. .
Page 8 of 8 FirstFirst ... 678
  1. #71
    I am looking at the 100W ones.

    One question. Whats really useful size ? I am looking ebay at RECI 100W Co2 1300x2500mm Flatbed Laser Cutter Laser Cutting Engraving USB, which i assume is around 80W. But hey, around 5000 only. Then tax, extra reserve tube, etc. I started already thinking schemes how to obtain it :-)
    project 1 , 2, Dust Shoe ...

  2. #72
    Don't get a spare tube until your one fails.

    They have a shelf-life and you may well find that when you go to use it, your new tube is nearly dead.

    Always best to buy new stock.
    Last edited by Davek0974; 27-06-2017 at 07:35 AM.

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to Davek0974 For This Useful Post:


  4. Got the tracking working in the end. Turns out it hasn't left Bremen in Germany yet, and was only collected from the warehouse today (I got the eBay 'Dispatched' email on Sunday!).

    For any one else who's trying to track their laser cutter and finds this thread, you need to select 'Logistics' (instead of the default 'Express') tracking from the DHL homepage and then 'Road and Rail Freight' Tracking and enter the supplied tracking number as a 'Package ID', and it will only show anything after the package has been picked up by DHL.

    To answer Boyan's question, for me the most 'useful size' is the biggest one I can afford, and will fit into the workshop. The size and laser power isn't too important to me at this stage, as I'll be cutting small parts from thin plastics which should be fine with even an entry level machine.

    However, If I need a more powerful laser in the future, then a new tube and power supply could be shoehorned into this machine (with perhaps an optics upgrade at the same time). On the other hand, if I needed a larger cutting area, then I doubt any upgrade would be practical.

  5. The laser cutter turned up just over a week ago. The top of the crate was completely smashed up, and the two separate pieces were laid on top of the cutter and 'fixed' back on with a bit of plastic pallet wrap. The front side of the crate was cracked, but still in one piece. Needless to say the contents of the crate were covered in a fair bit of dust and dirt, and a few minor scratches in the paintwork, but luckily it was all intact, and at this stage everything appears to work.

    Removing the legs is quite an involved process. There are a number of sheet metal screws holding the legs onto the machine, but half of them are under the cover for the belt and pulleys that raise and lower the bed. The problem is that all the other parts that are directly fixed to the base of the machine were fitted after the legs, and their screws go straight through into the legs as well. So to get the legs off, you have to remove the bed lifting motor, a couple of the pulleys on it's belt, the stepper motor drives, and one final screw nicely hidden in the cable channeling. Luckily I had a nice sunny day to do it, and it was all reassembled in the 'shed' a few hours later.

    The extensive disassembly gave me ample opportunity to clean all the dust and dirt out of the machine, so the proverbial two birds were well and truly dispatched. ;)

    I've fired it all up a couple of times, and burned some small patterns into some scrap wood, but haven't got as far as laser alignment or any real cutting yet, as I have a question about the laser cooling.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	laser_cooling.jpg 
Views:	276 
Size:	104.2 KB 
ID:	22218

    The tubing for the coolant water is wrapped around the high voltage end of the laser in a fairly haphazard fashion, which makes it pretty much impossible to bleed any trapped air out of it. There seems to still be a decent flow of coolant, but I'm a little concerned about this setup, and was wondering if this is acceptable, or should I refit the tubing without all the twists and turns? I'm not really comfortable running the laser for more than a few seconds until I know whether this is OK or not.

    Also I filled the coolant bucket with de-ionised water, and the pump was run for about a minute, and the water immediately smells musty. There was some green liquid in the laser tube when it arrived. Is there anything suitable for flushing the system out, or should a drain and refill with added antifreeze be adequate?

    Finally, I only bought the basic machine without the rotary axis. There is wiring and connectors present for one to be connected, but the wiring only goes to a spare connector next to the two stepper drives. I'm just curious, but do the machines that come with the rotary axis have a third stepper driver, or is it just done with a wiring swap on the y-axis?

  6. #75
    Looks like you had a narrow escape;)

    The third axis is just plug-and-play - my one came with the rotary(busted to buggery) and it just has the loose plug.

    My pump was able to flush the bubbles out and the tube is still wrapped like yours but i have the CW3000 "cooler" LOL, and it does have a strong pump, so strong in fact that it blew all the pipes off and flooded the machine with 9L of coolant. I fixed all the pipes with small ty-wraps and its been ok since.

  7. The Following User Says Thank You to Davek0974 For This Useful Post:


  8. #76
    It makes you wonder how many of these machines arrive intaact!

    Your tale of woe is an almost exact repeat of my experience, and Dave's bust 4th axis issue again is similar to what happened when mine was delivered.

  9. #77
    Fred's Avatar
    Lives in Reigate, Albania. Last Activity: 24-04-2018 Has been a member for 6-7 years. Has a total post count of 34. Received thanks 4 times, giving thanks to others 1 times.
    Definitely don't blow through the coolant tubes to make sure they're not blocked! I did this and contracted a really nasty stomach bug. I can't remember what it was, but my wife's a GP and said they wouldn't normally test for it if you hadn't been somewhere like China on holiday.

    Definitely untangle that tubing. Also check the HV wiring isn't flapping around near the metal chassis like mine was. Basically treat the machine as a kit of parts that has been assembled by a 5 year old whilst watching cartoons.

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to Fred For This Useful Post:


  11. #78
    Quote Originally Posted by Boyan Silyavski View Post
    I am looking at the 100W ones.

    One question. Whats really useful size ? I am looking ebay at RECI 100W Co2 1300x2500mm Flatbed Laser Cutter Laser Cutting Engraving USB, which i assume is around 80W. But hey, around 5000 only. Then tax, extra reserve tube, etc. I started already thinking schemes how to obtain it :-)

    Hi, up to 80w for engraving and cutting, 100w for cutting. AS tube 100w or greater does not engrave that well.
    Last edited by TERRY CORDER; 08-09-2017 at 11:36 AM.

Page 8 of 8 FirstFirst ... 678

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 2 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Please don't push 14A through that PCB !!!
    By Jonathan in forum General Electronics
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 05-01-2017, 04:43 PM
  2. FREE: Green/Red/Black 3P push button rocker switches
    By Lee Roberts in forum Classified Ads, Buy, Sell & Swap
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 08-05-2016, 07:38 AM
  3. Help with Mach 3 REF all Home Button
    By Kevin1970 in forum Artsoft Mach (3 & 4)
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 23-04-2015, 10:54 AM
  4. push down plate,
    By jcb121 in forum Gantry/Router Machines & Building
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 31-07-2013, 11:38 PM
  5. Donate Button
    By Ricardoco in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 08-09-2011, 10:32 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •