Choosing the right laser

[RockyAussie]

After finding out as much as I could about lasers and their practical uses with leather I decided to go with a small diode laser. This video is the first in a series I hope to share with you as I go in finding ways and developing methods and improvements related to leather working and laser. Many reasons along with cost led me to go with the small diode laser to start with and I can honestly say I have been surprised and delighted  on my findings so far. The CO2 lasers that at first looked so tempting lost their gleam when I discovered that the tubes that they come with will often fail within 6 months or less and a good quality honestly branded Reci tube will likely cost around a $1000 or more. Another finding is that the small dot of a 2500mw laser gives excellent detail for fine engraving (burning in) and along with a program called 2T Laser it is possible to get a dxf file once done in a decent Cad program to cut with different power and time settings all in the one file. I have had some success with cutting leather be that it takes several passes but for my prototyping work that is now a major time saver. Even the little one shown here can be moved around over the top of a whole hide if you wanted to do it in sections or as can be seen later a very large version I am working on can do larger than poster size and all for a few hundred dollars. (So far). Watch it and comment and follow if your interested to see more.

 

[dikman]

Thanks mate, most interesting. Unfortunately I can't think of a use for one , otherwise it could be a bit of fun to play with.

Edit: I just had a look on ebay and 2500W units that look to be the same as yours are going for about $280? Any idea what's the thickest yours can cut in one pass?

Edited December 31, 2018 by dikman

[RockyAussie]

8 minutes ago, dikman said:

Thanks mate, most interesting. Unfortunately I can't think of a use for one , otherwise it could be a bit of fun to play with.

Keep a look out as I already discovered way more uses than I every thought to start with and that new printer of yours would come in handy on making one for yourself. I printed up several pieces in the big one I am making like the cable chain holders and some corner fittings and that helps keep the cost way down. I am hoping to try it out on cutting some 3mm black acrylic soon as I believe that is possible.

[RockyAussie]

Here's a couple of pictures of the prints...note: the mounting block around the motor to the cable chain and the piece that alows you to slide along the channel to get the chain positioned perfectly.

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Below a couple of simple little corner block holders that allow the control board to be held and slide positioned into place.

[RockyAussie]

31 minutes ago, dikman said:

Edit: I just had a look on ebay and 2500W units that look to be the same as yours are going for about $280? Any idea what's the thickest yours can cut in one pass?

Pretty low and depends on the leather type ...mostly I go at about 1/2mm at a time but I have accidental cut through about 2mm in about a second before I realised it was not moving. If you turn it on without the safety button on, it starts at full power if it is not being controlled by from the computer program.You can set it in the program to do how ever many passes you like. I am playing around with a 5 watt one at the moment that cost me just over a hundred and it burnt a hole in a 3 ply cardboard box about 12" away before I even realised it. That was a shock and a fast learning lesson.

[bikermutt07]

That is awesome. Keep the videos coming as much as time allows.

[maxdaddy]

Thanks for sharing that information. I'm sure that there's a laser cutter in my future and every time I watch one in action I think of several things that I could do with one.

I like how you use it for a big variety of different jobs. It was obviously a good investment for your shop. 

[chrisash]

Nice video

My worry would be the open structure of the laser as a safety point , where as the closed box normally associated with lasers provides near impossible risk, I imagine there may be a slight risk being open when people become complacent with its use

Do you think i am seeing something that is not there

[RockyAussie]

5 hours ago, chrisash said:

Nice video

My worry would be the open structure of the laser as a safety point , where as the closed box normally associated with lasers provides near impossible risk, I imagine there may be a slight risk being open when people become complacent with its use

Do you think i am seeing something that is not there

No, I believe as you do that there is an unacceptable risk with it being open as it is and is one of the reasons that I have made the big one in the box shape I have. I had ordered before Christmas black acrylic sheeting cut to size for it but unfortunately they did not get it done and I will have to wait a couple of more weeks now before they get back to work. This will also act to keep the structure more square and rigid. Fans,extractors, Z axis lifters, bigger diode lasers are all on the drawing board yet to do. 

[garyo1954]

Not sure where you got your information on CO2 lasers. It does paint a pretty bleak picture compared to the reality of having one.

A lot depends on how you take care of your machine as to the life of the tube. Overpowering it for extended periods, not using distilled water,  high water temperatures and extreme climate changes all play a part. Some materials will play a big part in how long the tube, the lens, and mirrors, or even the machine, lasts. Some materials produce chlorine and/or corrosive gases, and even toxic gases (such as chrome tanned leather). PVC/and most plastics should never be cut. You'd be surprised how many times people will laser plastic and then wonder why they ended up with a gooey mass that is nerve wracking to clean up. Or the number of lasers lost to fire due to trying to cut and engrave a flammable material. Leather produces a dead flesh smell and can leave soot on the mirrors and lens which needs to be cleaned with alcohol. (Mirrors should be cleaned as a maintenance task in any case.)

I laser wood, (cedar, poplar, basswood, oak, pine),  extruded acrylic, and veg-tan (tooling leather), glass, and anodized/painted dog tags and ID cards. Timewise you spend more on layout than on actual machine time. Very rare to hear anyone complain of a machine timing out and when it does happen they are generally trying to run an intricate oversized layout at 1000DPI, in other words, pushing the limits of the machine, software, and computer.

Now the last time I replaced my 40W tube was September 2017 and its still going strong. I run my laser 4 to 6 hours daily and there are days it runs 8 to 12 hours.  Yes, the tube is only guaranteed for 1000 to 1300 hours of use.  But most things you buy these days have a 30 to 90 day warranty which is equivalent to that 1000 to 1300 hour guarantee. Some claim the tube has a shelf life of two years due to the gases. Others claim to use the same tube for years beyond that.  Two years seems to be the average in my case.

A replacement tube is costs $90 to $125 for a 40W. You'll even find 100W RECI tubes for less than $800, but you don't need a 100W laser to engrave or cut leather. A 40W CO2 does the job just fine. 

Finally a 40W CO2 Chinese laser can be had for $400 or less. All said and done, the information you were given does not match the reality of actually owning ang using a 40W laser.