Laser is here

Laser Show has began!

Let me first say that I am so excited about this one. In some ways it’s just an engraver but it’s so much more than that. The possibilities are growing as I write!

Here are some specs. This is a 50W version with a bed size of about 200x200mm. I have a rotary device of course, for round parts like beads and quick releases. It can also engrave on the inside diameter of parts. It runs on Ezcad2 which is good and bad, more on that later.

Out of the box it was a bit intimidating mainly due to the fact that there is no manual, no set up instructions except for a few docs on a flash drive for standard laser settings. I bought it direct from the manufacture and in doing so saved some money but there is very limited support.

There were a few things broken during transit but these were minor things that should not effect the quality and I can make new parts and fix them if needed. The main components are all working as they should, now. I had troubles with the rotary and after contacting the manufacture I found out the few docs they sent with it were wrong. After updating a few things and adjusting some settings it is working like it should and man is it awesome!

I’ve tried plastic, aluminum, brass, painted aluminum, patina brass, cerakote and a few others. with a few changes to the power settings it works great.

To start I’ll be doing a run of brass mini beads with a patina topo pattern like the one in the image above. These are the same profile I use for my hammered beads so they are on the smaller side. Results speak for themselves. I still need to take some better photos and build the page on the website but expect them to be available sometime this week.

Things that need to be done:

I need to setup the workstation to make better use of the space. I need to also set up my extraction fan so I can remove the fumes it makes when marking paint and cerakote. I will probably end up moving it into my office after I get some of the other areas of the shop organized and put back into place. The shop is a mess! Now with a little extra space we will have a lot more capabilities.

Stay tuned for more adventures in laser land! I am so thankful to be in a place where I can afford to have one of these cool little machines and also have the time to learn a new language. It’s a great new addition to the ever changing shop.

Thanks everyone and have a great week.

Dustin