Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples post

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CountryWoodCrafts
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Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples post

Post by CountryWoodCrafts »

I have been itching to get one but need to see that these things are usable. Does anyone use the laser with respectable results?
I have 2 extended table units (not piranha)...and would outfit one. Has anyone upgraded the laser to something higher in the cutting realm?

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bill z
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Re: Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples

Post by bill z »

I’m interested in a laser set up for my Shark Pro HD also.

From what I heard, the laser from NWA are not very powerful and basically do a surface burn.

I bet, like others, what is wanted, is something that will cut ½ of wood or more. Now, I could find money for that.

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CountryWoodCrafts
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Re: Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples

Post by CountryWoodCrafts »

Over a month goes by without one laser example . . . Laser must not be perfected yet?

ALuomala
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Re: Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples

Post by ALuomala »

Here is a picture of some Celtic-style lettering I did on a piece of maple.

Image

It is a very weak laser. I have zero experience with lasers for engraving, and I am underwhelmed at it's capability. I am using a Piranha, but I believe there is no difference in the final output (the software that handles the job on the Piranha control panel might be slightly different than the Shark). The above sample is vector-based (i.e not a JPG converted by software, but created via V-carve software (using PostProcessor for laser)), and is not very deep at all. Any more than a light sanding would have removed it.

I have had multiple issues with the laser working. One was a quality control issue (wire going into connector that fits into control box came out and I had to remove it and solder it myself). If you use the Control Panel (CP) software to create the TAP file for an image, it can't be run on the pendant (which may be a Piranha-only issue) which caused issues, since the CP software would time out during lengthy (20+ minute jobs), but that seemed to be an issue with USB power-saving on Windows.

I read one post (in Piranha forum) where a customer was creating a 8in x 8in picture, and it was a 13 hour(!!!!) job, and it never finished because of the software time-out issue. The darker/deeper you want to burn/cut/engrave, the slower the laser has to run. I am doing small photos (2.5in x 3in ovals) and I have to run it at 20ipm and it takes 53 minutes (and it looks horrible).

You may be able to tell that I am not impressed by this product, and you would be right. I purchased the Piranha as I was growing frustrated with my ShapeOko2 DIY build (spent more time researching various issues than I did carving anything) and figured the Piranha FX would save the day. It's not a bad machine (the physical build itself),but it's plagued by software issues and not near enough support (forum is abysmal; documentation is pathetic, outdated and contradictory; email support is slow) and promises that they can't possibly deliver on (the laser).

I'm not sure if there are any other (more powerful) alternatives out there, and likely definitely nothing forthcoming from NWA. I wonder if there is some limitation on laser-power for something that can mount on these smaller machines as other laser attachments for the DIY models are in the same power/price range.

Allan

sk8nmike
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Re: Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples

Post by sk8nmike »

I don't know the wattage of the Laser NW has on their Laser, but you need at least 50 watts to cut wood veneer 0.007" thick. I use a 200 watt laser at 40% power to cut 1/8" plywood. That being said, unless you are willing to redesign the Shark to accommodate laser tube and mirrors to direct the beam a slight burning of the surface of wood is about all you're going to accomplish.

studio-n
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Re: Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples

Post by studio-n »

sk8nmike wrote:I don't know the wattage of the Laser NW has on their Laser, but you need at least 50 watts to cut wood veneer 0.007" thick. I use a 200 watt laser at 40% power to cut 1/8" plywood. That being said, unless you are willing to redesign the Shark to accommodate laser tube and mirrors to direct the beam a slight burning of the surface of wood is about all you're going to accomplish.
it's apples and oranges. NWA is using a diode laser which is generally in the mW range but produces enough heat to do the engraving. A CO2 laser is in watts. I have a 50 watt CO2 laser and it will cut 1/8" MDF without problem, although it probably does take 2 passes. A similar engraving on wood with a CO2 would probably need around 25 watts.
Considering hobby lasers are down in the $3500 range now that might be another way to go.
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sk8nmike
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Re: Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples

Post by sk8nmike »

It's not apples and oranges at all, a watt is a measure of power (W = V x I) doesn't matter how the laser is created the measure of power is still the same. A 1 watt CO2 laser is equivalent to a 1000mW diode laser, mW = milliwatt and 1000 mW = 1 W. You can bring the laser frequency into play, but not much of a noticeable effect in respect to cutting/marking/engraving wood small effects in cutting plastics.

NWASupport
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Re: Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples

Post by NWASupport »

The Next Wave Automation 3w (3000mw) laser is designed for surface etching and photo replication on material. As we continuously improve our products and as the market demands it, a more powerful laser may be developed. However, at this time, our customer base has show a desire for an economical laser to supplement their CNC engraving. While a laser powerful enough to cut through material would be wonderful, the intricacy of having an interchangeable tool style 50w laser would be cost prohibitive. If you are interested in through cuts with material or variance of depth, we recommend using the router abilities of our machines. The quick change tool design of the laser adds ease of use and accuracy that would be harder to achieve when using a stand alone laser engraver as well as a stand alone CNC. We are continuously working to improve the software that drives our machines as well and user input is important, as you encounter issues and hurdles we encourage you to forward your information to Support@NextWaveAutomation.com

Regarding the original topic of this thread, CountryWoodCrafts, feel free to contact us, we would be happy to help answer any questions you have and provide any examples you are interested in.

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CountryWoodCrafts
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Re: Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples

Post by CountryWoodCrafts »

NWASupport wrote:The Next Wave Automation 3w (3000mw) laser is designed for surface etching and photo replication on material. As we continuously improve our products and as the market demands it, a more powerful laser may be developed. However, at this time, our customer base has show a desire for an economical laser to supplement their CNC engraving. While a laser powerful enough to cut through material would be wonderful, the intricacy of having an interchangeable tool style 50w laser would be cost prohibitive. If you are interested in through cuts with material or variance of depth, we recommend using the router abilities of our machines. The quick change tool design of the laser adds ease of use and accuracy that would be harder to achieve when using a stand alone laser engraver as well as a stand alone CNC. We are continuously working to improve the software that drives our machines as well and user input is important, as you encounter issues and hurdles we encourage you to forward your information to Support@NextWaveAutomation.com

Regarding the original topic of this thread, CountryWoodCrafts, feel free to contact us, we would be happy to help answer any questions you have and provide any examples you are interested in.
I have spoken to support. I investigate works done by others to prove the design and operational integrity prior to purchase. I have asked for multiple examples of this specific product so I can see the laser focus providing crisp lines. There are no examples anywhere with this product...even in the piranha forum. My business will purchase proven products.

Joseph Poirier
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Re: Lasers Anyone? I've been holding off till I see samples

Post by Joseph Poirier »

Anyone interested in testing our latest beta updates for laser and 3D can review these links...

http://www.nextwaveautomation.com/downl ... D_v1.0.exe
http://nextwaveautomation.com/Downloads ... P_v3.0.exe

Laser requires Firmware update for Shark to [6 Axis] in list from firmware.

anyone wishing to continue use of 2.1 must roll back to 2083 firmware for that.
There is a link in [all programs] for that under the 2.1 control panel group.

For shark controllers : the two control panels use completely different drivers.

For the Piranha controller, use the same links, no firmware update required.

[update]
3D software support layer processing limit has been increased beyond 512 layers. We haven't been able to break it since receiving the updated DLL this morning, Monday, 7/11/2016. And it has been rolled into the link above.
Last edited by Joseph Poirier on Wed Dec 28, 2016 4:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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