[eljainc]

Hello,

I want to retrofit a CNC XYZ router with a laser. I would like to cut acrylic/plexiglass, so a 30-40W laser should do just fine. What are some good suppliers of lasers/accessories for this task? I am not interested in buying a turnkey laser cutter system, but just the laser.

Thanks
Mike

[zax15uk]

Mike,

The same vendors that sell the lasers have all the components you need, or you can find them on ebay.

It may actually be cheaper to purchase a complete system and part it out, what you don't need can be sold and you'll end up spending much less.

The tube, PSU, lens and mirrors would all be usable.

What size machine are you planning to install it on?

Are you mounting the tube static and using flying optics or going to mount the tube on the head?

If you are mounting it on the gantry I would suggest spending the extra and getting an air cooled metal tube - even a 15W one would compare to the 30/40W Chinese glass tubes.

I hope you have also considered the safety concerns.

Zax.

[eljainc]

Zax,

Thanks for the message.

Our table size is about 36" x 36" with a Z-travel of roughly 6".
We would mount the laser in place of where the router/cutter would have
been.

If you can recommend a specific laser setup (vendor) for us I would appreciate it. In the meantime I will check eBay and google for other
laser suppliers.

Is the 15W cooled metal tube like an air compressor? We have one of those in our shop which can cool the air/material around the laser. Or do we need something separate? Please give me some model numbers for the cooler/PSU and laser so I have at least an idea where to start.

Thanks so much
Mike

[zax15uk]

If you are mounting it on the Z-head I would highly recommend the metal tube, and no it's not like an air compressor.

Cheap laser tubes are made of glass, they have an inner glass chamber filled with suitable gases (Helium, Nitrogen and some CO2) rather like a fluorescent light. This is suspended inside a glass cooling jacket through which water flows to keep everything working and at the correct temperature.

This arrangement is fragile and vibration or rapid movements can easily damage the tube and destroy your laser. The more common method would be flying optics, where the tube is stationary and you use mirrors attached to the axis (minimum of 2) to direct the beam to the Z-head.

The metal tube does away with the glass chambers and can be water or air cooled, but the down side is the cost. Synrad, Coherent, Rofin and many others make suitable tubes - you are looking for an RF excited sealed gas CO2 laser (metal). Expect to pay $15-25k or used you may be able to find something for less.

Zax.

[Tweakie]

Just an observation.

Looking at the Synrad instructions doc it says vertical mounting is not allowed as the internal mirrors can become contaminated with debris and damaged over time - pretty much the same as with the glass tubes I think.

Tweakie.

[zax15uk]

I have multiple Rofin units and they are mounted horizontal (folded tube so they aren't that long) and use a gas shielded output mirror. This is a typical configuration.

Zax.