[albo]

Hi I am new here.

I am considering to buy a chinese laser engraver.
I think about the JSM3040U from Jinan Artsign Science & Technology Co.,Ltd

does everyone have expiricense with them and their machines.

I am no a reat technical guy so I want it to work without problems..

I have read somethings about Chinese lasers, but did not found any comment on this factory..

pls let know your experiences

thnx

[zax15uk]

I have a machine from Jinan Artsign. They are excellent value for money but do not expect much support other than the manual and videos they provide with the equipment.

I am an engineer and worked in the CNC industry (routers and lasers) for many years so setting it up and getting it to work took about 5 minutes.

Artsign are at least as good as other Jinan based companies, but also look at hxlaser and wklaser.

Zax.

[albo]

Hi zax15uk,

thanks for your quick reply !
For now they ( artsign) are realy doing their best.
(They even mailed a photo of an engraved logo we send them, made on the machine we maybe want to buy !)

So in this "selling-stage" there is a lot of communication..

I 'll look for hxlaser and wlaser (of whom I ve heard before)
thanks for that tip

I want to now for sure (as far as possible) that the machine is running and that we don't have to spend hours in setting ups and solving problems.

[LaserImage]

I want to now for sure (as far as possible) that the machine is running and that we don't have to spend hours in setting ups and solving problems.

If you do a bit of searching for Chinese lasers, you'll find a lot of problems with exactly what you are trying to avoid. If you want something that is quick and easy, you would be much better spending the money on a laser that is made by the larger manufacturers - GCC, Epilog, etc.

I am sure the Chinese lasers will be better eventually, but they are not anywhere near there yet and I wouldn't recommend one to anyone without much experience.

Gary

[zax15uk]

All I can say is I had ZERO major issues in getting it setup and working.

The software was easy to learn (perhaps too simple), I create everything in ArtCAM, Corel or CAD before importing to the tool.

It was basically plug and play (for me). You may have to align the mirrors but they provide a video to explain this and although tedious it is simple enough.

I agree these Chinese machines have some limitations and perhaps more frequent setup issues due to shipping damage etc but the design and build quality is adequate for low volume use. I expected problems so was pleasantly surprised that none were encountered - lucky? perhaps. Happy, for sure!

Zax.

[LaserImage]

All I can say is I had ZERO major issues in getting it setup and working.
...
lucky? perhaps. Happy, for sure!

Based on what I have seen from about 90% of the posts about these lasers, you are VERY lucky - or maybe they are starting to get better?

[albo]

thanks for your replies

We only need the machine for small qty.

We dont want ( read can not ) spend to much money, if we want a "non-Chinese" machines it is ( as you know ) about 4 x the price...

What I read is software a big problem, we only need very simple software.
Of what I understand so far is Newlydraw1 good enough.
Artsign mailed me a pic and that was perfect.

With listning to people like you and reading about the subject I hope to filter the "bad" manufactories..

[LaserImage]

thanks for your replies

We only need the machine for small qty.

We dont want ( read can not ) spend to much money, if we want a "non-Chinese" machines it is ( as you know ) about 4 x the price...

What I read is software a big problem, we only need very simple software.
Of what I understand so far is Newlydraw1 good enough.
Artsign mailed me a pic and that was perfect.

With listning to people like you and reading about the subject I hope to filter the "bad" manufactories..

If your quantities are that small, maybe it would pay to have someone else do the job for you. It may cost a bit more per piece, but you don't have the capital investment, maintenance, training, etc., that you have with your own laser.

Just a thought.

[albo]

We have a small printfactory.
We have a lot of inquiries were we can use this machine.
And it must always deliver "yesterday"

[LaserImage]

We have a small printfactory.
We have a lot of inquiries were we can use this machine.
And it must always deliver "yesterday"

If you have that much need, and that kind of urgency, I would think you would have the budget for a better laser. You will find that the time you spend "tinkering" with the Chinese lasers and the frustrated customers you have when you can't get a job done, will more than make up for the higher price of a more expensive machine.

How large of a working area do you need? What is your typical job going to be? There are several new lasers on the market that are a bit small, but may work well for you. Have you gotten price quotes from the main manufacturers?

[albo]

It is mainly for some promotional items.
(little)orders that we can get - if we deliver fast.

worksspace: don't know yet exactly. think about 30 x 40 cm
The prices I know of are way to high.
Here starting from 8000,- Euro (excl. tax )

we simply can not afford that

So for what I understand: the Chinese laser may not be perfect, probaly better that nothing ...

[zax15uk]

If you want a cheap machine for engraving it will probably work for you.

What materials would you be engraving?
What materials and thickness would you need to cut?

If you don't have experience, any laser system is going to require a learning curve to operate. Buying from a local supplier hopefully means they will backup the sale and provide support in getting you running sooner, with the Chinese purchase you save money but it may take longer to achieve the same results.

Value for money the hardware is EXCELLENT.

Consider that equipment can and probably will fail at some time, it may just be a faulty interlock switch or perhaps a burnt out fuse but whatever the problem you'll be on your own to fix it.

Zax.

[albo]

Thanks Zax,

We need it mostly for engraving promotitems like rubber bands, wooden boxes, paper wishcards, leather items, maybe some textile and cutting small thin items from wood or acrylic. etc.

But also just for expirementing and see what happens ;-) I have a lot of ideas (also not business related)

Small problems I think I can solve, my trust in that dubbels with people (on this forum ) who help each other..

[zax15uk]

Based on your requirements and cost constraints I think the Chinese laser would be an ideal option.

Zax.

[LaserImage]

I have a machine from Jinan Artsign. They are excellent value for money but do not expect much support other than the manual and videos they provide with the equipment.

I am an engineer and worked in the CNC industry (routers and lasers) for many years so setting it up and getting it to work took about 5 minutes.

Artsign are at least as good as other Jinan based companies, but also look at hxlaser and wklaser.

Zax.

Your previous post doesn't make it sound like you were running in "5 minutes"

Hi, I apologize for re-activating this old thread.

I just received an Artsign JSM-40 and need some advice.

Some background...
The alignment was terrible out of the box. After a lot of effort, and some new screws I now have the laser parallel to the axis but it is not centered in the mirrors (it's probably half way from center to edge). It does enter the center of the hole to the final mirror no matter where you place the head. I am unable to center on the Y-axis mirror as there isn't enough movement in the rear mount (near the laser exit). I plan to fix this but first wanted to get it working before the warranty expires!

So, here's where I need help. If I quickly hit 'test laser' at 100% power it shoots a tiny hole through 1/8" acrylic (Plexiglas/Perspex) but when cutting at 1 (slowest setting in the software) it is not making it all the way through. Playing with focus I can get it so light is visible in places (just). It will do a nice job at 1/2 power and 1 for speed using 2 passes.

Does this sound right? I was expecting 1/8" acrylic to cut easilly in 1 pass, even though I expected the 40W chinese laser to be more like 35W. I believe the problem is the software, if I could select 0.5 for speed I'd probably be fine.

I'm considering replacing the driver board, probably with a Xylotex as that's what I have on the CNC router and it works well.

Suggestions, advice... anything?

Zax.

[zax15uk]

Your previous post doesn't make it sound like you were running in "5 minutes"

OK, fair comment.

The hardware was running in less than 5 minutes; unbox it and connect the exhaust fan, water pump etc but my understanding of the software and limitations were at fault.

If you read the 2nd paragraph...
"If I quickly hit 'test laser' at 100% power it shoots a tiny hole through 1/8" acrylic (Plexiglas/Perspex) but when cutting at 1 (slowest setting in the software) it is not making it all the way through."

The problem was ME, not the equipment. I didn't get the results expected so believed wrongly that the laser was mis-aligned. I checked the laser location on the mirrors and it wasn't dead center so again assumed that was wrong... and started fixing things (I'm an engineer - it's what I do ). In the end after figuring out the real issue (software settings) I found the alignment would have been just fine as it was out of the box.

My frustrations with the software made me consider changing the driver board so I could use software I am familiar with. This limitation is only on the small tabletop unit that I have.

I did get a reply from the manufacturer (it took them a few days) but by then it was working great and has been since.

I am not suggesting these machines are right for everyone, they are not, but for some that have limited funds and don't intend to use it as a full time commercial tool I believe they offer fantastic value for money (I paid less than $1500 total).

Zax.

[albo]

I also think the Chinese laser would be OK.
Which one I don't know yet..

thanks zax also for the pics.
maybe you should share these with others also..

[zax15uk]

I also think the Chinese laser would be OK.
Which one I don't know yet..

thanks zax also for the pics.
maybe you should share these with others also..

OK, I've posted some examples before of what these cheap Chinese machines are capable of but here's some links. These were all 'early days' when I was playing with different materials etc -- you know, before it was time to make money.

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...e_Coasters.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...te_Coaster.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...lic_Cut_En.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...e_Engraved.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...e_Engraved.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...e_Engraved.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...e_Engraved.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...dsofstuff9.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...d_Engraved.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...ed-Painted.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...sswood_Cut.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...ts_Acrylic.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...e_Engraved.jpg

and here's an example of making money...

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/p...t_Engraved.jpg

Zax.

[yamingf]

ArtSign is a trade company and they get laser machines from a few manufacturers like rabbit laser,jinyun laser, so dont expect much tech support from them even its not hard to communicate with them. rabbit laser has a US office in Dallas , they can provide much better tech support and it makes easier to provide warantte service too especially for replacement parts.

[albo]

zax:

making money hahaha

thnx yamingf for myour comment