Cutting leather with laser

[Dwight]

2 hours ago, Ferg said:

    

No stitching, Red cover is .8mm calf skin, Polished brass snap   Lining is .6mm Kangaroo

Wife's cover. She always has smudges on the screen, drives me nuts. The little round overlay is cover for back side of snap piece. With leather this thin I don't like to put the hardware on single layer.

I use good quality plastic edge and back cover for phone. Velcro on leather and back of phone case. 

I cut 1/8" mdf core maple panel with laser to match the total layout of cover.

 

2 hours ago, Ferg said:

Couple of really good looking phone cases . . . 

You did really well on those

May God bless,

Dwight

 

 

 

 

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[Dwight]

23 minutes ago, Bert03241 said:

The co2 is in the tube inside the laser housing, after about 10000 hrs of use the co2 runs out and the tube must be recharged or replaced

Well . . . that's interesting.  How much different in cutting is the co2 from just a regular laser cutter?

And . . . yeah . . . I bit the bullet on lightburn . . . if for no other reason than the little test strips you can make when you go to a new material.  

I didn't want to spend the bucks . . . but it can be quite a savings if it keeps one from botching up a bunch of leather.

What does a 60 watt co2 machine go for these day?  And how expensive is the co2 when it comes time?

Thanks, . . . may God bless,

Dwight

[Bert03241]

6 hours ago, Dwight said:

Well . . . that's interesting.  How much different in cutting is the co2 from just a regular laser cutter?

And . . . yeah . . . I bit the bullet on lightburn . . . if for no other reason than the little test strips you can make when you go to a new material.  

I didn't want to spend the bucks . . . but it can be quite a savings if it keeps one from botching up a bunch of leather.

What does a 60 watt co2 machine go for these day?  And how expensive is the co2 when it comes time?

Thanks, . . . may God bless,

Dwight

what do you consider to be a regular laser cutter? Co2 is pretty much the standard in laser cutters. Cost to replace a tube is between 2 and 400$ pretty cheap for another 10000 hrs of work. My machine was around 7000 new in 2012 and as far as I know the tube still has life in it 

[Dwight]

51 minutes ago, Bert03241 said:

what do you consider to be a regular laser cutter? Co2 is pretty much the standard in laser cutters. Cost to replace a tube is between 2 and 400$ pretty cheap for another 10000 hrs of work. My machine was around 7000 new in 2012 and as far as I know the tube still has life in it 

My "big" machine is a 10watt Ortur . . . and it's 10 watts of power delivered to the actual cutting beam itself.  

I cut the 1/8 inch basswood plywood with it . . . one pass . . . usually using LaserGRBL.  It actually is my favorite program . . . I'm more confident with it than with Lightburn . . . 

Nothing in any of the literature mentions co2 . . . but it does have the air assist option . . . which makes really clean and "pretty" cuts.  I can get a 50 watt (?) interchangeable head for it for aroung 500 bucks . . . which will probably be my next move . . .  if and when I decide to go the bigger power route for cutting holster patterns.

I would never have gotten into the laser if I had not gotten that little 3000 milliwatt unit.  It's fun to do light duty stuff with.

I could barely afford the Ortur when I got it . . . and only did that because a fellow here was buying a couple of more powerful ones for his wife . . . and I got the Ortur for about 60% or so of list price when I got it.  It's really a cool machine . . . i engraved a set of 6 drinking glasses for my son and his wife a couple years ago for a Christmas present.  Took a picture of their house  . . .  turned it into a line drawing . . . and engraved it on the glasses.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Bert03241]

8 hours ago, Dwight said:

My "big" machine is a 10watt Ortur . . . and it's 10 watts of power delivered to the actual cutting beam itself.  

I cut the 1/8 inch basswood plywood with it . . . one pass . . . usually using LaserGRBL.  It actually is my favorite program . . . I'm more confident with it than with Lightburn . . . 

Nothing in any of the literature mentions co2 . . . but it does have the air assist option . . . which makes really clean and "pretty" cuts.  I can get a 50 watt (?) interchangeable head for it for aroung 500 bucks . . . which will probably be my next move . . .  if and when I decide to go the bigger power route for cutting holster patterns.

I would never have gotten into the laser if I had not gotten that little 3000 milliwatt unit.  It's fun to do light duty stuff with.

I could barely afford the Ortur when I got it . . . and only did that because a fellow here was buying a couple of more powerful ones for his wife . . . and I got the Ortur for about 60% or so of list price when I got it.  It's really a cool machine . . . i engraved a set of 6 drinking glasses for my son and his wife a couple years ago for a Christmas present.  Took a picture of their house  . . .  turned it into a line drawing . . . and engraved it on the glasses.

May God bless,

Dwight

A 50W CO2 laser significantly outperforms a 50W diode laser in cutting speed and material capability

(especially clear acrylic and thick wood) due to its

wavelength and higher thermal efficiency. While 50W diodes offer high-detail, low-maintenance, and cost-effective engraving, CO2 lasers are generally faster for cutting, with a 50W CO2 often providing twice the effective power in practice. 

[dikman]

The downside to my 10w diode laser is it can't cut clear acrylic, which is a nuisance. A CO2 would be nice but I've got nowhere to put it so I make do.