At least they didn‘t flag it because you bought vegetables. 
My L2 24W arrived today & I have it together & will test it tomorrow. I had several hiccups with connecting the outside with the 16 - M4 screws. A couple of them didn’t want to line up at first. I couldn’t get the transfer shaft to go through the frame as that didn’t quite line up. After taking that side of the frame off & putting it on without going thru the outside of frame it worked. Also, the wiring wasn’t obvious to me on 2 or 3 of the connectors on which way they went. After watching a couple of videos, they seem to be correct.
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Thanks for all your help & guidance @dkj4linux . Thought I would post just one photo here of my 1st real project today with the 24W Atezer. I used it outside so it would not smell up the shed. I really don’t need eye projection with this since it has that orange acrylic around the laser, but I wore them anyway. This was a dragon border design I found here: 1,672 Dragon frame Vector Images | Depositphotos It is engraved on a small ikea bamboo cutting board. I did a test burn on some 3mm baltic birch plywood (actually closer to 2mm). I thought it came out quite well. I really like this laser engraver. I ran it at 3500mm/min & 80% power with air assist.
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@dkj4linux and @geodave. How are you liking the Atezr L2 lasers? When I built my MPCNC I always thought I would add a laser to it at some point, but it looks like these are a much better option. One thing I found interesting is that the specs and performance seem to rival most others in this class, but when I try to find comparisons, the Atezr brand does not show up in most lists. The best comparisons I found were actually on the Atezr site. How did you end up with this brand and would you buy it again?
I bought mine based a lot on what @dkj4linux said about it. I built a couple of DIY laser engravers & really wanted one that just worked. I really liked the adjustable Z-axis, but after watching this video,
I need to double check to make sure it is actually in focus. I have not really used mine much yet, because it has been too cold for the most part in the shed to use it. In the meantime, I am designing some adjustable 3d printed legs for it.
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I’m liking my Atezr lasers very much. They’ve enabled me to easily do all the “projects” I’ve shown in this and my “easy inlays” thread. I’ve actually purchased three Atezr machines now… the P20 24W generation 1 machine in the first post of this thread, the L2 36W generation 2 machine in post #26 of this thread, and a refurbished P5 5W gen1 machine most recently for engraving ceramic tiles, slate, etc.
Over the past year or two, we’ve seen a rather sudden influx of laser machines using “stacked diode” technology… combining the outputs of 4, 6, and even 8 ~5-6W laser diodes in a single laser module, giving ~24, ~36, and ~48 watts of actual optical output power, resp. As I had previously purchased three of the dual-diode Neje A40640 10W laser modules and fallen in love with what they could do… I had also bumped into their limits. So, about a year ago, when reviews started showing up on the internet of some of these newer machines, the Atezr P20 24W for a time seemed to be garnering a good bit of attention for its robust construction and full Lightburn compatibility… with several respected reviewers even touting it as “commercial duty”. With holiday sales and significant discounts going on at the time, I took the leap… and haven’t regretted it for a moment.
One word of caution: there are some manufacturers – Xtool, in particular – that have chosen to bundle their latest, greatest, and very expensive machines (S1, F1, etc) with their own proprietary software (XCS) and custom firmware. And while they’re currently claiming “Lightburn compatibility” in their advertising… nothing more than the most basic functionality is available in Lightburn. All the more advanced features of their machines can only be exercised using XCS… which most consider far less capable than Lightburn. And their usual response, so far, to requests for help with Lightburn issues is… “well, you should be using XCS”. While their hardware and advanced features seem to be fantastic, locking folks into their proprietary eco-system seems to be their primary goal… and many Lightburn users seem to be regretting their Xtool purchase.
Hope that helps.
– David
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Dave,
While I love the idea of a motorized Z-axis, and I’m glad I have it… I’ve discovered I really don’t care for, or use, the L2’s auto-focus functionality. It’s too slow and I don’t care for all the homing and moving after the focus is auto-set. My workarea is often cluttered with tools and material, outside my actual job coordinates, and I’ve had collisions when the laser decides, after probing, to run “home” and return along a cluttered path.
I also never use “absolute coordinates” in Lightburn… choosing to manually focus (using the provided ruler/focus tool) and position the laser head and use “user origin” or “current position” instead.
Someday I’ll strap a pen/marker on the laser head and try out the L2 as a pen plotter… but for now, the motorized Z-axis is unused.
– David
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Thanks for the info. In the device settings of Lightburn, do you have Enable Z axis & Auto-home on startup turned off? Do you use that pointer offset? I was wondering how to use that until I saw the video I mentioned earlier. I just noticed my Y-axis is a little out of square. I found that difficult to get exactly right as the grub screws are not accessible when I have the carriage all the way at the end as they show in the assembly manual. I also notice there are 4 - M4 screw threads in the top of that frame that look like they could be used to mount a frame to support a camera above.
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I never “auto home” anything on startup, Dave. Again, I don’t use “absolute coordinates” (machine coords) but prefer to manually focus and position the laser head where I want it to start on my material (job coords)… and when I cycle power everything stays where I left it.
I did measure the distance between the laser beam and red X-pointer (x=56, y=0) and have enabled the pointer offset… and use the red X-pointer to position where I want the job to start [where the green dot (job origin) is positioned prior to generating gcode or pressing Start]. I find that very handy and reasonably accurate.
I have an Atomstack camera but since I don’t use LB to control my machine (I create gcode and use V1Pi/CNC.js over wifi) and my machine is inside the Atezr enclosure that has limited overhead space… I don’t use it. I prefer, as described above, to simply position the red X-pointer at the desired job start position and return to my recliner and control the job through CNC.js.
The grub screws on the Y-driveshaft can be hard to get to. IIRC I had to loosen the coupler’s motor shaft grub screws as well, position the gantry hard against the stops, rotate the coupler by hand so I could get to the screws, and then retighten.
– David
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That’s a good idea, I will try that when it warms up some.
What do you think about this modified 3d printed version of the ATEZR KR Pro? I have been looking for the Atezr KR PRO to come back in stock in the US warehouse for a month & still not there. I came across this design on grabcad which led me to this Atezr KR PRO It is a $20 download for the model.
Atezr has the 24W model on sale for $799 right now. Any idea how it compares to the 36W?
Stafford,
Note that this thread starts with the P20 20W Gen1 machine I purchased… and then I rather unexpectedly sprung for the L2 36W Gen2 machine in post #26. So I would expect the L2 24W Gen2 that’s on sale to be quite similar in capability to the P20 20W Gen1 I described… but with the same nice Gen2 features that convinced me to buy the 36W machine described in post #26. It wasn’t the additional power of the Gen2 machine that was the main draw for me… but, now that I have it, I must admit it is nice to have.
The first thing I realized after getting that initial machine was that you must have good smoke extraction. Fortunately, their AS foldable enclosure is also on sale and I would highly recommend getting it when you order the machine.
I like these machines very much and they are both in almost daily use. I loaned the 20W machine to a buddy who is using it in his woodshop and the 36W is my daily use machine.
I don’t use some of the features they bring to bear however… auto-focus, motorized Z-axis, touchscreen, or builtin wifi. I use RPi3B+/RPi4 and Jeff’s V1Pi/CNC.js vs. Atezr’s built-in wifi… and use it to send Lightburn-generated gcode remotely over wifi from my recliner (in the same room as the laser) and control the machine. I’m happy to have the motorized Z-axis but really don’t use it for laser work… I’m not usually cutting thick enough materials that I need to lower focus during the job; i.e. I keep the focus on the top surface of the materials I’m using. I never use Lightburn’s absolute coordinates (machine coordinates) but use current position (job coordinates) exclusively with the irregular materials (bandsawn planks) that I prefer to work with. Auto-focus is slow and, after it probes the material, it automatically runs “home” and returns… with the risk of collision with tools and materials I have strewn around the worksurface but outside the actual laser job extents. I instead prefer to manually focus and position the laser head above my material and keep it there… the red laser pointer is quite handy for that and Lightburn’s pointer offset setting (measured during setup) is inserted into the gcode file to position the laser properly at job start. Finally, I don’t even connect the touchscreen to the engraver… it works fine without being connected so it stays in the box.
I’m sure I’ve missed something… but hope this helps.
– David
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Thanks, great info.
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@dkj4linux @staffordj et al…
I just received an Atezr P20 Plus, and I must say, I really really like it so far. I had played around with the Cenzo JL1 a bit, and made a few things with it, but I need to get David’s “lift mechanism” installed on it so I can do a better job focusing it ( I have learned so much on laser capabilities over the last week or so while waiting on the Atezr. I have plans to put it in a DIY enclosure with what is hopefully a pretty good extraction system. Time will tell on that. I have only done a few tests with it, and did an engraving on Basswood for a friend of mine who was in a pinch as his Omtech went on the fritz (he’s waiting on a new control board for it) and has a plaque due out on Monday. I think it came out pretty good:
Can’t wait to get the enclosure done so I can really start to cook with this thing!! But first I have to finish my table saw outfeed table that will double for the table for my LR3. Too much to do and not enought time to do it. This whole W.O.R.K. thing keeps getting in the way of my fun time!! HA!!
Rick
Fantastic! Glad your enjoying your new machine. That plaque looks great!
If interested, I think the foldable AS enclosure for that machine is still on sale for $159. I initially thought about a DIY enclosure but finally decided that any materials I’d need would probably cost close to what the AS enclosure did… so opted for the easy way out.
– David
Thanks! I can say that my laser journey started due to you and your creations you have shared here, as well as the Cenoz link you provided. So again, Thank You!!
I did seriously contemplate getting the enclosure they sell as well, but I also have some sheet scraps lying around that I have been trying to figure out what to do with, and well, an enclosure sounds good for them. I go the fan and acrylic for about $45 USD total. I have some LED lights already, so it is just a matter of getting it all put together. The table though is the issues as it is just sitting right in the middle of everything, so all the stuff that would be stored on the bottom shelf of that is all over the place, not to mention my Craftsman 113 table saw is siting on the floor as well…just need to get working to finish it. I’m just about done with it, though. Just need to make the shelf the saw sits on, and then skin the top and put the casters on it. should have it finished in the next day or so…depending on how the “honey do” list comes about.
Rick
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Nothing major… Just piddlin’ around and eye-balling several extra catalpa planks (from my knick-knack box projects)… and wondering what I might do with them. With super-manly effort, I finally came up with a few test pieces to run past my kids and grandkids…
This was an all-Lightburn and -laser project… and ~9mm thick planks of catalpa. I was pretty proud of myself, coming up with the idea of using the profile cuts… and had in mind it being a way to show off my grand-daughter’s caricatures, ala the old man piece (me!). While the kids all thought it was “nice”… they seemed to think it might be more suitable for a custom nativity setting. TBH I like my idea better. I just need to “steal” a few more drawings from my grandkids…
Later.
– David
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My favorite for sure.
Those are some thick cuts!
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Thanks, Ryan. Mine, too.
It turns out that catalpa laser cuts beautifully. These cuts are made with 10 passes at 2000 mm/min and 100% power with my 36W (optical output) Atezr laser… and there’s no hint of charring or burning. All those nice tight box joints I did were with those same settings.
– David
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