Lasers - advice please

[flintandsteel]

I'd like to be able to put my brand name / logo onto the looms I make.
Has anyone experience of and or recommendations for what to go / look for?
Maybe need one with a bit of extra power just in case I want to move to cutting shapes in thin ply.

 

[EddyCurrent]

Probably the first thing you need to determine is the size of the cutting area you need, that will narrow the search.

A small laser such as the K40 with roughly an A4 size cutting area would allow logos to be made then glued to the loom.

Have you considered a hot branding iron instead ?

 

[Keith 66]

I used to use one at the school i worked at. It was a lotus laser systems RF tube machine of 30 watts output. 600 x 400 bed but the whole machine took up a lot of room 30w will cut 4mm birch ply or acrylic. Water cooled DC tube machines are far cheaper but as ever you get what you pay for, From what i hear most K40 types while cheap need work before they can go to work. Tubes dont last long either. There is a you tube channel Sarbar Multimedia that goes into lasers & how they work heavily.
The other consideration is that lasers are noisy & they stink! The fumes produced are carcinogenic & the laser is often the cheap bit, then you have to have extraction to deal with the fumes from the exhaust, that can cost as much as the machine.

 

[Torx]

You get what you pay for, and a frustration free machine isn’t going to be a cheap one I’m afraid. About the best of the glass tube machines are the Boxford’s. They’ve done a lot of work on these to make them reliable and bring them up to CE standard, so any other cheap Chinese machine, expect to have to do this work yourself and then some.

If a machine is needed for full time production use Id stay away from glass tubes altogether. Air cooled tubes are several times the price but well worth it.

Are you used to using CAD software? Have you used any other CNC gear?
Min / max working area?

RE: fumes, Keith is right, especially if you have employees. But engraving on / cutting wood isn’t really too bad unless it’s coated or uses nasty glues - say, formaldehyde as per your average plywood, and there are laser friendly alternatives. Plastics will emit VOCs (for quite some time after you’ve finished cutting them) and you need a proper chemical filter for this.

 

[paulrbarnard]

If it’s just to do a logo have a look at the cheap ones that free stand on the material. They are very low power but will burn a brand into wood. Not recommending this but it give the idea Magic laser engraving machine

 

[pe2dave]

Thought of having a branding iron made?
Seems it can be done.

 

[flintandsteel]

Looked into branding irons but got some up himself pillock which rather put me off following it up.
As for logo area it'd be fine within a 40mm area.
No glue present, pure British hardwood, untreated.
As for CNC, then no but I have a mate who can.
So maybe go for something lower end and see how that works out.
Couldn't use a laser in a box type. In use I'd need something I could slide a board under / through to place the logo anywhere along a 4' length.
Any particular make stand out as being better than another?

 

[paulrbarnard]

Looked into branding irons but got some up himself pillock which rather put me off following it up.
As for logo area it'd be fine within a 40mm area.
No glue present, pure British hardwood, untreated.
As for CNC, then no but I have a mate who can.
So maybe go for something lower end and see how that works out.
Couldn't use a laser in a box type. In use I'd need something I could slide a board under / through to place the logo anywhere along a 4' length.
Any particular make stand out as being better than another?

The one I linked is £20 so in the realm of suck it and see.

 

[Simon89]

The one I linked is £20 so in the realm of suck it and see.

I was initially amazed at the price of this, a bit more of a google and I can’t seem to find it for sale anywhere else, I think the link may not be that safe, perhaps needs removing?

looking on indiegogo I’m not sure it is even in production yet (And the comments from backers are not positive) -https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-most-compact-powerful-simple-laser-engraver#/