[Bec Weir]

A friend of mine has recently bought one of these:

China Nice-Cut Mechanical Equipment Co. Ltd @ Global Sources Online

All up , landed and shipped to his place a couple of hundred KM's from the port (Queensland Australia), with Customs Duty, Brokers' fees, Cooler and rotary and a spare 80W RECI Tube, it was a little shy of AUD$6K, which is not bad from my perspective.

As a woodworker, he has an extensive knowledge of machinery and says the build quality is "exceptional" on the one he recieved. It cut straight from the box, without mirror alignment problems.

Problems he's experienced is with the supplied computer was junk, the wooden box was falling apart when delivered and there were a few dings and bashes, but nothing too bad and the laser Cut 3.5 was a broken Ver. 4 (I believe) which had trouble loading on the supplied computer and his ageing laptop.

My questions are:

1. anyone had any dealings with China Nice-cut and want to tell us the good/bad experiences?

2. Laser cut is up to Ver. 6 I believe. Can I get laser Cut from a third party to work on this machine, if they will not supply it (they have not gotten back to my email with my questions)? Will either versions work on a Win. 7 machine, as the one supplied to my mate had the soon to be defunct XP on it (and I have a ready and cheap supply of ASUS i7's with 16GB RAM and Win. 7 available)

3. I do manily vector cutting with Corel x5 (of 3mm MDF and occasionl acrylic), but do the occasional engraving. I WOULD like as big a tube as possible (100 or 120W), to cut down on cutting times, will the larger RECI tubes allow for engraving at these wattages?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to your reply.

Bec

[gweikelaser]

Hi Bec,
for the laser cut software,usally now we sue is laser cut 5.3,if it is 6515 card ,yes,you cna find from a thrid party to get a new software,
And for the win7,if 64 bit,you need to install a driver,then it can work.if 32 bits ,then the normal laser cut can fit,

As for the bigger laser tube ,100w or higher,you cna change,you need to buy spare laser tube ,laser power ,maybe the lens and mirrors,this will depends on you.

Hopw my answer can help you

Best Regards
Lucy Lee
G.WEIKE LASER
[email protected]

A friend of mine has recently bought one of these:

China Nice-Cut Mechanical Equipment Co. Ltd @ Global Sources Online

All up , landed and shipped to his place a couple of hundred KM's from the port (Queensland Australia), with Customs Duty, Brokers' fees, Cooler and rotary and a spare 80W RECI Tube, it was a little shy of AUD$6K, which is not bad from my perspective.

As a woodworker, he has an extensive knowledge of machinery and says the build quality is "exceptional" on the one he recieved. It cut straight from the box, without mirror alignment problems.

Problems he's experienced is with the supplied computer was junk, the wooden box was falling apart when delivered and there were a few dings and bashes, but nothing too bad and the laser Cut 3.5 was a broken Ver. 4 (I believe) which had trouble loading on the supplied computer and his ageing laptop.

My questions are:

1. anyone had any dealings with China Nice-cut and want to tell us the good/bad experiences?

2. Laser cut is up to Ver. 6 I believe. Can I get laser Cut from a third party to work on this machine, if they will not supply it (they have not gotten back to my email with my questions)? Will either versions work on a Win. 7 machine, as the one supplied to my mate had the soon to be defunct XP on it (and I have a ready and cheap supply of ASUS i7's with 16GB RAM and Win. 7 available)

3. I do manily vector cutting with Corel x5 (of 3mm MDF and occasionl acrylic), but do the occasional engraving. I WOULD like as big a tube as possible (100 or 120W), to cut down on cutting times, will the larger RECI tubes allow for engraving at these wattages?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to your reply.

Bec

[Hurricane21]

First understand that Laser Cut is a laser control interface and is not a printer driver. It includes its own drawing program set up to represent the worktable of the laser. It can also import a variety of vector and bitmap files.

You can use LaserCut 5.3 on A Windows 7 64 bit machine with their new driver. If you have Windows 7 32 bit driver - install their old XP driver to make it work correctly.

Some versions of CorelDraw have an interface to control LaserCut from within CorelDraw. This is still using LaserCut in a limited capacity. All of their systems do NOT work directly with CorelDraw X5 and none with X6 however, you an export from CorelDraw X5 or X5 with several different formats.

You can import .dxf, .ai and .plt files and .bmp files for photos directly into LaserCut 5.3. You do not need to have the Corel Draw Interface. As a matter of fact, it work much better if you do not have it in my opinion. You limit your flexibility.

[Bec Weir]

My mate has gotten his Nice-cut up and running beautifully.
Kimda makes me green with envy knowing my FSE 40W took 8 months to get working and his "cheap chinese laser" is WAY ahead of me.

[Bec Weir]

Well, update.

I ended up buying a 100w cn 1290 from China nice cut.
The build quality is fantastic and the packaging was so sturdy and thorough that the machine didn't have a scratch on it and was aligned straight out of the box.

Wish I could have said that about the two FSE Deluxe Hobby Lasers I received. (wedge)

The FSE machine now looks TINY compared to the new bugger

All I have to do is figure out how to use AutoCAD 2011 and CorelDraw x5 with the Lasercut 5.3 that came with it. I see that there are a few FAQ'S from third parties that may cover this info. Just need time to run through all that information and get cutting.

[johnstra]

Hi Bec,
just got my NC 1290 today, yes it is a big bugger hey. Can you tell how far the tube should be away from the first mirror please. I also have to learn about the rest of it, could you guide me through the process please, I would appreciate it very much. Bright is not responbding at the moment and I amkeen as to get this puppy fireing
Regards
Ross J

Well, update.

I ended up buying a 100w cn 1290 from China nice cut.
The build quality is fantastic and the packaging was so sturdy and thorough that the machine didn't have a scratch on it and was aligned straight out of the box.

Wish I could have said that about the two FSE Deluxe Hobby Lasers I received. (wedge)

The FSE machine now looks TINY compared to the new bugger

All I have to do is figure out how to use AutoCAD 2011 and CorelDraw x5 with the Lasercut 5.3 that came with it. I see that there are a few FAQ'S from third parties that may cover this info. Just need time to run through all that information and get cutting.

[johnstra]

so far so good with them but I am only new to this and need HELP i can tell ya
Ross

[Bec Weir]

Hi Bec,
just got my NC 1290 today, yes it is a big bugger hey. Can you tell how far the tube should be away from the first mirror please. I also have to learn about the rest of it, could you guide me through the process please, I would appreciate it very much. Bright is not responbding at the moment and I amkeen as to get this puppy fireing
Regards
Ross J

I put mine 20mm from the first mirror.

Not sure what you mean that Bright is not responding.

Laser Beam Alignment

Is a great source for helping align the mirrors if they are out of alignment, as is their FAQ section.

Getting Coreldraw x5 and AutoCad 2012 was as simple as saving the file as a .dxf file and then importing into lasercut.

Where do you live?

[johnstra]

Thanks Bec
I am new to this and just don't want to bugger it up
Could I contact you if I have any questions?? Where do I buy these program's from? Do you have a photo of you set up and locations of the chiller etc, my fan is behind the machine and it takes up space, I might have to lengthen the power lead to get the fan to the side of the machine, what did you do??

Regards
[email protected]

[Bec Weir]

My extractor fan failed couple of days after getting it. An electrician mate said it had overheated in the 41+ degree celcius heat we were having.

I replaced it with an inline blower from a hydroponics place and vent it down the very far back of my property, next to scrub.

I dont think it really matters where you put the fan, just so long as it is indoors and out of the way.
The supplied compressor is plugged into the back of the laser, as it came with US plugs and I have the fan on a 4 point power adapter with the laser and the chiller, so they are either all on, or all off. Surge protected, of course.

The chiller sits a few inches to the right of the machine to allow good airflow. The silicone tubing is tight, so I used hot water to expand and lube it before mooshing them onto the brass inlet/outlet. Use distilled water, about 7 litres.

When the cooler is running, have a look at the laser tube and make sure the waterflow is purging all the water out of the tube. Rotate the tube and you will see that the bubbles quickly disappear.

About 20mm from end of the laser pointy end to the first mirror.

You need to EARTH the laser with the supplied cable. I used a propper earthing spike bought from an electrical supply joint (Bunnings and Masters do not sell them).

I cut a 20mm hole into the lower door, the one with the fan in it on the right, to allow the usb cable to get to the computer.

Install lasercut into the computer and make sure you have the SOFTDOG (looks like a usb stick) handy to plug it into the computer where it will not get damaged or bumpped. I put mine in the back of the computer towers usb port.

Corel draw x4 is directly supported by lasercut and you can just click and export it to the machine or lasercut from there (I believe). I am using coreldraw x5 student edition that I got of ebay for $60. I just save it to a FOLDER on my windows (windows 7) desktop and IMPORT the drawings to Lasercut from there. Autocad was a program owned by a mate

The on/off key on top was labled the wrong way around on my machine, those crazy Chineese. Make sure the EMERGENCY STOP BUTTON is set to the on position.

Run the cooler for 5minutes before and after you cut anything to prevent thermal shock to the laser tube.

Press TEST and it should fire.

Follow the instructions provided and on other forums to work lasercut and align mirrors if needed.

[Bec Weir]

Warrnambool, huh?

[johnstra]

Yes Warrnambool Victoria Australia Bec

[Bec Weir]

Let me know how you got on today.

Do you know Larry Makin?

[johnstra]

Hi Bec,
yes I do know Larry and he is kindly helping me out. Today I have everything connected, levelled the machine, earth done and turned on the machine. No menu screen and no key anywhere, I have just been talking to Larry and he says that the machine must have a key for safety reasons. So buggered if I know. Larry is going to call tomorrow, he is had it as he has been at the markets today.

Any help would be great from you both as this is a bit out of my depth at the moment. Mainly setting the mirrors (which should be done in the factory) and installing the software, I am not sure what to do there yet.

Bright did send me Photoshop and Corel draw but it is in Chinese, handy hey ?? arghh, where is the best place to get this software from Bec?? My Number is 0408523927 if you have time for a chat.
Regards
Ross

[Bec Weir]

Ah!
I blame Larry for all my laser problems.

The keys (there is one type for the doors and one for the switch on top) were in the black tool box, along with all the cables, allen keys, extra lenses (you DID buy a set, yes?) and Lasercut CD and the softdog.

Lasercut prompts you for English and I think the two Chinese languages on startup. Corel x5 I bought from ebay for $60. It is the student edition, and it works. Dunno why you would need Photoshop if you have coreldraw.

Loading lasercut is as easy as turning on your computer, inserting the supplied cd and follow the prompts.

YOU NEED THE SOFTDOG.

I am currently in Japan on holidays. Back in the new year.

[ozstockman]

You can get a full version off CorelDraw from US ebay. It will be much cheaper than buying it from someone in Australia. That's how I have got mine. It was $300 cheaper even with a shipping cost.

I do not know why you need Photoshop as there is no much use with it for a laser machine. But if you need one it can be over $1000 for full retail version if you buy it in Australia. Of course you can get it from USA as well at save 30-40% but there is a better way to get it. Adobe now selling subscription to all their software including Photoshop.
See details at Buying guide | Adobe Photoshop CS6
It's less than $50/month

BTW, I am in Victoria too. Sorry cannot help with your laser setup as mine is GCC LaserPro but I am happy to help with general questions about using lasers.