Messages

6671

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Router - which is best for this application?

« on: March 02, 2011, 06:55:25 AM »

Hi Jen,

After spouting on about it I thought I had better try some inlay work. 

This is just wood in wood but it shows that it is easy to do with Mach3 and LazyCam.  http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,12444.msg121416.html#msg121416

Tweakie.

6672

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: The Laser Project.

« on: March 02, 2011, 06:25:41 AM »

Something I have not really tried before is the inlay of wood into wood. Thanks to Switcher http://vectorink.com/ I downloaded one of his .dxf’s and using LazyCam created the wood cut outline GCode. This was then used to cut some parts from 2mm Obechi veneer. The .dxf outline was then filled black, using Photochop and saved as a .bmp which was subsequently then used with the Engraving / Laser plugin to cut the pocket into a leftover piece of Teak. Both the Obechi and Teak were covered in paper Transfer Tape (the stuff used for applying vinyl signs) before being attacked with the laser to protect the surface from smoke marking and discoloration. The part was then fitted in place using PVA and sanded flush when dry (the part was about 0.5mm proud of the surface).
It is not perfect but hey this is my first attempt, I have learnt a lot here and I am sure that I can make improvements. The edges of the cut have suffered from blackening and unfortunately, this is quite noticeable – perhaps using Nitrogen instead of Air as the assist gas would reduce this effect, something to try another day.

Tweakie.

6673

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Router - which is best for this application?

« on: March 01, 2011, 07:44:52 AM »

 

Tweakie.

btw. The 600W Rofin Fiber laser costs just a little over the price I paid for my house 

6674

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need help with basic understanding

« on: March 01, 2011, 06:32:22 AM »

I have used Draftsight to create DXF files but on occasion I like to use plotter files. I cannot create the plot files directly in this program so I was trying to find a plotter driver that I could print to file. The ones that were recommended to me were the drivers for HP 7475a or HP 7580a. The problem is the HP download site does not have these drivers anymore and I cannot seem to locate them. In addition, I read somewhere that they are not supported on Win XP. So, question is what plotter driver is available and where can I download it ?

Thanks

Perhap WinLine may be suitable for your needs http://www.winline.com/


Tweakie.

6675

General Mach Discussion / Re: My "Bat Desk" is almost done!!!! :) :) :)

« on: March 01, 2011, 02:31:04 AM »

Very impressive Scott but does it dispense Beer ? 

Tweakie.

6676

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Router - which is best for this application?

« on: March 01, 2011, 02:01:38 AM »

No worries Dave 

I think we would all appreciate it if you use the caps lock key though.
Thanks,

Tweakie.

6677

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: The Laser Project.

« on: February 28, 2011, 12:26:57 PM »

I have received a couple of emails from others who have cut this lizard but said that the parts are too big to fit together properly and asked me how I did it.

Well…..

Eschers original drawing had just one line defining the boundary between each lizard and it’s mate and if you pick one image, convert it to dxf and then cut on the outside of the line the resulting pieces will not fit. Cutting on the centre of the line results in the clearance between one lizard and it’s mate being the diameter of the laser beam (0.05mm). Although it may well now fit (if it was drawn accurately enough in the first place) this clearance is still not enough to enable easy assembly and disassembly of the pattern so this is why I chose to cut on the inside of the line and why I cut the parts separately and not nested.

Hope this answers some questions.

Tweakie.

6678

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Router - which is best for this application?

« on: February 28, 2011, 11:30:50 AM »

Jen,

You are right about wood's density. Wood's like teak and spruce have a soft growth layer sandwiched between a very hard annual ring - the laser will cut deep into the soft and not so deep into the hard but the overall average should be pretty constant.
As the depth of cut is related to both power and speed as well as the wood itself the exact depth will always be a trial and error thing but once established it will be repeatable, at least for that sample of wood.
There will be some blackening (charring) around the edges but the surface of the work can be protected with paper transfer tape (used with vinyl signs) also there are a number of  proprietary cleaners which, I understand, can work wonders.

(Incidentally, the smallest practical beam spot size is around 0.05mm diameter without resorting to beam expanders or extremely short focal length lenses).

Tweakie.

6679

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Router - which is best for this application?

« on: February 28, 2011, 10:33:41 AM »

Hi Jen,

The Epilog sounds like a good choice.

Just one point to keep in mind is that organics such as shell, bone, leather etc really stink when you attack them with a laser. I am not sure about the composite 'ablam' because I have never tried it but depending on your location (if you have neighbours) you may need a HEPA filter attached to your air extraction system. They are not that expensive but still a bit of extra cost to factor into the equation.

Tweakie.

6680

Tangent Corner / Re: New here

« on: February 28, 2011, 01:57:07 AM »

The more the merrier, welcome Mark.

Tweakie.