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So it used to be that Full Spectrum Laser basically took a cheap chinese laser, put a better controller on it, and did some curation, adding interlocks and the like so it wasn't unsafe and worked well out of the box. They sold this decent experience for $1800. Now they sell much nicer 3500 lasers. Does anyone actually exist in the lightly curated <$2k market? There are ones that look decent, but they look similar enough to the $400 ones that it's not like you can be certain that it's not just a $400 one with markup, rather than improvements. No seller that I can find is big enough that anyone has reviewed them either. It's pretty much all, this is the K40 machine that I modified to make myself happy. Glowforge might actually fit this niche (now), but in a few months when this would actually be bought, they'd be $4k machines (and still unproven).
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Oct 21, 2015 06:16
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Aurium posted:That's pretty cool. I just assumed that there would have been too much airflow around charcoal pieces for them to help enough to be worthwhile. Depending on what you're filtering, you might even be able to keep using the charcoal afterwards. I know some things like radon can be pulled back off the charcoal just by pumping on it with a vacuum pump for a while, so if you have two filters and a good pump you can use one for filtering while you pump on the other and just keep switching back and forth without ever having to swap the charcoal.
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Oct 21, 2015 17:15
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Out of semi-curiosity (I wanted to test it to see if it could work for putting people's initials or names on things at a craft show or something) I bought one of those 500mW laser units that use a couple CD drive steppers in a pretty acrylic case. Haven't worked up the courage to use the packed-in software yet since Avast freaks out about it, claiming it's all riddled with malware (it probably is). But I did try the built-in demo. A solder fume exhaust fan (with a charcoal filter) takes care of any fumes and smell. Interestingly it works like a wood-burner, not like my 'real' laser engraver. A "real" laser machine vaporizes the material and any burning / singing is purely a side effect. Using this little 500mW jobbie on cardboard or wood, the marking is not unlike a wood burning effect. So it's all heat, no ionizing. Made me wonder if you could melt patterns into a wax candle or something retarded but I think I'll see if I can burn initials or names onto wood veneer and use them as little "stickers" or something.
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Oct 21, 2015 21:33
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Ah, gently caress it, I broke down and pre-ordered a Glowforge. Here's a $100 off referral link for some other poor sucker like me: http://glowforge.com/referred/?kid=c1JS0w
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Oct 23, 2015 23:01
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Me too and I'm a dumb idiot who didn't use a referral code welp
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Oct 24, 2015 01:08
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ReelBigLizard posted:I don't think the defensive driving analogy holds up. It's more like not wanting to take a rally driving course because you only intend to drive around town and commute to work. Or, to use something other than a car analogy, an iPad versus a Windows desktop. The iPad will be easier to use for someone who can't be bothered to develop any real technological literacy - provided they're not trying to do anything even slightly outside of how the machine's designers envisioned it would be used. Though at least there's some possibility that the Glowforge software would allow for manual speed and power control like other laser cutters.
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Oct 24, 2015 02:02
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The Glowforge really does look cool, and I say that as the owner of a laser machine already 
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Oct 24, 2015 18:58
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I ordered a glow forge as well. Of course, I was on the fence for so long that I probably won't receive it until next summer at this point...
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Oct 25, 2015 15:10
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I made a bunch of predictions, so I am super curious if I'm right. Please report back when it arrives and gets used and stuff. I think it will ruin your life! Does look really pretty, though.
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Oct 25, 2015 19:39
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Cockmaster posted:Or, to use something other than a car analogy, an iPad versus a Windows desktop. The iPad will be easier to use for someone who can't be bothered to develop any real technological literacy - provided they're not trying to do anything even slightly outside of how the machine's designers envisioned it would be used. Uh, it's completely controllable if you want it to be.
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Oct 25, 2015 21:31
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I love the (apparently-working) concept of camera for alignment/preview and possibly also focus. One thing in the demo/interview I watched that I thought was good was the talk about how they arrived at the size. Adding another two inches to an axis would mean a slightly bigger machine but cause a huge jump in shipping costs and hassle. I thought that showed their design was thought out end-to-end, which is good. I also liked that the exhaust handling is baked in with "here is the exhaust out, it's made for up to X feet of 4" ducting" instead of the usual laser machine approach of basically treating the concept of exhaust pretty much the same way a table saw handles sawdust, i.e. here's a hole in the side for the poo poo to come out of, might want to do something about that  That being said, video shows smiling people using it in their kitchen so a little misleading. It's probably pretty loud, too.Cooling is the other thing; not sure what the Glowforge does for that. I'd still like one.
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Oct 26, 2015 17:33
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I'd love to jump onto the Glowforge bandwagon, but I really can't justify the cost vs. what I might do with it. Someday down the road when the technology is mature and much cheaper, maybe I'll get into the laser nerd club myself.
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Oct 26, 2015 18:21
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Mister Sinewave posted:I love the (apparently-working) concept of camera for alignment/preview and possibly also focus. Yeah, that was what got me interested in it. Automatically aligning an engraving job with the workpiece sounds like a great thing to have when you're engraving something expensive. And now that they're releasing their firmware as open source, I've been wondering: How hard would it be to implement those features in a homebuilt machine? quote:Cooling is the other thing; not sure what the Glowforge does for that. I'd still like one. They're using a water cooling system, but it's fully self-contained: http://community.glowforge.com/t/cooling-question/198
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Oct 26, 2015 22:50
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Cockmaster posted:They're using a water cooling system, but it's fully self-contained: This is also not the first time I've read a straight answer from their Q&A forums, which is nice too.
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Oct 26, 2015 23:53
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Mister Sinewave posted:This is also not the first time I've read a straight answer from their Q&A forums, which is nice too. Yeah, the CEO specifically has been good about that. One thing that *really* rubs me the wrong way though is his occasionally arrogant attitude. Whenever someone has a serious criticism of the unit, he just says, "It's probably not for you, let's refund your money!" and I think it sounds a bit assholish. mediaphage fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Oct 27, 2015 |
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Oct 27, 2015 01:31
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mediaphage posted:Yeah, the CEO specifically has been good about that. One thing that *really* rubs me the wrong way though is his occasionally arrogant attitude. Whenever someone has a serious criticism of the unit, he just says, "It's probably not for you, let's refund your money!" and I think it sounds a bit assholish. He has the kind of face that makes you want to punch it, that's for sure.
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Oct 27, 2015 21:40
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I engraved some leather for the first time today. It was very unlike wood or acrylic or any other material in subtle ways so it took me a long time to zero in on any decent results. Putting some application tape on top of the leather is virtually a must. Leather scorches and "soots up" so readily that engraving or cutting without it is just asking to blemish the surface. Unlike other materials I am finding it impossible to abrade away the material for engraving - engraving marks the material dark or black. If there's a way to do it differently for another result I don't see it. Actually there are some OK results without tape at low powers but the scorching is such an iffy issue - even without blatant scorching you can tell that the surrounding surface is a wee bit darker than everything else. I think resigning to a certain "rustic" look is just how it's going to have to be.
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Oct 27, 2015 22:36
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That's interesting to read, I haven't tried any leather work yet. Have you tried a lower PPI to put less energy into the leather at the same power?
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Oct 28, 2015 16:45
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That's a good idea but I have only heard of PPI adjusting in "real" machines like Epilogs. I'd think it's an RF laser thing except that I think Full Spectrum stuff has PPI(?) I'm probably totally talking out my rear end though. Does yours have anything like it? Anyway the glass tube lasers like in my (and I assume other similar) Chinese machines are analog driven and they don't have a PPI adjustment for engraving. There is a pwm setting but it's not analogous to PPI. There *is* the ability to define a cut as a dashed line (and possibly a realllllllly fiiiiiiine dashed line is kinda PPI? I haven't tried it yet) but that doesn't apply to engraving, only vector cuts. e: maybe next best thing is to use a setting that barely marks the leather and just do multiple passes of that. Here's some tests btw The Eyes Have It fucked around with this message at 17:03 on Oct 28, 2015 |
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Oct 28, 2015 16:59
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Mister Sinewave posted:There *is* the ability to define a cut as a dashed line (and possibly a realllllllly fiiiiiiine dashed line is kinda PPI? I haven't tried it yet) but that doesn't apply to engraving, only vector cuts. I gave this a quick shot BTW. Results are very eh. On one hand it does appear to work (a fine enough dashed line works like a solid beam kinda) on the other hand the results are nothing encouraging. I didn't try leather but I did try with a known material with known "gooder PPI gives gooder results": Rowmark Ultragrave acrylic and ADA acrylic. This material looks great but has a tendency to concave/curl after cutting. Also the cut edges are tacky. This is cleaned up with mineral spirits easily enough but Rowmark suggests that PPI settings above 400 lead to tacky edges. Cutting fine dashed lines as a fake low PPI at first just seemed to mean I needed 3 passes to cut through instead of 1. Also it's a rougher edge with no apparent change in resulting tackiness. So either this needs some further investigation or it's a dead end. I think I'm done messing with it for now though
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Oct 28, 2015 20:29
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While you're at it you should see if kydex will behave with the laser. Assuming it won't put off noxious vapors of course. ed: looks like the answer to is it safe to do kydex is gently caress no don't do it.
Parts Kit fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Oct 28, 2015 |
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Oct 28, 2015 21:16
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PPI capability is determined by your controller software and having a PWM power supply. My K40 did it stock from what I remember.
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Oct 29, 2015 04:13
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That makes sense, I'll look into that someday (replacing my controller / power supply that is).
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Oct 29, 2015 18:03
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We've been talking about getting a machine for a while and I was planning on building something like a Lasersaur, but I hopped on this for a hobby machine. If anyone wants to grab a $100 off their order (basically free shipping) feel free to use this link http://glowforge.com/referred/?kid=wx0GQf I forgot to use a referral link when I initially placed the order, but their support staff is super nice and if you e-mail them at hello@glowforge.com and give them a referral ID they'll credit you the $100.
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Oct 30, 2015 14:03
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 This dino-pieces pattern is freely available (at Epilog's site and elsewhere) but I spent a long time on this.  Among work done beyond just the basic CAD file:
The Eyes Have It fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Nov 7, 2015 |
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Nov 7, 2015 00:56
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Holy crap, I think I actually made cartoon pop-out googly eyes at that. Very, very impressive! No laser here, but I do have a CNC router table, and I know just how hard it can be to get friction fit slots dialed in on not-ridiculously-small material. To have pulled it off at that scale is definitely something to be proud of.
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Nov 7, 2015 12:53
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I went 'Oh neat.' Then I realized that was a mechanical pencil on the left. 
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Nov 7, 2015 13:37
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I've always had a soft spot for tiny versions of things 
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Nov 8, 2015 05:36
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Teenysaurus Rex!
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Nov 8, 2015 21:51
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This thread helped me on making a decision on a laser engraver/cutter. In another few weeks I will have a slightly better built laser cutter sent to my house and get to learn about all of these wonderful accidents waiting to happen. I bought a 50 watt laser to use as a hobby entry level and potentially help out a friend with her Etsy business doing some more specialized engraving. This will largely be for a learning experience since I have been trying to get work to buy me am industrial laser for years now (for shits and giggles largely). I mostly work with wire EDM cncs so this will be a way to gain more experience doing something along the same lines, at least programing wise. Heres hoping I don't burn my house down!
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Nov 9, 2015 03:33
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Just a reminder that laser machines are a fire hazard. They must be babysat and attended when in use. Don't leave them alone, not even just to go to the bathroom. I got a reminder of this this morning when I cut a job in wood I have done dozens of not hundreds of times and it glitched with the laser on and barely moving. If it were not for the very high airflow and strong exhaust it would 100% have caught fire.
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Nov 12, 2015 20:02
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There was a news story recently of someone burning down their apartment with one. The machines aren't magic, no matter how user friendly they become they are doing something inherently dangerous and need to be monitored.
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Nov 12, 2015 21:20
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I have only used the emergency stop a few times but this morning was one of them. Happily as a result (along with my strong airflow) it wound up just being a glitch that ruined a job instead of being a fire. The fire would have been contained to my machine but man words cannot express how much I reeeeeeallly would prefer not to have to clean and/or replace all the mirrors and poo poo and then re-calibrate if I can help it.
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Nov 12, 2015 22:13
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For your viewing pleasure There were glowing bits visible after I hit the e-stop.
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Nov 12, 2015 22:16
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Hey guys with a chinase laser. How big is the sucker? The box I just got is fricken huge and the laser is huge! Will get pictures this weekend of it and will use the long weekend I have next week from work to start trying it out. Everything looks good so far and I have things strapped down and moving smoothly. Only thing I see is the no grommets in a few spots thing and two spots where there were no nuts holding a latch on the side. The rest of the latches and hings are all latched tight though. Heres hoping its not skin deep!
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Nov 18, 2015 08:06
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I went and randomly searched for shipping updates for the glowforge - it looks like they extended the first wave (before oct 24th) estimates to first half of 2016 (instead of early 2016). Though they also mentioned a beta program that would ship in December if you wanted to opt in for that. Almost considering it given that I want to let others use it at our makerspace. Hopefully they detail what exactly a beta wave entails soon.
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Nov 18, 2015 15:25
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A Yolo Wizard posted:I went and randomly searched for shipping updates for the glowforge - it looks like they extended the first wave (before oct 24th) estimates to first half of 2016 (instead of early 2016). Though they also mentioned a beta program that would ship in December if you wanted to opt in for that. Almost considering it given that I want to let others use it at our makerspace. Hopefully they detail what exactly a beta wave entails soon. From what I understand, they're definitely only shipping the first units to makerspaces with large userbases, especially those in the PNW (so they can get their hands on issues immediately). Once any bugs that wave reveals are worked out, they'll start shipping finished pieces.
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Nov 19, 2015 17:49
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I spent yesterday fighting with my hackerspaces' A2 chinese 'orange' laser (I've upgraded the mainboard to a LAOS board, and use routoutcnc 2.5A stepper driver boards to actually drive the steppers) and have come to the conclusion that the X axis stepper motor is hosed. Occasionally the X axis will stop moving, and will rapidly judder forward and backward, for seemingly no reason. I've seen this before in 3D printers, when there is a bad connection somewhere along the stepper motor wiring, so I tried switching around the stepper drivers, changing the cables, and have made an entirely new cable to go from the output of the stepper drivers to the plug of the stepper motor itself, so i've replaced the entire wire path except the ones in the motor. I have a replacement stepper motor and MXL pulley winging its way to me from china, hopefully this will solve the issue. Anyone have any other ideas for what it might be?
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Nov 30, 2015 17:37
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So really thinking about diving into one of these $400 knockoffs. My cutting needs are simple, just cutting elaborate designs in latex sheeting, which is a thing that companies do with 40W lasers, so it's possible. I've also got the capability of venting, as I can put this in my basement workshop space and duct right out the window. So what are the limitations of this "out of the box?" If I'm just cutting 2d shapes on a single flat piece of material, does the built in controller and software work for that? I've got a computer I can use etc etc so I think this would meet my basic needs, right?
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Dec 2, 2015 19:42
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FISHMANPET posted:So really thinking about diving into one of these $400 knockoffs. My cutting needs are simple, just cutting elaborate designs in latex sheeting, which is a thing that companies do with 40W lasers, so it's possible. I've also got the capability of venting, as I can put this in my basement workshop space and duct right out the window. The main concern is less the capabilities of the machine and more damage during shipping or just straight up being given a bad piece of equipment. Basically, if you buy one of these $400 machines, be prepared to thoroughly inspect every single piece of it, do a lot of research into what's acceptable and not acceptable, and basically overhaul the machine before ever making your first part. You should really do that anyway for a machine that has a frickin' laser on it, but this is especially true of the cheapos.
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Dec 2, 2015 20:19
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