[Toasty]

Hey all. I've been lurking here for a while and decided it was time to ask a couple of questions.

I work full time as a laser engraver in the awards industry. I have been thinking about picking up one of the cheap-o eBay 40 watt laser engravers.

After talking to another engraver about it, I was told not to get one because there's a risk they can make the parts you are engraving radioactive. lol

Someone tell me this is just plain stupid. I think he's reading the warning labels about radiation and taking them out of context.

Anyway, I have a lot of small cnc machine experience so I'm not too worried about tinkering with the machine to make it work. And now that I'm a member here I can drive everyone on the forum crazy with questions.

My main use would be engraving plastic tags. Name badges, legend tags, maybe some small acrylic awards from time to time, etc...

Anyone on here using one for that sort of work? Is the quality of the engraving good enough for professional quality small work like this?

I realize the software sucks but it looks like it would be good enough for doing simple raster engravings. I don't plan on doing much vector cutting with it.

Again, I know it's a cheap pos but I think I'm going into it fully aware of the limitations. I just want to make sure it can at least handle some simple jobs.

Oh, and does anyone recommend a good seller of these here in the states ebay or elsewhere?

[mondo50m]

I am not going to 'put down' the cheap 40w laser, as I have one. But I will tell you about mine since I have had it over a year. I got it in 2011. After about 4 months, the power supply went out. The seller I got it from sent me a new one. But, I did have to threaten them with action from both EBAY and PAYPAL. About 5 months after that I had to replace the laser tube. I probably had no more than 300 hours on the machine. But I think the tube went bad because of really bad arcing on the large resistor. I bought a new one from EBAY and have had it for about 5 months now. I really believe that the cheap Chinese machines are built from "factory second" parts. They jut do not last very long. My Moshi board finally gave out and I have since replaced it with the Lightobject DSP. It is a limited machine, but if one knows that going in, one can not complain. I have enjoyed mine, and now that I have converted it, I REALLY enjoy it. I am not in business, I just make things for family and friends. It is a big boys toy.

Milt

[herby08]

Hi toasty
OK it all depends on your budget. the machine like it is is very limited because of the moshi system what combines the processor and driver on one board and the software for it is a piece of sh....
you can do simple engraving but have to expect that the machone stops, gets haywire, or sends the job to a different place and dont forgett you need the dongle if this is damaged or lost you have to pay another $ 340 to replace it.
I have coverted my self quite a few machiens for people and helpd even more to convert the machine like mondo50 and they are very happy afterwards with then reliable machine.
what does this mean: you need a DSP controller like the best right now comercial version of AWC608 with the most advanced software Lasercut 6.37, then you need 2 stepper driver like 2M542, a 24V powersupply and if your machine does not have allready one a PWM laser powersupply.
the cost for all the convertion parts run at about $ 850 plus Shipping if you buy from my supplier with a machine from ebay like $ 850 you get for $ 1700 a machine what regular runs in the 3-to $4000 area.
to convert it takes a bit twiking but I would help you all the way, because I have done this many many times.
if you want my help just send me a PM
greetings
waltfl

Hey all. I've been lurking here for a while and decided it was time to ask a couple of questions.

I work full time as a laser engraver in the awards industry. I have been thinking about picking up one of the cheap-o eBay 40 watt laser engravers.

After talking to another engraver about it, I was told not to get one because there's a risk they can make the parts you are engraving radioactive. lol

Someone tell me this is just plain stupid. I think he's reading the warning labels about radiation and taking them out of context.

Anyway, I have a lot of small cnc machine experience so I'm not too worried about tinkering with the machine to make it work. And now that I'm a member here I can drive everyone on the forum crazy with questions.

My main use would be engraving plastic tags. Name badges, legend tags, maybe some small acrylic awards from time to time, etc...

Anyone on here using one for that sort of work? Is the quality of the engraving good enough for professional quality small work like this?

I realize the software sucks but it looks like it would be good enough for doing simple raster engravings. I don't plan on doing much vector cutting with it.

Again, I know it's a cheap pos but I think I'm going into it fully aware of the limitations. I just want to make sure it can at least handle some simple jobs.

Oh, and does anyone recommend a good seller of these here in the states ebay or elsewhere?

[epilotdk]

You would be wasting your money in my opinion. They have poor mechanical components and engraving requires precision. For around $2000 you can get a much better machine that works right off the bat. It will have proper linear guides, not those cheap plasic rollers used in the K-40 machines.

The radiation referred to is laser light. It has nothing to do with radioactive radiation. You friend is either taking the piss or missing a few candles in his birthday cake ;-)

I currently own a LG3040 from G.Weike. It cost around $2K and has been doing serious production work for the past couple of months without a glitch. Engraving precision is spot on with no drift.

[herby08]

yeah first you forgett the additional shipping cost about $500 to 800.
dont say this if you did not use one, because then how you wana know?
the mechanic has some minor flaws sure but I personally own a few machines and compare them cheap to midclass there is after convertion no difference in engraving.
greetings
waltfl

You would be wasting your money in my opinion. They have poor mechanical components and engraving requires precision. For around $2000 you can get a much better machine that works right off the bat. It will have proper linear guides, not those cheap plasic rollers used in the K-40 machines.

The radiation referred to is laser light. It has nothing to do with radioactive radiation. You friend is either taking the piss or missing a few candles in his birthday cake ;-)

I currently own a LG3040 from G.Weike. It cost around $2K and has been doing serious production work for the past couple of months without a glitch. Engraving precision is spot on with no drift.

[RossMosh]

You'd be better off getting one of the "professional" models with a 12x20 table for around $3000-3500. The cheapo machines are built purely for price. When a replacement tube costs $300, it just shows how much the rest of the machine cost.

The one thing I will say is, the value of the Chinese machines only become extremely good when you start looking at 24x36 machines with 80w+ tubes. There is no doubt that a 40W machine desktop machine from China is cheaper than something from the US, but the savings isn't as dramatic. You're talking about a $3000 savings, which is a lot of money but the 24x36 machines with 80w+ you're looking at easily $10,000 in savings.

Personally, for a desktop machine, I'd look for a used Epilog, Trotec, or Universal machine. You'll spend a similar amount for the used machine but get a MUCH better product.

[Hurricane21]

Toasty,

Please consider Hurricane Lasers if you want a quality glass tube laser with US optics and mirrors. We also stock all of the parts etc in Las Vegas for easy shipping. While some on here say to order direct that works fine if you do not need support or training which we provide.

Thank you and let me know if you have any questions.

John

[Toasty]

Thanks for all the replies!

I guess I have some thinking to do before throwing down the cash.

Like I said though, I do fully understand that these are more hobby grade machines but for what I'm doing it might still work fine.

Someone mentioned the plastic rollers instead of proper guides. Kind of made me chuckle a bit. The Universal machine I use at work every day has a similar roller setup.

Question... The k40's have no height adjustment? My understanding was that they had manual height adjustment. If you can't adjust the height how can you set the focus?

Also, I was checking out lightobject's web site and saw this:

2012 Commercial DSP CO2 Laser Engraving/ Cutter Controller. Support CorelDraw & AutoCad

What else would you need for a conversion?

[mondo50m]

Hi. You will need to purchase 2 stepper drivers @ abut $32.00 each and a 24v power supply with about 15 amps to run the drivers and the DSP. This costs about $45.00. As I stated, I just finished my conversion. I purchased the conversion kit from lightobject ($603.00). They also have a height adjustable table on their website for the k40, for this you will need a third stepper driver. I built my own adjustable table. Not much to it. You will also need to make sure that your laser power supply can be paired with the DSP. It will have the following connections:

TH TL WP G IN 5V (I believe)

Milt

[epilotdk]

No, shipping by sea is only $50.

I have seen K-40's in action and I stand by my opinion that they are crap. They don't work properly unless you spend money on upgrading them. When you add up the cost and time you have to spend on them you might as well spend a little more and buy something that actually works. The better machine will also have a better re-sale value.

You only have to look at this forum to see how many people have problems with the K-40 machines. I honestly don't understand why you feel so strongly about defending such a low quality machine. As you mention yourself, it needs new parts to make it work. Not everyone is capable of doing that work or want to spend time on it. You probably don't put a price on your own time but if you did and added up the hours plus what you spent on new parts, postage etc. then I bet you are not far off the price of a better machine. However if you want to keep kidding yourself, be my guest. However if you want to keep recommending people buy a K-40 you should list the parts, cost AND the hours spent on conversion so they can make an informed decisions about whether to buy one or not.

The ones on Ebay don't have a proper extraction fan, no air assist, no cutting bed and no height adjustment - all things I consider important in a laser.

[herby08]

Hi
everynody has his own opinion, but like I said as long as you have not realy worked with one you should not just take other peoples word for your opinion.
what I said before the cost of the convertion runs by $ 850 including shipping.
and for somebody with just a bit generell knoledge about wires it takes about max 4 hours. why I defend it so much is that some people dont even have the additionla $ 500 to $ 1.000 just laying around and dont do heavy production thats where the mechanic comes in to play even that I personly
have one of this converted machines pretty muvch running 6 hour/day and do heavy cutting up to 1/4 inch in oak, acrylic,ply and teven engrave graniteand all thie materials with the best results.
I never have heart of a shipping cost of just $ 50..
but like I say everybpody has hes own experience and opinion
ghreetings
waltfl

No, shipping by sea is only $50.

I have seen K-40's in action and I stand by my opinion that they are crap. They don't work properly unless you spend money on upgrading them. When you add up the cost and time you have to spend on them you might as well spend a little more and buy something that actually works. The better machine will also have a better re-sale value.

You only have to look at this forum to see how many people have problems with the K-40 machines. I honestly don't understand why you feel so strongly about defending such a low quality machine. As you mention yourself, it needs new parts to make it work. Not everyone is capable of doing that work or want to spend time on it. You probably don't put a price on your own time but if you did and added up the hours plus what you spent on new parts, postage etc. then I bet you are not far off the price of a better machine. However if you want to keep kidding yourself, be my guest. However if you want to keep recommending people buy a K-40 you should list the parts, cost AND the hours spent on conversion so they can make an informed decisions about whether to buy one or not.

The ones on Ebay don't have a proper extraction fan, no air assist, no cutting bed and no height adjustment - all things I consider important in a laser.

[epilotdk]

Having to pack up what you are cutting to the correct height sounds very cumbersome to me.

What about decent extraction and air assist? AFAIK that is missing on the Ebay K-40 machines. That also cost money.

I don't know about freight cost to the US but I just ordered a LG6040N from G. Weike and paid $50 for it to be sent by ship to Felixstowe where I can collect it myself. My LG3040 cost $500 to ship because I opted to have it sent by air. I had it 3 days after it left the factory.

My LG3040 was upgrade to a 60W tube. Including a spare 60W tube, mirrors and lens, sent by air to the UK it cost me £1870 plus app. £130 in duty and clearance fees and £25 in bank fees. I'm VAT registered so could claim the VAT back. The alignment was so good out of the box that a turn on one screw on the mirror adjustment had it spot on. It has done serious production work since then. When the display developed a fault, G. Weike sent a replacement straight away by courier so I had it a couple of days later. No charge.

Lets just say that you can do all the upgrades to a K-40 in 4 hours. What about the time to source the parts, wait for them to arrive etc? During this time you could be making money with a decent machine. What about warranty? (if there even is any). As soon as you start modifying the machine that is probably out the window.

[epilotdk]

Probably the most affordable machine that will actually work for a living is the LG3040 and it should be possible to import that for under $3000.

[Toasty]

I agree that $3000 isn't bad for a decent machine but that's about double my current budget.

And yes, I realize importing something isn't rocket science but that's one more expense if I have someone do it for me.

I'm starting a new business and I'm spending money like a maniac. I simply can't go any higher right now.

I don't recall if I mentioned it before, the main focus of my business is sublimation printing but I want to be able to do a few laser engraved items from time to time. Mostly small name tags.

From what I see on these forums, most people want to cut with their lasers and I personally wouldn't get a k40 for that. 99% of what I want to do is simple small engraving.

Basically, even though I know it's a "pos" I'm probably going with a modified k40 unless I can find something that I don't have to import for around $1500, and I don't think that exists. If it does please chime in.

So... Has anyone had a good experience with a k40 seller on ebay?

[epilotdk]

Sounds to me like it would make more sense to shop out the work if it is only occasional and low volume. If the US market is anything like the UK there are a lot of people out there with lasers struggling to get by and consequently prices are very low.

I have not had any experience with Ebay sellers but judging by product descriptions it looks like there are several different Ebay accounts used by what is effectively the same seller. My concern buying from an Ebay seller is that they are just drop shippers with no support available if you have any problems.

[Toasty]

I don't see shops with lasers in this area struggling at all. I currently work full time for one of them and they can't keep up with the volume of work they bring in. I suppose it depends on what you're doing.

And, the owner of the company and I have worked out a deal for them to do my large orders so I'm kind of set there.

I still want a small laser in my shop for small orders. And honestly, I just want one. I've always been into small cnc machines too. I can live with a $1400 or $1500 machine not being top of the line. Like I said, I know that going in so there's no surprise there.

I'm not going to ***** though, I know I was originally asking for opinions about the machine and I do appreciate the responses.

But back to the question... Does anyone have a good experience with a k40 seller (that ships from the United States) on ebay? If so please PM me.

Sounds to me like it would make more sense to shop out the work if it is only occasional and low volume. If the US market is anything like the UK there are a lot of people out there with lasers struggling to get by and consequently prices are very low.

I have not had any experience with Ebay sellers but judging by product descriptions it looks like there are several different Ebay accounts used by what is effectively the same seller. My concern buying from an Ebay seller is that they are just drop shippers with no support available if you have any problems.

[Rodney Gold]

Seems you determined to throw your money away , you could get a laser PRINTER and do colour laser toner transfer to compliment your subli work for under $400. You already have the heat press.. I been in the business for many years , have seen these machines , seen em work and would never touch one with a bargepole as either a hobbyist or god forbid , in a commercial environment. If you want an idea of my operation and fields of expertise , look at my website in my signature. Anyway I'm done , you can take a hoss to water but cant make em drink.

[Toasty]

You seem to assume a lot about what I'm thinking and doing...

I actually do laser transfers every day too. Magic Touch to be exact. On the subject of a system that sucks and that's unreliable, that's what I think of laser transfers in general. They're good for a few things but 99% of the time I would rather do sublimation.

And yes, I really don't mind throwing away a few bucks to play around a bit. I'll probably move up to a large laser after I get tired of farming the work out (assuming work comes).

And you're done? With what? Not contributing to the thread in a useful manner? Good.

Seems you determined to throw your money away , you could get a laser PRINTER and do colour laser toner transfer to compliment your subli work for under $400. You already have the heat press.. I been in the business for many years , have seen these machines , seen em work and would never touch one with a bargepole as either a hobbyist or god forbid , in a commercial environment. If you want an idea of my operation and fields of expertise , look at my website in my signature. Anyway I'm done , you can take a hoss to water but cant make em drink.

[RossMosh]

When you're buying a laser for $800 and $300 of that is for the laser tube, that means you're looking at $500 for the rest of the machine. Does that sound right to you?

It's your call but you'd probably be better off not bothering with this machine at all.

[Toasty]

I see 40 watt tubes on ebay all the time for around $170 (that's with shipping). Are those for a different machine?

I've already acknowledged that I know these machines are cheap, low end, pos, all that good stuff.

Anyway, I give up too. I was told you can't discuss the cheap lasers on this forum without everyone getting their panties in a bunch and I guess that's true.

Well, if I end up getting one I'll post up how it works out. If it ends up being a total waste of money someone else can learn from my mistake.

When you're buying a laser for $800 and $300 of that is for the laser tube, that means you're looking at $500 for the rest of the machine. Does that sound right to you?

It's your call but you'd probably be better off not bothering with this machine at all.