looking for recommendations for a laser cutter

[Clint Johns]

I am looking for a laser cutter recommendation that will work in our fab lab space that is also used by our FIRST Robotics team and stage craft department. Ideally, the build plate should be around 3'x2', 3'x3', or 3'x4', and work with cardboard, leather, plastics (up to polycarbonate), wood (balsa and pine) and aluminum up to 1/4" thick (it would be a bonus if it can do steel as well, up to 1/8").

Ideally, it would also:

• be network ready
• include software that works with Mac and PC, in an SVG format
  
• include an enclosure for pressurizing exhaust
• run on 110V or 220V

Does any such device exist ?

Thank you in advance!!!

Clint Johns | Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton | CS / Robotics Teacher
150 Valparaiso Avenue | Atherton, CA 94027

650.454.1463 | cjo...@shschools.org

[Angi Chau]

We like our laser cutter here at Castilleja (Epilog Helix 50W 24"x18") but ours do not cut metal. It also sounds like the bed is not large enough for what you are looking for although Epilog may sell larger-size cutters. And this may have changed more recently, but our cutter is only compatible with PCs.

Alas, your cutter specs sound awesome though - I want one too!

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Angi Chau, PhD
Director of Bourn Idea Lab, Faculty Advisor for Robotics @ Castilleja School
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[Kenton Hoover]

I think something that will cut aluminum stock is going to be really
pricy. I debate the value of "network ready" -- you're just paying for
a PC to be embedded in the thing and you cant run them unattended
anyway.

On Thu, May 14, 2015 at 1:01 PM, Clint Johns <cjo...@shschools.org> wrote:

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[Clint Johns]

I would like the network option so that the computer running the software is not in the same room as the laser cutter (due to space limitations of the planned tool room this will go in to). Isn't there an IoT option that isn't running a full blown pc on board?

Continued success in all you do,

Clint Johns | Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton | CS / Robotics Teacher
150 Valparaiso Avenue | Atherton, CA 94027

650.454.1463 | cjo...@shschools.org

[Diego Fonstad]

I will second Angie's recommendation of the Epilog laser cutters. I have run mine pretty hard and have been very happy with them. They are also easy to use even though I had to put up with and learn how to use CorelDRAW. 

Anything that can cut metal, last I looked, started to fall into the category of plasma cutters or waterjets. Both have significant footprints and a very high power consumption need. They are also incredibly expensive.  I am sure the robotics team would love to be able to use their own machines to cut metal but I would challenge them to Prototype in other materials and then outsource the final parts.

I have also heard good things about the trotec laser cutters, they are even more expensive than the epilog machines but seem to have some nice features built in like air assist and a better enclosure of the parts to protect from dust.

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[Diego Fonstad]

Water jet is sometimes preferred for aluminum because it does not heat of the material and change its properties.

Milling metals also requires a pretty solid knowledge of their properties and there is no easy plug-and-play solution for it. 

Finally, I know that the epilog laser cutter can be networked as a printer. That said, you always want someone in the room keeping an eye on the cut anyway

On Thursday, May 14, 2015, Matt Pearson <Mpea...@mcds.org> wrote:

Hi Clint,

A cutter that does even the softest metals is going to put the price tag pretty high.  This type of machine typically requires oxygen assist and starts north of $30-100k depending on brand.  These types of machines are also typically not so good at engraving which necessitate another machine of lesser size.

On the idea of network ready, this is typically not done until you get into the big machines because there is lots of back and forth between the virtual plates and the work surface.  In the end it all comes down to how good the job control software is.  If you move to the Fab Lab modules this can then be easier as they work on network ports.

Polycarbonate is extremely difficult to cut with a laser due to the heat absorption of the material.  Most plastic you see cut is a Plexiglass and/or cast acrylic.

My recommendation is to get a Trotec Laser cutter with its Job Control software and a ShopBot CNC.  The Laser cutter can be sized to your needs and kept under $30k.  It can be used for rapid prototypes, finish work, etc.   The ShopBot can quickly machine soft metals, polycarbonate, wood, etc. up to 6” thick and 4’X8’.  They have a smaller machine for half that footprint called the ShopBot buddy.  

Cutting metal with a Laser will always be tricky due to the additional systems needed to perform the task.  In my experience a water jet has been the way to go.  If you are going to be machining intricate parts then a five access CNC mill is the way to go.

Hope this helps,

m

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[Andrew]

Angi-
 We have a small Helix at CI, and I was frustrated by the Windows restriction until I found VisiCut.

http://hci.rwth-aachen.de/visicut

It's a replacement for the Epilog Print driver/panel and it's fully cross platform. There's plugins that allow you to call it directly from Illustrator, but I mainly use it as a stand alone cutting application.  Export files from AI on my mac as basic SVGs, then open in Visicut, and cut!

The most notable cumbersome anti-feature is that documents that require multiple laser settings (aka, a thin mark and a deep cut, or vector cut and a raster) are aplit into multiple jobs and then passed to the Helix. So big files will show up on the Helix firmware as three different job files, and you'll need to run each individually.  But that's .... maybe 20 seconds of button pushing on the Helix control panel. It's been a small price to pay for the ability to print from my Mac!
 

Thanks for reminding me about this!

--andrew

@tieandjeans

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[Andrew]

We connect to our Helix with cat5 cable. This would let you send a job to the printer form anywhere, but that's not remote operation. To start the job, you have to walk up to the printer and hit the big green button.  This is a feature, not a bug. Remote laser operation has been a bad idea since at least Tron in 1982.

--andrew

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[Mark Loundy]

Clint,

No matter what you end up with, a human standing next to the cutter is a must for safety reasons. Remember, a laser cutter is essentially a death ray in a box.

Mark Loundy

Instructional Technology Specialist

De Vargas Elementary School

Cupertino (Calif.) Union School District

[Clint Johns]

I know, Mark. I plan on that for certain. My issue is having space for a dedicated computer in the same room that will also house a CNC router that will cause for a dusty environment, even with a good sized shop vac hose mounted to the router.

Continued success in all you do,

Clint Johns | Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton | CS / Robotics Teacher
150 Valparaiso Avenue | Atherton, CA 94027

650.454.1463 | cjo...@shschools.org

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[Tatian Greenleaf]

We've had great success with our Epilog laser cutter as well.  As Angi pointed out, it won't cut metal (it will engrave certain metals, however) and the bed is smaller than you want though we tend to cut everything we buy (typically cardboard, chipboard, and baltic birch) down to 24" x 18" and then have it on hand for projects.  

I wan't aware of VisiCut (thanks, Andrew!) so we run Windows through VMWave on one of our Macs and it serves as a laser cutter station in our Lab.  The computer is physically adjacent to the laser cutter but connects ("prints") via WiFi.  Adobe Illustrator is our software of choice -- before we bought the laser cutter, I heard quite often that it only supported CorelDraw but that turns out to be false.

We are finding that we're replacing the HEPA filters more frequently than we expected (in our next iteration of our Lab, there are plans for external venting).  

Tatian

On Thu, May 14, 2015 at 1:01 PM, Clint Johns <cjo...@shschools.org> wrote:

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