[0L0ID]

Hello everyone!

First off, thrilled to be part of the network - I am new here but have read some of the posts on the arena during my search for a good machine and appreciate the level of professional advice others have found here.

As for the said search - I am looking for a laser engraver to do specifically vector drawing engravings and cuts on 1/8" acrylic. Possibly wood cuts/engravings as well, but acrylic jobs mainly. So far I have been using a Versalaser VLS3.50 with a 30W Synrad tube afterhours at work, and it's been absolutely great, but I need my own machine to avoid conflict of interest.

So, to be more specific what I'm looking for is:

- an Air-cooled RF laser tube of at least 30W (not DC as it does not engrave as fast or as well as RF due to power fluctuations and beam size)
- 12x24" minimum bed size.
- Ideally a tabletop machine, since my shop is on the 2nd floor and from my experience even the smallest lasers are obscenely heavy to lift. Something between 50-70kg (120-140lbs) would be perfect.
- has to be under $5000. that is the absolute total budget I have to work with.

So far I've discovered that the used laser cutter landscape in my area is scarce. I found a few listings, some turned out to be scams, others were just sold very quickly. After the smoke cleared I found myself having a conversation with two ebay sellers both within a couple of hours drive from me - one has a 2003 Epilog Legend 24EX with about 3000 hours on the tube going for $4500. The other - a Gravograph LS900 that needs the honeycomb table replaced, going for $2800. The trouble with either of these is they are both over 300lbs and dimensionally may not fit up the narrow staircase in my shop. But who knows, I can get creative..

So, if anyone here has any experience with either of these two machines, please chime in. Are there any glaring issues with any of these models that you know of? Do either of them come apart into smaller bits that can be safely carried by 3-4 men up a 3' stair and then reassembled? What about running the machines themselves? I believe epilogs in general are pretty bulletproof, but the Gravograph is a wildcard - I heard they're built like tanks, however the tech support leaves a lot to be desired.

And lastly, if there are other machines you think you can recommend that would be close to my specs - please let me know. I am all ears.

Big thanks in advance!

0l0id

[GerryG]

Epilogs are generally decent machines, although they can be horrendously expensive if parts fail on them. I had an Epilog at work which managed to fry its mainboard, as well as its Y axis encoder - the mainboard was (IIRC) several hundred pounds to replace, and the Y axis mtoor assembly had tobe swapped out, because Epilog's UK reps wouldn't do parts support to that granular a level.

With regards to things fitting up the stairs don't forget that you can take the legs/base off, and just turn it 90 degrees, so the front is facing down. That's how I got my 700*500 laser up two flights of stairs at home - all you need is a willing participant to provide an extra pair of hands.

Having worked with both RF and CO2 lasers, I've not noticed there to be a world-shattering difference in terms of quality and speed, if you're careful with job setup and are using decent control software (at least, not at the desktop/office-sized end of the market). Out of the box, RF lasers are a bit faster/more controllable, but it's nothing that can't be worked around - the only real tangible advantage is the frequency control, but that can largely be accounted for in speed and power settings anyway.

I'm going to sound like a bit of a shill, but Lightburn is a package that replaces the horrible Chinese software that comes with most cheaper laser cuters, and I personally think it at the very least brings it up to the level of Epilog's software, if not supercedes it. The only thing about an Epilog that I like over my Chinese laser now is that it runs with a closed-loop motion system. I've not had step loss at any point with my machine, but it'd be nice to never have to even think about it as a possibility . I may try to retrofit a closed-loop motion system at some point anyway, if the RuiDa controller has the capacity to deal with it.

The Epilog certainly sounds like a good deal, but I maintain that dropping 5 grand in one sitting is a lot of money - if you can achieve similar results with a glass tube laser that costs 25% as much, it might be a more sensible initial investment.

[Storen]

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a "budget RF laser". There are very few companies that make RF lasers and their prices are similar.

You may be able to get something for 5K if:

- You are willing to sacrifice speed and positional accuracy and get a system with steppers instead of one with a servo.
- You are willing to sacrifice beam quality and get a DC source.
- You are willing to accept the risks associated with used equipment.

I guess I am not telling you anything new...

This technology is becoming popular so maybe in future, we will see some price drop but not at the moment.

[laserkelvin]

Hi Oloid,

Glad to know you .

I am Mr.Kelvin, from Argus Laser .

We are profession laser machines manufacturer since 1998, and we have many kinds of laser machines, includes galvo and gantry models .

For your application , we have a suitable model for you , use 30watts Davi RF metal laser source SCU5070 model. As we use RF metal tube and Servo motor , its max engraving speed can reach 2000mm/s , and cutting speed also faster than normal model . So it is ok for cut 4mm acrylic .
And the weight is about 300KGS, but it can be separate into two parts for up to your 2nd floor , we have many clients did like that .
And its cost is also similar to your Budget .

Many thanks , and if you interested , pls contact me .

Wuhan Sunic Photoelectricity Equipment Manufacture CO., LTD
Add:No. 4# Huanglongshan north road, East Lake High-Tech District,Wuhan,Hubei province,China 430070
Website http://www.arguslaser.net/ http://sunic.en.alibaba.com
Tel: +86 27 5972-3899 Fax:+86 27 5972-3898
Mobile:+0086 15671685398 Email: [email protected]
Skype: sunic_grace

[fixtureman1]

Remember if you are in the US to add the 25% tax plus the import fees plus shipping They say free shipping but that is to the dock.

[cinematic2]

- an Air-cooled RF laser tube of at least 30W (not DC as it does not engrave as fast or as well as RF due to power fluctuations and beam size)
- 12x24" minimum bed size.
- Ideally a tabletop machine, since my shop is on the 2nd floor and from my experience even the smallest lasers are obscenely heavy to lift. Something between 50-70kg (120-140lbs) would be perfect.
- has to be under $5000. that is the absolute total budget I have to work with.

Have 30W Trotec Speedy 300, 35W Epilog 24TT and 100W Synrad Galvo marking machine.