Messages

8161

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.

« on: July 05, 2009, 03:53:49 AM »

Hi Bill,

I will try to answer your questions as best I can. Please note that this is not definitive but just my opinions based on my experiences so far.

A. I have no working knowledge of these Turkish lasers as no one has yet reported back on their use. Provided the supplied lens will actually focus the beam to a spot the size of a pin point (within the available space on your machine) then the 1 Watt of laser power looks good.

B. Additionaly you will, I think, need to cool the diode casing with a larger heatsink and perhaps CPU type fan.

C. I have no recommendations.

D. Using a laser which is only 1/7 the power of this one - I have not had too much trouble with engraving different types of wood however the surface reflectivity of the wood is the controlling factor and a finely sanded surface seems to be better. Surface burn marks adjacent to the cuts are a problem to control however.

E. I suggest just laying the work onto a sacrificial board such as plywood would be OK.

Good luck with your project Bill - Please report back to the forum with your results.

Tweakie

8162

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: emco pc5 lathe

« on: July 02, 2009, 12:54:58 PM »

Extremely neat work.

Tweakie.

8163

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Plaque of Neptune for above my stairwell. :)

« on: June 30, 2009, 02:53:03 AM »

Nice one Sam, looks really good.

Tweakie.

8164

General Mach Discussion / Re: use laser cut on mach3

« on: June 29, 2009, 10:07:26 AM »

As far as safety is concerned there are two points to be observed.
1) Safety goggles with an OD rating for the wavelength of the laser in use must be worn by you and anyone else that may be present.
2) As many materials give off toxic fumes when burned the work area must be well ventilated.

I have not yet figured out how to control the burn marks produced on the surface of the work. Speed of cut has a lot to do with it I think. Possibly reverse one axis to produce a mirror image and then cut from the back of the work ?.

My laser came from Virtual Village, China but I understand that they no longer supply the 150 mW version.

Power supply is a 0 - 30 Volt 2 Amp benchtop PSU with current limiting.

Laser is controlled with Mach3 and I am using vector toolpaths converted to GCode - Z axis is disabled and Z axis DRO scale factor is used to set the dwell time. To turn the laser on and off (between cuts) I am using a shutter controlled by the Z axis direction signal.
This link may be of interest to you:-   http://www.cooperman.talktalk.net/index_files/Page4549.htm

The ebay laser looks good but you may need to add a focusing lens. perhaps you should try and get more details from the supplier.

Nice machine you have there.

Tweakie.

8165

General Mach Discussion / Re: use laser cut on mach3

« on: June 29, 2009, 08:39:25 AM »

You may find some of the information you are seeking in these threads:-

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,11396.0.html

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,11732.0.html

Tweakie.

8166

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: BladeRunner

« on: June 28, 2009, 12:42:30 PM »

Like your Flow TX as well.

Tweakie.

8167

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.

« on: June 28, 2009, 07:06:59 AM »

Hi Chris,

The secondary cable on your laser controller board is for the TTL modulation input, if you choose to use it. The white wire is connected to ground and the blue wire is for the TTL signal (<0.5 Volt=closed and >2 Volt=open) this already incorporates a 'pull up' resistor so pulling the blue wire to ground turns the laser off and open circuit turns the laser on. The spec for the modulation input is TTL levels at a frequency no greater than 15 kHz.

Tweakie.

8168

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.

« on: June 28, 2009, 05:20:46 AM »

Looks good prices John - are you going to buy a kit of parts then ?.

For me, CNC stuff is not so much about 'spending money on experiments' it's all about acquiring practical knowledge and practical experience. The theory can easily be obtained for free.

Tweakie.

8169

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: My first attempts at laser engraving.

« on: June 28, 2009, 05:01:54 AM »

Hi Chris,

If, like me, you need to wear spectacles for close up work then the goggle variety of protective eye ware are preferable as you can still wear your spectacles and wear the goggles at the same time.

Tweakie.

8170

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: BladeRunner

« on: June 27, 2009, 09:12:19 AM »

Excellent work. 

Tweakie.