Epilog Laser Engraved Leather Tray

[kbaumgarten]

This is my first post on this site, so hello to everyone. 

I recently added a 40 watt Epilog Laser to my shop.  All I can say is WOW!  It is a metal tube laser that is air chilled, not requiring water cooling.  Attached is a photo of a leather tray I make (catchalls) that is laser engraved and then airbrushed.  This particular client wanted their logo and the date added.   

If you have questions about Epilog, I will do my best to answer based on my experiences. 

Karl 

[JerseyFirefighter]

2nd on the Epilog. I love mine as well. It burns to know I have it sitting idle half the time because im so backlogged. I usually run it once a week to focus on just lasered items. It does open up a whole new aspect of leather projects. 

[Mark842]

I'll jump on the question train as I'm in the market for one. Have you used it to cut 6 oz-ish veg tan yet? Can it do this without leaving the leather looking burnt?

Then there is the issue with me...when it comes to tech I'm kind of a mouth breather. I'm self taught on most things computer out of necessity. How hard is this to learn how to use?

Last but not least. Epilogs website, under the FAQ's for the mini's shows the price starting at $7995. I'm figuring that must be for the 18 with the lowest wattage as the ones I see for sale used in the 40-50 watt range are listed for $10-14K. How expensive is the software on top of the expense of the machine?

I'm wanting the mini 24, just unsure what wattage I need. I want to buy new as I want a warranty and customer support but I have a $14k budget.

[kbaumgarten]

Mark,

With regards to burning, the higher the wattage, the quicker it can cut, thus resulting in less burning.  With the Mini 18, I upgrade to the 40 watt from the 30 watt for a bit more speed and power.  The Mini 24 can go all the way to 60 watts I believe, but that was out of my price range.  Six ounce leather or less has little to no burn marks on my machine. 

As far as software goes, Epilog is awesome.  For engraving, it acts like a printer.  You can use any software (Word, Publisher, Photoshop, etc) and with the driver, it engraves the image.  For cutting you need a vector program.  For $200 I purchased Corel Draw, and it is perfect.  It is easy to use with a bit of practice.   

The Zing series is the cheapest, starting at $7995.  The Mini series is more industrial and quicker.  I opted for the Mini due to this.  The Mini 18 (40 watt) was just under $12k.  I chose to get a Bofa filtration system so I didn't have to exhaust outside (about $2200).  They offer an air assist pump for $300, but I just used my compressor since I had one.  You only need 30 psi. 

As far as wattage you need, I think the 40 to 50 watt option would be good.  I would also recommend the Mini verses the Zing.  I would have loved to have the 24" model, but it pushed my budget. 

The detail that I can do on this laser is incredible!  Attached are two images of some more leather work done on the laser.  The wallet was engraved, cut out, and I even had the laser cut the holes (I love it!). 

Let me know if you have more questions. 

 

Thanks,
Karl

 

Edited August 5, 2018 by kbaumgarten

[Mark842]

Thanks Karl! I'm sure I'll think of more. I have been looking at fume extractor systems like Bofa. Found a bunch in the $700 to $1100 range. Just purchased some new machines last week so now I have to save up again. Hopefully I can have one by spring time.

[dikman]

Very nice! Out of curiosity I looked them up here in Oz but no prices listed, which generally means they scare people off!! I found a 2-year old unit (24) for $22,000!!!!!!!

I doubt if I could ever make and sell enough items to pay for it, let alone turn a profit!

[kbaumgarten]

They start at $8k and go up to $70k+.

It certainly is a big chuck of money.  The Epilog customer service and the laser accuracy / quality has been incredible.