Time for an update, more than a month later.
Worth the moneyâŚNot really.
I bought it figuring all the easy updates I could do, make it giant, slap it on the MPCNC or the LowRider no problem, shoot I doubt it.
This is a whole new level of required accuracy, and as we all know out of the box it does not meet those requirements.
I have spent at least 20 hours getting what I want out of the alignment, 6mm MDF cuts. I will comfortably say that is the max.
Not sure how to structure this. So here is a random list of lessons learned.
1-I had to un-mount and turn the tube over as installed it holds a giant air bubble at the lens you are trying to keep cool.
2-You should never operate it above about 55% power, there is almost no cutting power to be gained but it adds a ton of heat and supposedly really kills the tube.
3-The bed clamp thing it comes with is pointless.
4-No way to adjust the bed depth other that shims, if you wanted to do a box lid or something you have some major disassembly to do.
5- Most of it is mounted to the sheet metal bottom so any movements and it is all out of alignment and skew. Even though it is on wheels I had to put it on a rolling rack.
6-The software is not as bad as people make it out to be other than they send you corel draw and a Crack to install itâŚPirate much?
7-Scorchworks inkscape plugin is insanely awesome.
8- Air assist is a must for deeper cleaner cutting and etching, without it fire is a certainty, I printed my own nozzle.
Now the two large issues.
9-The ventilation thing is impossible. I have taped every hole shut from the inside and out, including taping it closed before turning it on, my lungs are killing me right now. I have no idea where this crap is leaking from but I am sure I have lung cancer in my future and that is after a 4 minute cut. I have added a fan as well, so the big one it comes with(with the back sealed with tape) and an inline duct booster fan, all duct taped shut hanging out a two story window. Iâd like to think I am no dummy but this thing spews crap into the air and I donât know where from. I tried controlling the inlet of fresh air from small holes to the lid being slightly open, It still smell like I had a boyscout jamboree kumbaya bonfire in the office. And I am not lying my lungs hurtâŚagain.
10-Lenses, alignment, ect. The lenses/mirrors come filthy, I had to chip stuff of with my finger nail. They obviously align it by sticking tape to the lenses and burning it. They are no where near alignment when you get it. The lenses/mirrors that come with it are pretty bad and not big enough. The lens has a very small aperture when placed in a 45 degree mount, anything but perfect center alignment will clip the beam and severely limit your total power at the cutting point (the beam is actually very large and only focuses/culminates at the final lens. The 1st and second mirrors are on hand cut sheet metal mounts with no way to align them in the z axis other than bending or shimming the mount screws. The 3rd nozzle mirror has no alignments other than rotational in itâs hole and forward and backward (Yaxis). So I ended up with a low nozzle mirror that was angled in, yup shims and tape on the mirror to angle it and it is still a few mm off.
Doing it yourself is a better option, you need the tube, power supply, mirrors and lenses, and mirror lens mounts. Lots of site documenting how to use a aduino based board to control them. From there a few 3D printed parts in a custom box with some knock off hiwin rails would be a much better laser. Adding this as is to a mpcnc is not the best option I donât think. If you got a set of larger mirrors/and lenses it could work but laser alignment in not laughing matter. You will be doing it all yourself anyway might as well start from scratch.
Again if it is just for etching, it works great, cutting is a whole new ballgame.
So for 6mm MDF I cut at 55% power at 5mm/s with air assist. I easily do the same on either cnc at 8.3mm/s but it takes two passes as I do a rough and finishing pass, the laser is slightly faster, butâŚ6mm is the laser absolute max and it has a heavily modified bed to cut 332mm wide by 192mm long the lowrider is 8âx4â. I really hoped this would help increase my production.
Â
).