I am very new to this, and eager to proceed.
I have bought a printer (learning curve in itself) and printing parts.
Wanting to plan ahead, anticipating that all will go well with my builds, and knowing that with impending tariffs prices may go up and availability may go down, I am wondering what you suggest a beginner MYCNC’er should use as a laser and for plasma cutting (I already have a Makita). Mainly to learn with, and for hobby use.
Reading Amazon listings gets overwhelming and confusing after awhile especially when I don’t know what features/specifications I am looking for ……. so, I’d like to draw upon your experience and knowledge.
Thanks!
For laser work a number of people on the forum have purchased NEJE laser modules. Personally, I have the older version of the NEJE 40640 12W laser module (new version here). I cut a lot of 5.4mm plywood with it. I wish for something faster, but it gets the job done at a reasonable price.
As for plasma, there seems to be some significant challenges in getting it working. Shielding the electronics is one major issue, and picking the right cutter is critical. If you search this forum, you will find a number of topics on plasma cutters including build threads.
I’ve heard that lasers can engrave wood (like cutting boards, and coasters), as well as rock/stone, so I’d like to try that. Also would like to be able to engrave glass and metal water bottles.
Can’t think of any specific projects for cutting…. But would certainly like to have the option!
Yeah, different types are better or worse at different tasks. The diode laser that @robertbu linked to looks like a good option for what you’ve desribed.
If you were going to do a lot of metal “stuff” an infrared laser might work better.
Thanks Robert,
That laser seems to do everything I want to do. Very affordable as well. So, a 10w laser will do that, seems good to me! And if it’s common then it’s easier to get help.
I’ve read about “air assist”. How important/beneficial is that?
For plasma cutting I’ve heard that shielding the electronics is an issue, but also have read that non-touch and low frequency cutter alleviates the issue.
(I’ve already returned a Harbour Freight plasma cutter cause it wasn’t non touch).
I been able to locate some posts about plasma cutting, but they either seemed to be older or more advanced than beginner level. Since technology changes so quickly I thought I’d seek more recent info.
Yes. But something to be aware of is that for diode lasers to get higher power levels it’s necessary to ‘stack’ them. This means there potentially anlignment error. The result:you can cut thicker material but the dot size is bigger so engraving quality can suffer.
You mentioned air assist - it’s more important for cutting to keep smoke pushed away so it doesn’t dirty or damage the lens.
You can only apply so much energy to an area per unit of time before it bursts into flames, so aside from metal, you’re usually better off doing more passes with less energy per pass (or having a large enough work area that you can go fast enough to spread the energy out).
The higher the wattage diode laser, the more 5 watt diodes they have to optically combine. So lesser wattage lasers typically are capable of better detail due to finer laser spots.
As you add diodes the usable focal height is reduced as the diodes spread like an hour glass. For instance, you can see the 4 diodes in my Sculpfun S20 20 watt laser spread out by about 3/8" over the distance of 13"… just as an example, it’s actual focal length is about 1.5", but this illustrates the not perfect alignment of the individual diode laser beams.
I’ve read about “air assist”. How important/beneficial is that?
Air assist is very important for laser cutting. An aquarium pump can do the job, and most of the newer modules are set up for air assist. Air assist does three things: it blows smoke away from the cut allowing the laser light to reach the stock, it suppresses flames, and it moves the smoke away from the laser lens. My one fire was caused by air assist line getting snagged and pulled out resulting in flames. The fire damaged my laser module. For engraving I have air assist turn off or turned way down.
Does a 40w laser do much the same as a 10w, but just do it faster, and likely cut deeper?
Daryl answered this question, but I wanted to point out three things. First, there are a lot of false advertisements concerning laser power. You want to compare optical power on modules from the handful of big players. Second, I’ve noticed that many of the higher watt modules require wiring that is incompatible with an MPCNC. And third, the price shoots up rapidly for the higher wattage modules.
