Cnc router laser combo

The marking paint used with CO2 lasers, just melts onto metal. It doesn't etch it, and the marking is not durable at all.
 
I like the idea of those little $250 laser cutters for cutting out knife templates that you plan on repeating out of ~6mm wood. Some of them can "etch" or burn marks into leather too right? Maybe an interesting way to throw a basket weave or logo on to sheaths?

Think they could cut out leather sheath patterns?

Sorry for all the question marks... I like where this tech is going!
 
You probably need a 20+ watt CO2 laser to efficiently cut sheath leather.
They are available on Ebay for $400-$500. Remember- CO2 will not cut metal.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
The marking paint used with CO2 lasers, just melts onto metal. It doesn't etch it, and the marking is not durable at all.
Click to expand...
My impression is that the paint is used as a resist for the etchant - paint it on, use the laser to 'cut out' your design in that paint, then chemically etch. Last step would be to remove the rest of the paint.

I haven't done this, but that is the impression I had of how this process works from reading about it online. The laser isn't etching the metal, it's just cutting out the logo.

-Tyson
 
The only laser marking paint I have seen used burns the paint onto the surface. The unburnt paint rubs off with solvent.
This is what the black marking on most commercial blades is. It will wear off pretty easily. The mark does not burn into the steel. It take a fairly powerful CO2 laser to do that.
 
Well I ordered this model https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B081498G3L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. It's only got a 3 watt laser do it wont be cutting much with the laser but it just has to burn away the paint or nail polish. I'm really excited for the possibilities of carving handles with textures or sayas with reliefs. Now I just need to learn fusion.

I'll keep you posted on the progress. If anyone wants some more info, this channel has multiple videos on this unit. He seems to have a lot of experience with CNC and his video are pretty good.
 
Good deal - be sure to update thread when you've used it some. I like that idea - I've got a 3040 CNC router that works good, but the idea of using a laser to make template by burning paint sounds interesting. Maybe I could find just the laser head for my CNC machine?
 
Ken H> said:
Good deal - be sure to update thread when you've used it some. I like that idea - I've got a 3040 CNC router that works good, but the idea of using a laser to make template by burning paint sounds interesting. Maybe I could find just the laser head for my CNC machine?
Click to expand...

Don't see why not. The diode lasers are pretty cheap. You may want to enclse it for safety. You should be able to focus the laser via the z axis
 
scott kozub said:
Don't see why not. The diode lasers are pretty cheap. You may want to enclse it for safety. You should be able to focus the laser via the z axis
Click to expand...
I agree on the enclosure for eye safety, can't be too careful with that, especially if you have kids that might come into the workshop. Another thing to consider would be fumes, depending on what you want to laser.
 
One thing to remember with these new low cost devices is the laser module is a consumable. It has a certain number of hours of life (usually around 100 hours), and degrades slowly as it ages. So, it may be 3,5,7,10 watts to start but only deliver part of that after half its life.
 
The unit arrived yesterday. Took about 2 hours to assemble. Seems well built.

Function im not impressed. Infact I'm down right passed at this point. I've been trying to get the laser to work. All the cnc functions work and the laser turns on. It gets brighter with more power. Unfortunately thats all it does. Absolutely no heat no matter the setting. I've been trouble shooting for several hours, flashed new firmware and nothing. I'm going to be really POd if I have to return it because Amazon is only going to cover $20 and it'll cost way more to ship it across the boarder
 
scott kozub said:
The unit arrived yesterday. Took about 2 hours to assemble. Seems well built.

Function im not impressed. Infact I'm down right passed at this point. I've been trying to get the laser to work. All the cnc functions work and the laser turns on. It gets brighter with more power. Unfortunately thats all it does. Absolutely no heat no matter the setting. I've been trouble shooting for several hours, flashed new firmware and nothing. I'm going to be really POd if I have to return it because Amazon is only going to cover $20 and it'll cost way more to ship it across the boarder
Click to expand...
I hope you can get it to work. Have you checked the focus?
 
make sure the work piece is at the focus distance or it won't do much of anything. 3W is pretty low power. You can probably only expect it to make black lines on white paper.
 
Messed with the focus firmware speed settings, no luck. I'm pretty sure the laser is DOA. it should easily cut paper even at 20%. I contacted the seller to see if they can help. I'd much rather have some repair parts sent then shipping this back and waiting for a new one.
 
Update:

I have been in contact with the seller. The time difference is a bit of a pain and their English is a little broken but they have been very responsive and helpful. They have made some setting suggestions for me but they didn't help. They said they are sending a replacement. Not sure if this means a laser or control board or both. We'll see. I was a little cranky when I posted my first update because I had been going through everything to troubleshoot.

So it's still not working but hopefully the parts they send will get me fixed up. I got to say that their customer service has been quite good so far. I'll keep updating as I know a few people are following this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top