# laser question



## workinforwood (Feb 9, 2011)

I was just wondering..can a 35 watt CO2 Epilog laser cut 1/16 thick brass, steel, aluminum, nickle etc. ?  I do mean cut, like all the way through, not just leave a black mark.


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## wolftat (Feb 9, 2011)

Not a chance, my 60 watt can't even get close to doing that.


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## NewLondon88 (Feb 9, 2011)

workinforwood said:


> I was just wondering..can a 35 watt CO2 Epilog laser cut 1/16 thick brass, steel, aluminum, nickle etc. ?



CO2 lasers won't cut metals or even etch them. You need a different
type of laser for that. (ex. Nd:YAG) CO2 lasers can mark metals using 
chemical coatings (ex. glass frit or ceramic) but not cut them.
a 35 watt CO2 laser could cut 1/16 thick plywood, though. :tongue:


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## workinforwood (Feb 9, 2011)

ok...thanks.  I was offered a good deal on one, I guess I'll pass. If it can't laser cut out a clip, it's not much good to me.


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## wood-of-1kind (Feb 9, 2011)

workinforwood said:


> ok...thanks.  I was offered a good deal on one, I guess I'll pass. If it can't laser cut out a clip, it's not much good to me.



There's a supplier that uses a 'laser' jet laser that 'probably' could do clips. It's on my 'to do' things to check out. He's done some SS light covers for my PT Cruiser and they turned out great. It may be a real challenge to get something done as small as a pen clip. Will have to inquire.


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## workinforwood (Feb 9, 2011)

I would really like to make my own pen clips, where I'm not stuck with one particular metal and not one particular design like a stamp press would do. So I can cut my business name in some, have lines, circles whatever cut in them, different shapes, and I can make clips with rings where the only thing I have to do is bend the clip down from the ring and back out again. I have no idea what the cheapest machine is that can do that job..I figure laser must be the cheaper and easier option because with a laser, holding down your work is no big deal, unlike a spinning cutter bit. But..like I said, I only know what I want to achieve, not how to get there.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Feb 9, 2011)

The next question is what can a 35 watt CO2 do, can it engrave most of our pens, can it etch glass, can it laser cut blanks such as Ken can do and what soft ware do you need to do any of this?


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## NewLondon88 (Feb 9, 2011)

OKLAHOMAN said:


> The next question is what can a 35 watt CO2 do, can it engrave most of our pens, can it etch glass, can it laser cut blanks such as Ken can do and what soft ware do you need to do any of this?



It can do the pens, etch glass and such, but 35 watts might be a bit light
for what Ken does. It would work, but would likely char the wood pretty
well in the process. Depends on the wood type, of course.


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## BRobbins629 (Feb 9, 2011)

workinforwood said:


> I would really like to make my own pen clips, where I'm not stuck with one particular metal and not one particular design like a stamp press would do. So I can cut my business name in some, have lines, circles whatever cut in them, different shapes, and I can make clips with rings where the only thing I have to do is bend the clip down from the ring and back out again. I have no idea what the cheapest machine is that can do that job..I figure laser must be the cheaper and easier option because with a laser, holding down your work is no big deal, unlike a spinning cutter bit. But..like I said, I only know what I want to achieve, not how to get there.



CNC


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## btboone (Feb 9, 2011)

I'm looking into a fiber laser, which is a whole different animal.  It has a crazy fine beam and a wavelength in the near infrared, which works better on metal.  It won't be cheap though.  With that, it should be able to deep engrave and cut (thin) metals even though it's "only" 50 watts.  My 130 watt CO2 will not cut metals.  The main reason is the wavelength in the far infrared and the beam only will focus to a spot in the range of .007".  For wood, a 50 watt CO2 is all that would ever be needed.  It can be done with a 35 watt, but might need either to be slowed way down or done in 2 or more passes.


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## workinforwood (Feb 10, 2011)

Right..I was reading about the yag and the fiber lasers. Now you are into a smaller machine size too, so it requires less space and it cuts metal, but you can't cut wood or plastic with it..of course I don't care too much about making things like laser blanks..people already have that covered.  Not cheap is no joke...but maybe if I just keep looking I can find a good used one in the 6-10 price range.  So how does Bruce go about making the clip in that metal puzzle pen if not using a laser? If you use a CNC mill with a real tiny bit to cut your name down the clip, how the heck you going to secure that little thing and still keep it accessible to the tooling?


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## workinforwood (Feb 10, 2011)

I see LMS has Tormac for 6200. Maybe that does what I want? I am only about 1500 short in cash...but I can make that up over a month or two, get the basic machine then start saving up for computer and tooling. Little bit at a time and I bet I could be up and running within a year. That would be acceptable by me


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## BRobbins629 (Feb 10, 2011)

workinforwood said:


> I see LMS has Tormac for 6200. Maybe that does what I want? I am only about 1500 short in cash...but I can make that up over a month or two, get the basic machine then start saving up for computer and tooling. Little bit at a time and I bet I could be up and running within a year. That would be acceptable by me


That Tormach is nice, but don't forget about software.  That can be just as expensive depending on which way you go and you might want a faster spindle for small bits rather than the one on the bigger machines, Take a look at Cncrouterparts.com  and go onto Cnczone forum and look at some of the DIY builds. You could get plans and parts to build one to do exactly what you describe for a whole lot less money.  The scroll saw could collect dust.


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## NewLondon88 (Feb 10, 2011)

BRobbins629 said:


> The scroll saw could collect dust.



Blasphemy!


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## btboone (Feb 10, 2011)

I have a Tormach and it's a very capable machine. It's solid and quiet and is about the most bang for the buck machine I've seen. I also have a tabletop mill and a full sized machining center, so the Tormach hardly gets used. I hand write all my CNC code, so it can be done with just CAD without CAM software. 

On my clip on my puzzle pen, I did use my tabletop mill with a small cutter. The puzzle pieces are engraved with a laser, and it's welded onto the body of the pen by a laser welder. One thing that's possible with around a 50 watt CO2 laser is to use Cermark, which is black ceramic that gets fired by a laser.  Here's a picture of what's possible with that stuff.

Resolution is around .007" or so.


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## workinforwood (Feb 10, 2011)

I thought little machine shop said it did come with software. How about if your personal one is collecting dust now, you sell it to me to get me started and use the money to help with your growth Bruce...assuming I can afford its used value? Is there software and is it compatable with a variety of software for a tormach?


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## Fibonacci (Feb 10, 2011)

If you don't mind being mroe hands on with it, I have a 50W laser cutter from MBPK International.

http://www.mbkpinternational.com/artsign_3040u_laser_engraver.htm

It takes more fiddling than something like an epilog or a universal, but it works great now that it is tuned up.  You can get the same system from ebay for aroudn 2k, but the shipping is a killer (from China) and they tend to be DOA.

I can cut 3/8" acrylic in a single pass and it does great etching glass and wood.


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## workinforwood (Feb 10, 2011)

Much appreciated but metal is what I want to cut


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## btboone (Feb 10, 2011)

The Tormach came with Mach 3 software.  It can do limited CAM type stuff.  I might be open to talking on the Tormach if you were interested.  It's a heavy one!  It took 4 guys to get it in.


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## workinforwood (Feb 11, 2011)

Must be the 1100 version, that's the darn weight too! Lol


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## BRobbins629 (Feb 11, 2011)

If you're serious about going the CNC route, a good head start is to download the trial version of Mach3 software.  Its what most CNC folks use to control the machines.  Its free and fully functional but only allows 500 lines of code.  You can run it in simulated mode, watch how the tool and axes will move, and start programming g-code.  Though not that difficult, it does take a while to get comfortable with.  You can do a lot with 500 lines of code.


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## workinforwood (Feb 11, 2011)

sounds great, thank you Bruce for the software tip.


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## btboone (Feb 11, 2011)

That is a great idea.  I very rarely ever get above that many lines of code.  Only doing contoured stuff with lots of small lines will you need more.  Normal programs for stuff like clips or simple parts usually need less than 30 lines or so.  Another cool thing; a machining center can be used as a CNC lathe.  The tools ride on the table and the stock sticks out the spindle.  I made my rings for a year or so like that before getting my Mazak lathe.  It's not ideal, but it's a heck of a lot more handy than not having CNC lathe capability.  You can do threading, nail critical diameters, etc.


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