[miketola]

This is my machine. Ordered from Aliexpress. Lens aligment, cutting bed change, chiller and focal lens 38.1mm. Works fine(about 6 month and i use it everyday). Lens change make almost double power and smaller dot. Pin table is best.

https://drive.google.com/folder/d/0B...hoRkk5NzA/edit

[buddydog]

This is my machine. Ordered from Aliexpress. Lens aligment, cutting bed change, chiller and focal lens 38.1mm. Works fine(about 6 month and i use it everyday). Lens change make almost double power and smaller dot. Pin table is best.

https://drive.google.com/folder/d/0B...hoRkk5NzA/edit

Yup. That's the one except mine didn't come with the air assist or laser spot thing. I don't think I miss the laser thing and the extra weight on the head but the air assist is an absolute must and the lens would get trashed pretty quick without it. Your spring setup for the z axis is what I used first and it was fine except I wanted to move one knob and have the table move evenly up and down and the ball spring mod fixed that. The next step would be the motorized table but other than having to pretzle my hand through the clamp hole to reach and adjust the chain, I could easily live with the manual adjustment. Over the last couple of days I have come up with a what I think might be a better idea. I really like the expanded metal design you are using and will make one of those up soon. That will solve another problem: The stock table is aluminum and you can't use magnets to hold things down. I have used tape etc. but it's always disappointing to lose a print (I guess print is the wrong terminology?) when it moves during the process. Once you figure where things are in a stock program layout you can just have the magnet shown in the same place in the layout while you are designing as long as you remember to delete it before lasering.

Do you design in laserDRW or have you moved "on"? What is the "send to printer" pages for? It mentions colors and layers and other stuff. It shows your "piece" etc. but what is it for? Seems like it has some advanced features but looks like it wants to send stuff to an actual printer? Is it useable for our purposes?

[buddydog]

This is my machine. Ordered from Aliexpress. Lens aligment, cutting bed change, chiller and focal lens 38.1mm. Works fine(about 6 month and i use it everyday). Lens change make almost double power and smaller dot. Pin table is best.

https://drive.google.com/folder/d/0B...hoRkk5NzA/edit

By the way nice pieces!. What lens did you buy to upgrade to? ebay link? Also I ordered one of those 15$ made in USA mirrors that I'll give a report on when I get it. Looks promising.Made in USA Best CO2 Molybdenum MO 20mm 40W Laser ENGRAVER Mirror Fast Shipping | eBay
I'm content with the optics that come with the machine but of course want spares and if they can be an upgrade all the better (Remember I CAN AFFORD SPARES since I didn't spend a fortune on the original machine (he he) :-). I have a high vacuum setup for screwing around building vacuum tubes and I may see if I can do some mirror coating with that just for the fun of it. How about a mirror with a built in thermistor to measure temperature to know when to clean, replace, out of adjustment etc? Any thoughts on that?

One last edit. That powersupply is the one that I have described before and I think it's a pretty good one. I have some good notes on it if someone needs them and did a couple of days troubleshooting so understand all the inputs and what you should see in measurements etc. The all-in-one nature sure cleans out the inside of the electronics enclosure! You can almost here an echo in there and not much heat either. One comment: it is purpose built for the equipment it is running and I don't know how it would handle heavier loads of modded steppers, other boards etc. The manufacturer claims it can be PWM? but I'm not sure they mean PWM like in the 68 board.

[2_many_hobbies]

Anybody cut bamboo on their 40W machines? how did it work out, what thickness?

[2_many_hobbies]

Talked it over with my wife and she actually thinks a laser cutter would be a good buy!

Unfortunately the ones that ship to canada do not have air assist. Is the K40 20mm replacement head all that I would need? I do have a Taig Micro Lathe and could turn my own. What kind of psi is required for good results? I have a no-name pancake compressor and a large fish tank air pump, I could get an airbrush compressor for cheap as well. This will be inside so a regular compressor is a bit loud.

[buddydog]

I made mine in ABS from many of the ones on thingiverse, and of course you could make one with your lathe.. Any small compressor should work to keep the lens clean but mores better where cutting wood is con cerned. I will probably purchase one of the upscale ones at some point to get the adjustable 45* down mirror on the head as that would make life a lot easier than shimming one side. They get to much extra for the ones on ebay with the air assist I think. Isn't it 200 more? and it's still the crappy head. Same money will get a decent air brush compressor and the light object fully adjustable one (65 I think). Speaking of the crappy air assist, I think you can get that from light object for 20 bucks so pretty cheap and get that one at the very least.

I buy what I want for the most part but my wife was so so on the laser. I ordered it anyway and now she really likes it. I always think of it as the first tool when planning some project. On the other hand I don't see how you could make any real money with something this small. AND if I knew what I knew now I probably would have gone for one of the 2400 50watt 300 X 500 mm machines but mainly for the size. With mine set up correctly I don't find the 40watt power to be a problem. Yep size and Z height are limiting a lot of what I can imagine.

Are you getting one with laserDRW or the moshi board?

[herby08]

hi there
I have a '40W" laser and cut bamboo all the time the max with air assist is around 5mm with 4 to 6 mm/s speed
greetings
waltfl

[herby08]

hi there
I use a airbrush compressor since two years now and it works perfect. but I don't use the cone I use something like the epilog it works much better then the cone, more power.
greetings waltfl

[buddydog]

Herby how does that do at keeping the lens clean? I want to buy another compressor (my wifes late husbands one that was in the garage is really old) today since it's the last day of Harbor freights 25% off sale and I see you have one of those. How has it worked out for you? Also which evacuation fan is cheapest/best from them? I remember some discussion "buy the red one not the ***** one or vice versa, but I don't remember the details. Also I am surprised you haven't changed the whole head? I think you were one of the first to figure out that it's not how much power you have but instead how much gets out the antenna!

[herby08]

hi buddydog
the lens get clean from the exhaust , I use a 6 to 8 inch 550CFM inline fan from hydroponics on ebay about $ 80 like this
8” Duct Blower Centrifugal Inline Exhaust Fan for Odor Control Carbon Air Filter | eBay
this will suck everything's out. the airbrush compressor works since over 2 years now perfect but not with a nozzle more like similar to the epilog versionsee previous pictures
greetings
waltfl

[2_many_hobbies]

Are you getting one with laserDRW or the moshi board?

I am getting a LaserDRW one, I already use Corel Draw so it would be a big bonus to productivity.

I have found a few resellers that import to Vancouver Canada and use USP for 4day insured delivery. I am going to make an offer on one of those as they want $1000, if not I will move down my list making offers. The Moshi machines are the cheapest by far at $750.

Do the moshi boards work with Corel Draw at all? It would be nice to have leftover money to get supplies and not totally wipe out my savings.

[buddydog]

I have no idea why you have to pay that much?? I paid 471 and that was for the better one delivered to my door!!! 1000 is crazy! You could drive down here and get one for that difference. I know I would never have bought mine if that had been the cost. Now that I have had it maybe but 1000? Why?

[miketola]

K40 delivered to finland about 650$ with air nose and compressor and laser pointer. Also inglude up and down table(manual) . Ketail Gold 2 motherboard. Works fine with Corel. Digital power panel. Power support PWM if you want upsate DSP some day.

Best regards
Mika K

[2_many_hobbies]

K40 delivered to finland about 650$ with air nose and compressor and laser pointer. Also inglude up and down table(manual) . Ketail Gold 2 motherboard. Works fine with Corel. Digital power panel. Power support PWM if you want upsate DSP some day.

Best regards
Mika K

Can you post a link to the one you bought?

I have no idea why you have to pay that much?? I paid 471 and that was for the better one delivered to my door!!! 1000 is crazy! You could drive down here and get one for that difference. I know I would never have bought mine if that had been the cost. Now that I have had it maybe but 1000? Why?

Welcome to Canada... The USA has wide open import/export but Canada has quite a few limitations. I had to fill out paperwork from Health Canada to get my 3W laser diode. I use to live near Bellingham WA and a P.O box but now I'm in Saskatchewan and its a 7hr drive to Minot ND. I might wait until spring when the roads are safer and make it one very long day drive but it will still cost me $130 in gas.

[2_many_hobbies]

Anybody seen lasersaur. They have a fantastic user interface that I have tried out on a pen-plotter I was building. A simple Arduino Uno and GRBL shield would be all you need to replace the stock electronics of these cheap machines. Even the MoshiDraw machines have PWM power supplies. I might pick up one of the ultra cheap old machines and right off the bat get new mirrors, aligners, air assist and red dot for less than a LaserDRW compatable machine.

[buddydog]

It's a crap shoot whether you get a pwm power supply or not. Not having seen the older units I can't say but I know as long as everything isn't broken your lasering within a couple of hours with the new ones and the software does not "hang". Maybe the Moshi draw is better now? I wouldn't take the chance for $200 difference. For a 600 dollars difference hell yes and go buy the DSP controller or whatever. I'm not that enamored with laserDRW but it does seem to get the job done with no fuss. There are other claims made for the newer units like stiffer case, something about the rollers etc. so maybe not as much apples to apples first glance would have. Again if faced with 500 or 700 I would do the new one. If 400 or 1000 then yes the old one can be even better with 600 in the bank! Also I am using the original mirrors and lens so far with no complaints. I think how much effort you put into alignment and a sturdy base is how well the machine will work.

[miketola]

I buy my machine from this seller Online Shop Free Shipping 40W Laser Engraver JK-K3020 Laser Cutting Machine 220V co2 Laser Cutting Machine|Aliexpress Mobile
I "contact seller" and ask price etc.

I don,t use LaserDrw because i have Corel Draw. Plugin works fine.

Focus lens i by from ebay.
Why i change it?

Because 38.1 vs 50.8, double power and smaller dot.

I cut 4mm plywood 25% and 10m/s

Best regards.
Mika K

[2_many_hobbies]

I buy my machine from this seller Online Shop Free Shipping 40W Laser Engraver JK-K3020 Laser Cutting Machine 220V co2 Laser Cutting Machine|Aliexpress Mobile
I "contact seller" and ask price etc.

I don,t use LaserDrw because i have Corel Draw. Plugin works fine.

Focus lens i by from ebay.
Why i change it?

Because 38.1 vs 50.8, double power and smaller dot.

I cut 4mm plywood 25% and 10m/s

Best regards.
Mika K

When you changed the focus lense (38.1mm is stock, you changed to 50.8MM?) did you have to raise everything you cut 13mm or do you get a smaller spot because you kept the table at the stock height?

[miketola]

Normaly stock lens is 50.8mm. I change 38.1mm. You can calculate it. Smaller dot and more power. If you change 75mm lens then you have big dot and small power. I made cutting bed with manual up and down function.

[miketola]

If you use 38.1 lens then distance between lens and material must be 38.1mm