Laser Engraving Cutting Boards - recommendations?

Johnathon

J Flip
User
I'm looking to get a laser for doing personalization/logos on cutting boards and small items but I'm not sure what options I should seriously consider. I've done a small craft market so I'm very much still a hobbyist, though I've had some interest from businesses in using my items for client gifts.

I will admit that I am overwhelmed when looking at the options for lasers. From all the reading/watching I've done I've determined that a CO2 laser is out of my budget, likely for a while. The ortur and atomstack lasers have models that I believe will work for my needs, at least short term, but I was hoping someone could chime in with "I use this one for the same thing and it works." My thought is an open base model like this could have some ongoing utility for doing tabletop/large engraving in the future if I upgraded to an enclosure model for small items.

Any help is appreciated, even of the "just wait and get an expensive one later" variety. I'm trying to avoid spending over $500 until I have some revenue from woodworking, but I also think having some kind of laser will increase that revenue potential now.
 
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Echd

C
User
I have an Ortur laser master 2. I use lightburn software. It will do exactly what you want very easily. You don't need a K40 or better c02 laser for simple engraving.

I don't use it a lot but it's a very easy and trouble free machine. Practice good safety habits!

Some basic sample projects I did. It will also cut colored acrylic... quite slowly, but it will do a decent job.

Adding rudimentary air assist with a cheap walmart aquarium pump and a nozzle (I drilled out a ten cent 3d printer nozzle) will make for cleaner burns and a small amount of cutting ability, but cutting on these is a pain and if you plan or want to do much cutting I'd jump up to a K40 or better. If you want to just engrave, it will work fine.

The other nice thing about these open gantry type diode lasers is you can bring them to the project. You can't fit a tabletop or large frame in (most of the) hobby sized c02 lasers.

I run mine on a cheap $60 ebay refurb laptop (that turned out to be an astounding useful investment for various internet connected shop tools) and it runs lightburn just fine. Lightburn is $60 and has a 30 day trial
Also you should buy better safety goggles. But overall it has essentially zero associated costs of use and is very easy to work with.
 

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Skymaster

New User
Jack
Lightburn is awesome, Ortur Laser is also awesome, I have the 15watt Ortur and I honestly will say that is where you want to be, nothing smaller, smaller equals S L O W E R. I also have a 50w co2, neither of witch gets used very much,but when you need it,you are very happy to have it
 

Johnathon

J Flip
User
Do y'all use the short focus or long focus laser modules?

My understanding is that the short focus can do finer details but the long focus cuts better. I'm not planning on doing anything too elaborate or detailed, so more cutting capabilities?
 
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Echd

C
User
They're always releasing different designs of chinesium machines under the same model name. I believe mine has the smaller focus; it is the 20W. There could be a newer one now too, no idea.

I think they're fairly easily exchanged. Cutting with a diode laser is a bit of a masochistic exercise so I don't do it much. I'd rather have finer detail if that were indeed the opportunity cost.

You probably know it but the wattage numbers on the chinese lasers are total BS. That's the input wattage (supposedly). In reality a 20W chinese diode clocks in around 4 watts and some change by most people's reckoning. The current "40 watt" lasers are actually dual diodes from the "20 watt" lasers.
 

Michael Mathews

Michael
Corporate Member
You should also talk with Sam Knight. He's presently out of town on vacation so you'll have to wait another week until he's back. He has the Sculpfun S9 Pro I believe. That's a 5.5 watt open frame diode laser. Sculpfun recently came out with a 10 watt unit. They're pretty reasonably priced and they have a large following and a Facebook group if you'd like to do more research there.
 

kserdar

Ken
Senior User
The first laser in my shop was a Glowforge. Maybe not cheap, but by far the easiest to use.
Because of our explosion in Etsy orders. That first machine expired in about 1.5 years.
Glowforge offered a "like" used replacement for $500.

Currently we have 2 Glowforges (40W and 45W) and a OMTech 20x40 100W.

Things to consider:
1. What size material do you wish to laser? Not only length x width, but also thickness.
Many lasers offer a "passthru". Most will only allow <=1/4" thick material to pass through.
What is the Max. thickness the laser can focus on.
2. How fast or different shades of black do you need?
My 100W will cut twice as fast (exact same file) as the 45W.
All three will do pictures. The better the software, the easier pictures are to get right.
3. Software: Glowforge uses a propiatary Web based software and has preset setting for lots of materials. OMTech ships with RDWorks and works with LightBurn.
4. Support: Either online community or from company?
Glowforge from both is very good.
OMTech - community is hit or miss, lots of different models and not enough info. Company- about the same and slow. Some parts will ship from China.
5. Options: Rotary, auto focus, laser cooler, air filter or exhaust, etc
 

Skymaster

New User
Jack
Totally agree with everything Ken says, the other secret is having Kens phone number at #1 on the HELP HELP line :}:}:}:}
 

Johnathon

J Flip
User
Glowforge would be one of the co2's on the list for the future. But that's well outside of the budget currently.
 

Johnathon

J Flip
User
I made the call and preordered the new aufero (ortur). I'll report back when I get a chance to try it out.
 

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