discount of MSRP)

 

 

Expected Delivery

 

December 2016

 

Today's prices - just under £900 (plus import etc.....)

Edited May 4, 2016 by Giles

[MikeTrice]

Not an emblaser user myself (yet) but just a thought: if black card can cut better than white card would painting troublesome ply black first help?

[nick_bastable]

News just in.....

 

Emblaser 2 Pre-Order Special

 

$1299 USD (50% discount of MSRP)

 

 

Expected Delivery

 

December 2016

 

Today's prices - just under £900 (plus import etc.....)

so well over  a Grand with VAT even with a 50% discount, beyond my means  for a Hobby item

 

Nick

[monkeysarefun]

so well over  a Grand with VAT even with a 50% discount, beyond my means  for a Hobby item

 

Nick

 

I'm happy with the Emblasers size and convenience, but more power is always welcome, so the news that they will be offering the improved more powerful laser diodes as upgrades, means  thats probably the best of both worlds (depending on how much they cost obviously!)

 

New software never goes astray, either..

[monkeysarefun]

Not an emblaser user myself (yet) but just a thought: if black card can cut better than white card would painting troublesome ply black first help?

 

 

I couldn't find the 'hmmmm.. food for thought' emoticon, so..

Hmmm... food for thought!

Edited May 4, 2016 by monkeysarefun

[nick_bastable]

I couldn't find the 'hmmmm.. food for thought' emoticon, so..

Hmmm... food for thought!

I don't think so I think the problems the glue used to laminate it

 

Nick

[teetrix]

For all those who struggle with MDF: There is a stuff named "Kraftplex", made entirely of wood fibre.

 

https://www.laserbeest.nl/wp-content/uploads/09_pdf/kraftplex_productinformatie.pdf

http://shop.kraftplex.com/epages/61603095.sf/en_GB/?ViewObjectPath=%2FShops%2F61603095%2FCategories%2FProdukte%2FKraftplex

 

Their T&C said they sell only to businesses, but when I asked, I was told they sell to individuals too. Additional this company was mentioned as dealer:

http://www.formulor.de/material/kraftplex

 

Formulor is an interesting lasercutting company itself - they allow you to create your design in a browser window or upload Adobe Illustrator, Corel or Inkscape files.

For all those who haven't got their emblaser yet

http://www.formulor.de/

 

Michael

Edited May 4, 2016 by teetrix

[Giles]

...and of course I get both ply and MDF from Hobart Laser Supply, all of which cuts very well (assuming you get the laser quality ply!)

[JCL]

Hi there. When I was a kid I was told to get outside more, And so it is that I find myself in the shade (because it's 27C) on the deck with my laptop on turbo and the laser cutter by my side being bombarded by big leaf maple flowers. I don't think this is what my parents meant...

I've tried your score/engrave setting Chris on some 1/16" bass wood (not ply), and you're on the money. This is an image of a cutting test (my circle and pentagon, your bricks), and it came out wonderfully well.

The circle is 10mm dia.

1/16" or 1.58mm basswood
Cut was 10mm/sec, 90%, 2 passes

3/32" or 2.4mm basswood
Cut was 10, 90%, 5

 

1/8" basswood

Cut 10, 100%, 7

1/16" mat card
Cut was 10, 90%, 5 - must be all the extra glue or something.

For my wood and my machine these settings gave a clean cut with barely any bleed on the upper surface, and no bleed/charring below. The beam just cut the white card mat underneath the workpiece. Although the card was the same thickness as the 1/16" basswood, it took the settings used by the 3/32" basswood to cut through it. That said, it was very clean indeed underneath.

For all
Score was 20, 80%, 1 (your settings)

 

Black Dollar Store Card

Cut - 10mm/sec 50% 1 pass
Score - 10mm/sec 20% 1 pass

 

1.3mm (50pt) Chipboard

Cut - 5mm/sec 100% 3 passes

Score 10mm/sec 100% 1 passes

 

3mm hardboard found on the back of a clipboard

Not a chance!

Thanks very much.


Underside of the 3/32" basswood


Initial 1/16" test

Edited to add:

The first thing I'll do is get some platforms cut and etched. The end result of today is a section of platform top surface. The square-ish holes are for railing posts that I previously designed and printed in 3D. (In the gnr-models link in my signature)

 

edited again to add dollar store card. I'll keep updating this post as I try new materials.

Edited June 12, 2016 by JCL

[monkeysarefun]

G'day Jason,

That platform surface does look really good!

 

I've been doing Mothers Day cards to order for random strangers who've heard I have a laser cutter.

 

Kind of like when I got all mid life crisis-y and bought this subtle 6Litre V8 ute

 

 

Suddenly people I didn't even know I knew needed their fridge moved....

Edited May 8, 2016 by monkeysarefun

[JCL]

hahaha. Same here when I used to be in IT support. Friends and family wanted me to help sort out their computers. The worst was someone who had over 600 films downloaded onto their hard drives (some were, ahem, niche viewing) and absolutely no virus scanning - a couple of hours and a dozen viruses later, I told them to backup their data and reinstall Windows.

Edited May 8, 2016 by JCL

[peter220950]

 

Kind of like when I got all mid life crisis-y and bought this subtle 6Litre V8 ute

 

IMAG0670 (1024x579).jpg

 

Suddenly people I didn't even know I knew needed their fridge moved....

 

Funny it was only Friday that I was watching Kill Bill!

 

 

Nothing wrong with a mid life crisis, I'm still in one when retired.

 

Peter

[nick_bastable]

that's no mid life crises   after 5 years witha restored X1-9 I went for one of these

 

 

the car not the current Mrs B or abandoned colliery

 

 

[JCL]

Boring stuff now I'm afraid - I have a Ford Windstar that won't win any prizes...

 

I've spent part of the morning putting together a section of platform for Havenhouse that will be cut later/this week in the picture framing mount card. The idea is that there will be two sides and a central spine which will be slotted together with pieces of card across the width. There is a foot in the card sections that span the width 3mm high at the bottom to help me locate the sides. I just have to create the back wall now.

 

Something I've found interesting is file sizes. Based on a sample of one, it would appear that if anyone wants to put drawing files onto here, then the svg format produces the largest file. The file sizes for each file format I've tested are:

 

format kb

svg 1,195

dxf   388

ai    112

eps    74

pdf    12

 

These were before I added the top surface, the pdf file with this is 19k.

 

So for the platform section at least, the pdf format has created the smallest file size. The other benefit is that pdf files are already acceptable as attachments by rmweb.

 

Although I haven't tested it yet, I've attached the pdf below.

 

platform.pdf

 

Hope that makes sense, though I fear it is gobbledegook.

Edited May 8, 2016 by JCL

[Simond]

Jason

 

I think you might want to double up the top surface to prevent it sagging between the ribs.

 

Just a thought

Best

Simon

[JCL]

Thanks Simon, I'll bear that in mind.

 

If this has been spoken about, then please accept my apologies. I was thinking about how to preserve Inkscape layers when importing them into Cut2D. The only way I read was to create a pdf with a different layer on each page. This isn't really useful if using Inkscape, but I I've found a workaround.

 

The test file that I was cutting last night was a pentagon and circle, to which I imported Chris's bricks. It wasn't until just now I realised that the bricks imported into a separate layer. Now, the platform pdf has two layers: cut and score, which are self-explanatory. In Inkscape I turned off the score layer so that only the cut information was visible, then I saved this as platform-cut.eps. Then I swapped so that the cut layer was hidden and the score layer was displayed, and saved this as platform-score.eps.

 

In Cut2D I opened the cut file and then chose import to import the score file. The score file information was successfully imported into a second layer called platform-score. This means that I can easily turn off the cut layer and select all of the score lines, to set up the toolpath score settings before switching and setting up the toolpath cut settings.

 

If your two layers aren't lining up, try drawing a rectangle on a third layer in Inkscape around the work-pieces. Ensure that this layer remains visible so that the rectangle is in each of the saved files that are to be imported into Cut2D. When all of the layers have been imported into Cut2D, delete the rectangles.

 

Hope this helps someone.

 

cheers

 

Jason

[Giles]

I can't afford a mid-life crisis.....

 

However, I shall be selling these drain covers for 7mm to help ease burdens...

 

[teetrix]

They look superb, Giles!

 

Michael

[SHMD]

They do indeed look superb.

I found myself looking for the makers name (and/or town) cast into the grids.

 

Would it be possible to burn some writing into the grids?

 

 

Kev.

(Only joking...... ish!)

[Giles]

The writing (when it's there) is always raised, so far as I know - and sadly, I think that is pushing it, given that the widest bit of 'metal' is only about 1.5mm.

 

I'm also looking at round covers - the 2' diameter ones – but because they have raised square grips, it means the whole thing has to be engraved, which takes at least 10minutes on the machine each (lots of lines, close together, low power) - therefore making them potentially pricy.

[Simond]

Not wishing to steal Giles' thunder here, there are whitemetal grids and manhole covers available. 

 

The whitemetal ones do have one advantage  - they are conductive.  I have used this to pass power to the wheels of road vehicles, so that they are able to have working sidelights, as would be appropriate for a parked vehicle, without the hassle of wires to the vehicle.

 

best

Simon