New to laser cutters and need advice asap

[andy_gdon]

As per title.

I have a budget to buy a laser cutter for the school, so I want to get one that is safe but also capable of being very versatile. I am looking at the 6090.

It will be used to cut 5mm+ acrylic for rulers, keyrings etc but i'd also like to put detailing onto wooden projects at GCSE and A Level, place mats etc for junior school....and I'm sure that I'll be enlisted to produce signage for around the school!!

I'll obviously be buying the extractor as well as the cutter, but I was hoping people could give me advice as I'm new to this stuff...please bear with me!!

1. The two other machines I've looked at and seen in action are much dearer but seem to have weaker lasers, and the replacement tubes cost £3k. Why is there such a price difference. I've included links to these.

http://www.techsoft.co.uk/products/laser-cutting/ Id be looking at the 30w one at £14

or

http://www.technologysupplies.co.uk/Mer ... er-Package

My budget would be gone with these machines, I couldnt buy a nice laptop to run the software...and the price of the replacement tubes!!

2. The other machines have honeycomb beds - will this be much of an advantage?

3. I intend on buying techsoft 2d - i assume this will run the cutter ok?

4. could i do projects that involve cutting images/jpegs etc running the above software?

5. How useful is the rotary arm? i was thinking that it would make a great seller and fund raiser around xmas to have ultide glasses

Any other advice?


Want to order this machine asap so any input would be greatly appreciated!!

[Spooky]

Hi Andy,

1: The two other machines you reference use a different kind of tube, The tubes these use are filled with gas and are usually air cooled,when they fail or wear out the tube can be re-gassed at a cost of £3000 or so.
Advantages:

RF tubes tend to be reliable and can last up to 15,000 hours
The dot produced is much more concentrated so the cut line is both thinner and more powerful

Disadvantages:

The tubes cost 3000 to refil, NOT to replace, a complete new unit would be considerably more than 3k,in the event of a tube wearing out true it costs 3000 to fix, in the event of a tube being damaged and rendered non working a replacement unit is closer to 6-7K
"Up to" 15,000 hours, I've seen RF tubes die in 300 hours ask the supplier if there is a warranty on the tube life?

(continued)

If you give me 24 hours I'll provide more extensive infomation on this and your other points, your questions warrant a detailed answer to allow you to make a fully informed choice.If you want to chat about it I'm available pretty much 24/7 on the number below

best wishes

Dave

[Spooky]

Hi Andy,

2: Honeycomb beds, great for supporting the work but a bit of a devil to clean. I found taking them out and jet washing them is the easiest way. The rail beds of the bigger HPC machines are far better and easier to clean while providing just as much support.

3: I have no experience with Techsoft 2d but the laser comes with a package that controls it and allows setting of different powers for different layers. All you need to provide is either a DXF file or a BMP file for your project. DXF tends to be cutting based while Bitmaps and jpegs are for engraving. You don't need to buy more software to run the HPC machines, they come with it. You will need a source of files to use though and these can be generated using any mainstream cad or paint package such as CorelDraw / draughtsite , autocad or other similar packages.

4:Any package that generates a DXF file can be used for cutting, any package that generates a raster file (picture) can be used for engraving.

5: Great piece of kit, IF you have the use for it, even Chris has said in the past there is no point buying one unless it's going to be useful.

As to extraction, in a school environment fumes are a consideration and will require use of a BOFA filter box unit, this means the extractor does NOT need to be vented via an external wall as the clean air is breathable quality.

5mm acrylic isn't a problem for any of the HPC machines or any other make to be honest.

Looking at the future proofing and if it fits within your budget I'd be more likely to go with the 1290, more working area and a more powerful tube (80watt vs 60 watt). So long as you have the space (and don't need to move it to an upstairs room or get it through a small doorway) the 1290 is an all round better option.

For what all of the mentioned lasers do, not much in it really other than £6k Vs £14k and the much higher running costs of the RF based machines (always check the warranty on RF machines, re-gas is expensive and some suppliers insist it is done every 12 months to keep the warranty, so thats £3000 a year running cost right off the bat)

Summing up? do you want a decent chap turning up and helping to get your machine installed wearing jeans and a t-shirt and who is reachable pretty much anytime? or would you prefer somebody turning up in a Forbes suit that the cost of your laser is paying for who is available 9-5 during the week?

best wishes

Dave