Just wondering about someone can share their experience cutting mild steel with the low cost CO2 lasers aviable in the marked today (price tag less than $10K)
I will use it more for hobby, small business, where cutting speed is not a big issue, experiment with cutting wood, steel, make small series of products.
(If make a big business out of it, one would naturally look for more powerful professional laser machines, like fiber lasers, costing several ten's of 10K and up)
Engraving, cutting wood and plastic and so on, that's no big issue, but steel is another deal.
See a lot of videos of steel cutting with these machines, but that's mostly tests done by suppliers (Acctek have put out a lot), but do not find much concerning customers using the machines.
When it comes to steel, I would generally cut like 0.7 - 1.5mm mild steel (gauge 22-16, I belive), but once in a while have the opportunity to cut 3mm mild steel.
Got an offer from Acctek, and the suggestet a Reci 150w/180 laser tube, that according to their tables will cut the 3mm. As I understand this is a 150w tube, but one can have ad a power of 180W to it.
I can imagine that when running it at max power, the lifetime willl be quite much reduced. Generally they indicate 10.000 hours lifespan for the Reci tubes, but I naturally take that with a 'little pinch of salt'.
I'm thinking if I could get as much as 1000 hours out of the co2 tube, with my use 90% cutting 0.7-1.5 mm plates with this 3mm steel rated tube of 180W, it would be good (and all above 1000 hours would be like a bonus)
Another chinese company, Gweike I got a offer from, indicates max 1.2mm thickness of steel cutting with 150w co2, and indicates 280w as a minimum for 3mm. They have more modern design machines, and are more up in price.
Just thinking about if 150w/180 laser for 3mm steel is too optimistic, but better go for 260-300w, as Acctek also can deliver. (yeah, I've read about people having shipping and service issues with the company, but mostly there a positive feedback it seams)