4 ms·

Can anyone share any details about one of those laser wood cutters? Costs/Materials/Brands/Issues etc. for a hobbyist?

by trotsky 14y ago

benjamincburns 14y ago
If you're really into DIY, you can make your own CNC laser cutter http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-cutter-start-slicing-stuff-for-under-50-dol/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-cutter-start-slicing-s... Otherwise, you're talking $5k and up. However these guys are cheap and fast if you want to farm it out: http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/749 http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/749 (I don't work for them, and I'm not an affiliate, just a happy customer)
- mellis 14y ago
  I've heard good things about the Lasersaur, a DIY laser cutter: http://labs.nortd.com/lasersaur/ http://labs.nortd.com/lasersaur/ Also, Ponoko is a decent option for a laser-cutting service: https://www.ponoko.com https://www.ponoko.com
DucktourDreams 14y ago
Typical commercial unit is $10k - $25k Typical diy unit is $2k-$3k w/ major but not hard assembly. See http://buildyourcnc.com http://buildyourcnc.com and http://nortd.com/lasersaur http://nortd.com/lasersaur Typical power nec. for that wood in their proj. is ~45 watts. Acrylic needs 10-25 watts. Multiple passes are possible, too. Services charge from $1 to $2 per minute of cutting. Imported laser engravers are available, too for ~$600 via ebay, but have extremely limited software and require dedicated computer. Lasers have a lifetime in 1000s of hours (?) and replacements can be bought at http://lightobject.com http://lightobject.com Cardboard and paper also cut very easily with these machines and can make useful thing in their own right. Differences b/t DIY and commercial units are assisted z-control of the bed, which is necessary for focusing. Bed size is always an issue with these. I think you need to both vent the exhaust from any laser cutter as well as water cool it. Those are just extra units you add on.
noonespecial 14y ago
I bought a 40 watt laser cutter/engraver from China via ebay. It cost a little less than $1800. It cuts wood and some thin plastics (acrylic) like this quite well. Unfortunately, its quality was so terrible, it was little more than a box of parts. I had to build a new stepper driver and run it from MACH3 to get any results out of it. I also had to replace some "greased rail" style bearings with linear ball bearings to get decent accuracy. The one they've got at MIT probably says "Epilog" on the side and costs somewhere between your car and your house. Edit: I generally cut "luan" plywood 1/8" or thinner. It seems like about the thickest I can handle. 1/16" veneer gives me the best results.
- trotsky 14y ago
  thanks a lot to everyone who replied! Sounds like the 3d printer that i have no use for may come before the laser cutter i have no use for :/
andrewmb 14y ago
Take a look at FSLaser (http://fslaser.com http://fslaser.com). Minimum cost for an entry-level system is $2350+shipping. Disclaimer: I'm an employee.

Can anyone share any details about one of those laser wood cutters? Costs/Materials/Brands/Issues etc. for a hobbyist?

by trotsky 14y ago

Can anyone share any details about one of those laser wood cutters? Costs/Materials/Brands/Issues etc. for a hobbyist?

If you're really into DIY, you can make your own CNC laser cutter http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-cutter-start-slicing-stuff-for-under-50-dol/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-cutter-start-slicing-s... Otherwise, you're talking $5k and up. However these guys are cheap and fast if you want to farm it out: http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/749 http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/749 (I don't work for them, and I'm not an affiliate, just a happy customer)

mellis 14y ago
I've heard good things about the Lasersaur, a DIY laser cutter: http://labs.nortd.com/lasersaur/ http://labs.nortd.com/lasersaur/ Also, Ponoko is a decent option for a laser-cutting service: https://www.ponoko.com https://www.ponoko.com

DucktourDreams 14y ago

Typical commercial unit is $10k - $25k Typical diy unit is $2k-$3k w/ major but not hard assembly. See http://buildyourcnc.com http://buildyourcnc.com and http://nortd.com/lasersaur http://nortd.com/lasersaur Typical power nec. for that wood in their proj. is ~45 watts. Acrylic needs 10-25 watts. Multiple passes are possible, too. Services charge from $1 to $2 per minute of cutting. Imported laser engravers are available, too for ~$600 via ebay, but have extremely limited software and require dedicated computer. Lasers have a lifetime in 1000s of hours (?) and replacements can be bought at http://lightobject.com http://lightobject.com Cardboard and paper also cut very easily with these machines and can make useful thing in their own right. Differences b/t DIY and commercial units are assisted z-control of the bed, which is necessary for focusing. Bed size is always an issue with these. I think you need to both vent the exhaust from any laser cutter as well as water cool it. Those are just extra units you add on.

noonespecial 14y ago

I bought a 40 watt laser cutter/engraver from China via ebay. It cost a little less than $1800. It cuts wood and some thin plastics (acrylic) like this quite well. Unfortunately, its quality was so terrible, it was little more than a box of parts. I had to build a new stepper driver and run it from MACH3 to get any results out of it. I also had to replace some "greased rail" style bearings with linear ball bearings to get decent accuracy. The one they've got at MIT probably says "Epilog" on the side and costs somewhere between your car and your house. Edit: I generally cut "luan" plywood 1/8" or thinner. It seems like about the thickest I can handle. 1/16" veneer gives me the best results.

trotsky 14y ago
thanks a lot to everyone who replied! Sounds like the 3d printer that i have no use for may come before the laser cutter i have no use for :/

andrewmb 14y ago

Take a look at FSLaser (http://fslaser.com http://fslaser.com). Minimum cost for an entry-level system is $2350+shipping. Disclaimer: I'm an employee.