What laser package would you buy - LightBurn Software Forum

To give you any kind of a good suggestion, we’d have to know what you’re going to do with it… images, engraving or cutting… and on what materials are you planning to use?

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Do you have a laser of any type now?

@Jayhawk714 you do not need to spend that much to get a decent diode.

There are many happy users that like Ortur Laser Master 2 Pro

They also make some a nice enclosure

As well as other accessories

Keep the difference to invest in materials to engrave and make back your investment

Cheers and Happy New Yer

Sas

It should work fine with wood or natural materials. Most of these led lasers will pass thought glass and don’t have the power/wavelength to do much to metal… There are coatings that can be ‘lased’ and bind to the material.

Some claim they can cut 0.05mm metal…

Acrylic is also a problem it will pass though the acrylic if not colored…

If you just want to learn, I’d suggest a lower cost basic unit to learn with then you can make a much better decision when you wish to upgrade.

There is some very low cost machines around, they won’t do everything you specify, but you can upgrade the laser module on them…

It took a bit of fiddling, but I purchased a jl1 for <$80 USD from Amazon and upgraded it’s head to a NEJE 30W for extra money, twice what the laser cost … Actually I have two, one is still stock.

Keep you eye open for good deals like this that can save you money. It usually requires some sweat equity…

@Sasquatch makes a good suggestion… there is also a section here for Ortur lasers…

I am as impressed with your presentation as I am with the clarity, completeness, and usefulness of the material you discuss. Your personality is perfect for this and your diction, vocabulary and continuity control are valuable assets that make your videos a pleasure to watch and listen to. I am an editor for 7 best-selling authors, so I have some knowledge of what makes a good story (in their case) or a good presentation in yours. Keep it up kid (I’m 90) you’re a natural.

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Oh, I have a LM2 Pro sporting a 40W laser head and control it with Lightburn on a dedicated desktop PC running Windows 10.

P.S. How can I buy you a coffee [or an adult beverage if you prefer] ?

Thanks Sasquatch. I will watch his vi[quote=“Sasquatch, post:8, topic:, full:true”]
There is a YouTuber named Samscraft he uses Lightburn and The Ortur Master 2 Pro https://youtube.com/@Samcraftcom

He uses the Ortur in his homestead business . He powers his shop including his laser with solar power He has a a good amount of show and tell videos with tips as well as a one year review of his laser

Cheers
[/quote]

Thanks Sasquatch. I will take a look at his videos.

Here are some things to consider:

The key problem of Co2 laser machines is the size. All of them are very big and bulky. A Co2 tube requires much space. More power => longer the tube => bigger the size.

The size does not really matter when we are dealing with an industrial machine but once we are talking about a garage, a workshop or a small store – that matters. Most small entrepreneurs or hobbyists simply do not have enough space.

Another thing that needs to be taken into account is that the mirror systems for Co2 lasers are quite fragile and does not like to be transported a lot. It means that the laser machine is not very much transportable. A heavy weight of the machine makes it hard to import and export, and the shipping costs are extremely high.

Diode lasers features:

• Portable and low weight (hundred grams with a heatsink).
• Can be installed on any frame (compatible with GRBL, Reprap, Arduino, etc.).
• Less powerful (no single diode can do more than 10-watt optical power).
• Can be easily shipped almost anywhere without the risk of being damaged.
• Does not require a complicated power system (requires stabilized current and voltage).
• Have a wide spectrum of wavelength 405- nm.
• Can be relatively easy fiber coupled.
• Have a long lifespan (if the diode is not working nothing really happens to it).

Co2 tubes features:

• More powerful (can reach 400 watts).
• Very fragile (glass tubes can be damaged easily).
• A complicated mirror system to aim the beam required (to aim the laser beam you need to use special mirrors to transport the laser beam).
• Can degrade within a few months (low quality tubes have high diffusion rate what makes them useless within 6-12 month).
• Very hard to be fiber coupled (a special PIR fiber required to get laser radiation into the fiber).
• Have a limited wavelength of 10.6 uM ( nm) (does not suit for metal etching without special paste).
• Non-visible radiation (far infrared) from the Co2 laser makes it more risky to operate in the open system.

In general it is quite obvious that if you are limited with your working space and do not need to cut something 24/7 and do not need to cut very thick materials (10 mm or more of plywood or wood), then a diode laser is the best option.

A lot of people prefer diode lasers over Co2 machines because of their smaller size.

*That being said I own a MONSTER CO2 that accepts 4’x8’ sheets. But not everybody needs a big CO2.

Sasquatch…I agree with you on all but 1 point…the size/footprint. Yes, you are correct Co2 lasers are generally bigger than a diode. This is because of all the PSUs, tubes, etc. But with a K40 the foot print is not much bigger than a Diode laser, albeit you have a much smaller engravable size (9" x 12") and the footprint is only about 24" x 30"…unless you upgrade your tube (which I did when I was using my K40), then the tube will be sticking out about 8".

My first laser was a chinese 3w put-together-yourself model and I outgrew it within 3 months and upgraded to a K40 and modded the crap out of it. Last year I upgraded to the 80w. I am glad I went the route I did and not instantly jump into a 80w. I have seen and read in groups of people getting all excited and bought a big laser only to realize they don’t have the time or the motivation to use it.

Mirrors on Co2s can be removed when transporting but they are pretty durable. My OMTech AF-80w (24" x 35" engrave size) came with them already installed…no breakage. If I was moving it across town or country I would think about removing them but otherwise they should be ok.

That is why it is wise to invest in an enclosure. It helps with fume extraction as well as dust contamination on rails ,belts and diode

Thank you @jkwilborn for covering the CO2 cooling requirement. With that one needs to consider freezing of the coolant which is water and substitute with antifreeze made for CO2 tubes.

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