[ALxx]

Hello, first-time poster here.

I’m researching laser cutting for its business potential and have some random beginner questions which I hope you’ll kindly answer. Sorry if they are common questions answered a million times before. If not, great!

1. What options there are in the UK/EU area in terms of a reliable/quality laser cutter brands? I have only had first hand experience with a Just Add Sharks A0 cutter (at London Hackspace) and found several manufacturers online e.g. Trotec, BRM Lasers. Any recommendations from happy users?

2. Are there any CNC trade shows in UK or Europe you're aware of where one absolutely should be at to see major laser cutter brands?

3. Some people recommend buying machines from China. In fact some local brands repackage Chinese machines and sell on (aforementioned JAS being one of them). Are there any major risks of shopping at Alibaba? Similarly, what about buying from the US, where the CNC market seems to be much bigger?

4. Related to the above, how important to you is the availability of manufacturer's support? I'm quite technical and have successfully taken apart and reassembled iPhones and iMacs before but am not sure if I would be willing to spend my time trying to fix the machine instead of calling in an engineer and just looking after my business.

5. I’d be interested in cutting paper/card, acrylic, MDF and plywood up to 18mm. What laser power should I consider? Will I be able to engrave with it?

6. I’m thinking of a bigger machine able to fit a full 2.44 x 1.22m sheets. Are there any downsides of a coverless table cutter? Are they able to extract all the fumes or would it need a separate room with good industrial extraction system? Any other disadvantages of such a big machine apart from the obvious large space it would need?

7. In theory, would average laser cutter be faster than average router at cutting 5,000 (five thousand) 5-10mm holes through 18mm plywood?

8. Is it possible to cut through a material on a rotary attachment (e.g. acrylic cylinder or cardboard tube) or just engrave?

Thanks!
:cheers:
Alex

[Dean448]

I'd say a high power laser would struggle to accurately cut a 5-10mm hole in 19mm ply. Problem being the glue and depth. Lasers are focused at a point only. So I would say no to num 7 for a good machine. What is your budget for a machine that does all this?


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[gfacer2]

1) UK brands - PM Dave on sawmill creek - he'd know.
2) Trade shows - ask Trotec where they will be - competitors (some) will be there too.
3) I don't know if people recommend Chinese machines except as having good value. They are generally inferior (I have one), though they may work perfectly fine for your application. And likely way cheaper for the big tables.
4) Non chinese brands = likely decent support. Resale chinese brands - research support carefully. Chinese direct - may have some support but count on none.
5) Power - acrylic depends on the thickness but I really don't see much point (as I have a router) for over 12mm thick, paper/cardboard is easy, not sure on mdf and plywood but that's likely on the higher end. I'd say you need 80-150W with the higher watt allowing somewhat faster cuts.
6) You seem to have a handle on the downsides of an open table.
7) My guess is a router with a drill bank would blow a laser out of the water for 5000 holes assuming this was a production thing and the spacing stays the same.
8) Cutting on rotary should be fine, as it only changes the one axis and doesn't effect anything else.

[Nolan Yang]

1. reliable laser cutter brands, like Trotect, epilog, GCC laser, Universal, Euro laser.. they are famous, and the price is expensive. one main reason is that they use RF laser tube not co2 glass laser tube.
BRM laser import machines from China, many customers like this, import the machines from China and sell them in their local company.
we also have one agent in UK.
2. Trade shows, you can search it online, I think it is easy to get the information.
3. Alibaba is common website, and you should confirm is that their machine can meet your requirements or not. and if you are in Europe, you still have many choice to buy a machine, no need to buy it from USA. (you can save shipping cost)
4. even though you are a technical person, if you are not familiar with machine and software, maybe you still need to spend much time on how to operate and fix the problems. time cost is high.
and I know it is not easy to find a reliable manufacturer, so many customers buy a cheap machine, and they think that it is reasonable if they don't get any support from vendor...
However, I can say that technical support is necessary and very important.
5. cutting paper, card and acrylic is no problem, but it's difficult to cut 18mm MDF or hard plywood even though you use 150 watt laser tube.
if cutting wood is your main work, cnc router would be better. :rainfro:

[Gozzie]

Hello Alxx,

Listen to Nolan above. He is very good at his job. If you go the Chinese route talk with him.
I can verify that 18mm ply will be a no go unless you get big power.
Big power means less details on any engraving that you may want to do.
Again my advise is to talk to the experts. Nolan Yang would be choice for the Chinese machines.

Gozzie