[Ptarmigan]

I am in the process of buying a CO2 laser for a fledgling craft products company. Much of what we will be cutting is 3/16" craft paper backed foam core (foam board). I am currently cutting this with a Universal Laser VLS6.60. At full power, I can only go at about 50% speed. I assume that I can double my cut speed with a more powerful laser. Is this true? Does anyone have experience with this material? There is some melt back of the foam between the paper, but this is acceptable for my purposes.

I am considering a Thunderlaser Mars 130plus with a 130W laser. Recommendations by members of this forum have been very good on this company and laser. My interaction with Thunder Laser has also been very good. I have sent a LOT of emails to Nolan at Thunderlaser. He has been very helpful. I will post information on my purchasing experience if/when I pull the trigger.

[Gozzie]

I play with dollar tree foam boards for making foamie planes. Just for pure fun.
I am by no means a pro at this but with my 130 watt I have a couple of settings for different uses.
I know you trying to concentrate on speed where I am concentrating on partial cuttings and scoring the boards.

speed 40 power 15 will cut straight through
speed 70 power 14 will cut through top layer and foam and not the bottom layer.
speed 70 power 10 will cut top paper only

I haven't spent a lot of time perfecting these settings but they work pretty consistently.
I think as my tube ages though I will probably lose my 10% power setting where the tube will fail to fire that low.
Only time will tell.

I haven't tried any speed runs on my machine. 70 Is as fast as I have been with it.
I don't know how fast it actually could get up to. I believe it depends on the intricacy of the cuts.
I would definitely talk to Nolan or Tom at Thunder Laser and ask what kind of speeds you can get.
I know with 130 watts of laser ( actually 80 -90% of that) it will cut the foam like butter so you will have plenty of power
for most any speed that you can get out of it.
Like I said mine is just for hobby use so I never have tried to push it mechanically.

Hope this helps some,

Gozzie

[Ptarmigan]

Gozzie, thanks very much for the information! This is really helpful. I will ask Nolan and Tom for more information on maximum speed. The manufacturer's rep for the Universal Laser I have been playing with, recommended not generally exceeding 80% power to improve the life of the drive system.

I would be very interested to know how much power it would take to cut through dollar tree foam board at 100% speed.

Why did you choose a 130W model? Do you cut thicker wood ply that needs the 130W? Or were you just getting it for maximum flexibility?

David

[Gozzie]

Gozzie, thanks very much for the information! This is really helpful. I will ask Nolan and Tom for more information on maximum speed. The manufacturer's rep for the Universal Laser I have been playing with, recommended not generally exceeding 80% power to improve the life of the drive system.

I would be very interested to know how much power it would take to cut through dollar tree foam board at 100% speed.

Why did you choose a 130W model? Do you cut thicker wood ply that needs the 130W? Or were you just getting it for maximum flexibility?



David

Exactly David,
I was wanting an all purpose machine but leaned more to the cutting end. Most will say that 80 watts and below are best for engraving.
130 watts is pretty hot for some materials. I like wood which happens to absorb the laser and engraves really well.
I don't think coated or painted materials will work that great because the laser would most likely wash out from being too hot.
The actual dot size of the 130 is smaller than the 80 but the intensity is much higher.

I can cut 3/4 pine with it but it is very slow and the edge is not real clean. It will blast through 1/4 and 3/8 quickly and just
leave a nice golden tan edge. I am totally satisfied so far with it's abilities. The biggest bottleneck so far is me.:tired:

And they are right, you should not run your laser over 80% for longevity. Another reason for 130 watts, you still get 100 watts plus of usable power.
That will cut your foam at 100 speed I guarantee.
Gozzie