long time user and modder, recently added CO2 laser capability, but mostly stick to supporting the Facebook group. Thought I’d update my pictures of my build.
my CO2 mirror set up allows for easy removal of the final mirror so I can switch tools to a router or spindle.
the Z axis is also available in laser mode so I can move my focal point.
Neat!!
Cool. From the pictures you posted I can’t see how the laser makes it to the work piece, but maybe that’s just my inexperience. So how powerful is the tube you have? How do you deal with the fumes/smoke etc?
That looks like a whole lot of fun on one bench!
my tube is a 40W Ten High from Amazon. I also have a 5.5 Watt diode model I can swap in for just engraving.
For fume extraction I have a 12v 4” duct fan inline with my dust hose, pull all the vaporized particles away and the smell and vents it outside at my neighbors house ?
A fun first stage mirror and beam combiner combo lets me set up a laser dot pointer directly along the same path as the CO2 tube making mirror alignment much easier to do in real-time.
and a great way to verify the path after a tool swap.
I want one. That is awesome.
How do you like the CO2 compared to typical cutout operations? i.e. If you needed to cut something out that could be cut out with the CO2, or the router, would you prefer the CO2?
I want one too, and a waterjet and a 5 axis machining center and… 
I haven’t really researched lasers. What material/thickness can you cut with a 40W in one pass? Thanks
Jeff,
If I can do it with a 1 mm end mill and my router is mounted, I’ll use the router. It is capable of getting deeper. If I need a cut sharper than 1 mm and the stock is thin enough and of the right material to laze, I’ll use the laser.
It takes roughly 2-3 mins to swap between. Most of that is the hassle with the VAC hose or the Fume Hose.
So if either could do the job, and you had nothing mounted, it sounds like maybe it would be a toss up? Or at least, they are close enough that you’d use what was already mounted.
Brian,
With Lasers the answer is always, it depends. The material type, the optical absorption (Very blonde wood is harder to cut than darker wood), how long is the beam travel (I have a 945 x 630 build area so the beam gets VERY long at 0,0 than it does at 630 x 945.
But 3mm wood at 120 mm/m is typical first pass in birch plywood. 6mm birch at 60 mm/m can be first pass, but Basswood or Poplar at 6mm is often 3 passes or not at all. (The wood is too white and fries like a BBQ instead of getting deeper)
But I am just a 40W tube, cutting at 10 mA on a 4-12 mA tube range (you don’t use it at 100% power if you want the tube to last a while.
Correct, if all things equal. Also depends on how I had the file programmed. I use LightBurn mostly for Laser Specific work, and Fusion 360 for milling. When milling you have tool paths that are either inside or outside the line so you keep the portion you want at the dimensions you want. With Laser to tend to blast the line itself.
That’s great. I could imagine lots of reasons why it might be a pain, and if that was the case, I would assume you’re going to choose the router. Although, really, they do have different strengths. 1mm/s is slower than I thought it would be, but it makes sense that it has to literally turn a lot of material into a gas. Do you have air assist?
Another follow up question, can you do engraving with this? I know you mentioned you use a 5W for that, but at least if you wanted to just label your parts?
