Laser upgrade

[RonnieI]

I got a Laser Pecker a year or so ago just to engrave thd bases of my woodturning projects. Now I've been using it for a while I've realised it's not powerful enough to do some of the things I'd like to do; engraving paler woods, metal, cutting, etc.
What's a good laser upgrade for someone with not a great deal of experience? I was pondering something around 30W, big enough to e.g. cut up to max 10mm ply, engrave metal? Do I need Lightburn?
Thanks for any help.

 

[meccarroll]

First thing is ther are different types of laser beams each with their advantages and disadvantages: Diode, Fiber CO2 etc.

Metals generally require a different laser beam tham say wood. I think it has something to do with the lenght of the beam.

I have a 20w Diode laser that will cut 10mm ply and engrave S/S etc.

I think you may find a solution of borax will help darken an engraved part.

Take a look at: https://store.creality.com/uk/pages...ser engraver&utm_content=01-creality engraver
They seem to have a good set of lasers that won't break the bank if you thinking about Diode lasers.

Diode lasers are generally very portable and some can be extended by adding longer rails but they are mostly slower than CO2 lasers. The big advantage is they are quite light and portable.

For speed a CO2 laser would be better than Diode but you need to check the material list that each machine will cope with before investing. CO2 lasers can take up a huge amount of space and are not portable except in very small form so more of a workshop laser for production work but very handy to own if you have the space.

Fibre lasers are used for metals and are very fast but generally are limited in the size (area coverage) they can laser (200mm to 300mm square is average).

Mark