I have got a laser cutter on the way

No intention of a refit (yet) but just wondering how Mach plays with a laser cutter -

Is it fast enough?
Does it do PWM power control?
Is it better than the built-in controllers found on eBay laser cutters?
Anyone running a 50-60W laser on Mach3?

Just thinking

Looks like more fun then Dave. 

Is it fast enough?

Depends on the maximum axis speed of your laser cutter but I would say Yes Mach3 is fast enough.

Does it do PWM power control?

Yes, using the S### command

Is it better than the built-in controllers found on eBay laser cutters?

That is a matter of opinion - I would not say Mach3 is better but I think I have managed to do anything that the built-in controllers can do.

Anyone running a 50-60W laser on Mach3?

Unknown, my laser is only 40 Watts.

Tweakie.

Yeah, musty admit that a laser cutter is probably every adult kid's dream toy

Prices are silly now and i'm sure my business needs one, just have to figure out why later.

Speeds seem to be pretty fast, 1000mm/s not unheard of.

Hopefully be here next week.

How did the laser work out? I've run Mach3 based waterjet cutting machines at over 1200mm/s at 1G with no issues.

Laser is fun, its still running on the standard Ruida controller though

Hi Tweakie, I'm actually planning ahead with my 2nd cnc build to be fitted with a laser to cut 5mm thick wood, maybe plastic slightly bit thicker and a 40 watt laser soundss to be a decent size for my application. Although I would still to do some more research about this, would you mind telling me what type of laser you have and maybe where you bought it from? The thing is that I'm not a fan of co2 lasers because they relatively bulky and delicate, as opposed to the diode types.
Thanks
Marting

Hi Marting,

Laser technology is advancing on a daily basis and it is impossible to say what is best so the deciding factor is probably what you can afford to spend. A 40 Watt C02 laser although bulky is still cheaper than a 40 Watt diode or fiber laser but prices of the high end products are continually falling. All I can suggest is that you Google lasers and gain as much info as you can on the latest products.

If it’s any help, my laser adventures with lasers (including where parts were purchased) is here;  http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,12444.0.html

Tweakie.

Hi Tweakie,
Thanks for the information,  yes the up side of co2's that they are cheaper. The main thing that concerns me most of all are the vibrations that may cause damage, since I have in mind to run it both as router and laser. I still have to figure out if this is the ideal situation (on one side having saw dust while on the other clean mirrors is a must) and if so how to go about it.
Marting

If you check out the thread I mentioned above you can see how I tackled the dust problem and this may help you come up with a suitable solution. My laser stuff is all pretty rigidly mounted and I have never had any problem with vibration as a result of the router use.

Everything is a challenge 

Tweakie.

Ok. So I've done some research and read most of the thead you suggested.  It turns out that from a 40W laser I'm intrigued to step it up to 130W since the prices don't defer that much. Anyway from the information I searched the later can easily cut 15mm thick wood and polycarbonate. While I was at it I started wondering if with much power I could engrave on anodized aluminium since I have some projects that I intend to do in aluminium and have them anodized.  Any experience with the later?
Thanks
Marting