Small Laser Engraver

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  • LCHIEN
    Internet Fact Checker
    • Dec 2002
    • 20913
    • Katy, TX, USA.
    • BT3000 vintage 1999

    Small Laser Engraver

    I got for fun one of the mini laser engravers just to see what I could do with it.

    Here's a picture of some 1/8" high lettering I did on the sides of a chopstick (there's two together before being broken apart.)
    Click image for larger version  Name:	 Views:	1 Size:	45.1 KB ID:	829204
    Another picture all the scraps of wood I've been engraving.
    Click image for larger version  Name:	 Views:	1 Size:	161.5 KB ID:	829205

    and a picture of the engraver.
    Click image for larger version  Name:	 Views:	1 Size:	46.3 KB ID:	829206

    It's a 1000 mW unit that does about a 1.25 x 1.25" area, using 512 x 512 pixel image map. The stage is actually about 4"x4"
    Found out a few interesting things.
    Makes a lot of smoke. I have one of those particle monitors and 1 micron particles normally registers about 80,000-90,000, shoots up as high as 1,200,000 per cubic foot nearby.
    Cutting pine puts a lot of resin in the smoke, it coats the wood, and leaves marks. The fan pulls it to the left and you can see some of the samples where the rubber band hold down left a unmarked line.Need more powerful fan and maybe a filter. Don't use it in the house, I think.

    The hold down needs improvement - it uses rubber bands which can still move, esp. if the stage is holding larger parts. Also in alignment - the software will point at the center and will trace out a box where the limits of the image are, but its hard to get the workpiece lined up square and held well.
    But, I guess that's what you get for $75 or 80 bucks.
    Overall very little assembly, got it going very fast.
    Software a bit buggy, hung a few times already. And the software docs leave a bit to be desired.
    Images take a few minutes. And you need to do some experimentation to determine the "exposure" time. Softwoods take only about 20 ms, hardwoods more like 60-70 ms. I tried a piece of stone tile at 150 ms and it wouldn't even mark it.



    Last edited by LCHIEN; 02-05-2017, 01:32 AM.
    Loring in Katy, TX USA
    If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
    BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions
  • leehljp
    Just me
    • Dec 2002
    • 8429
    • Tunica, MS
    • BT3000/3100

    #2
    That looks very good! I have considered one for pens, but am concerned that it is not quite up to the resolution that I would like. Your chopsticks give a good hint as to how a name would look on a pen but I would need about twice the resolution before I start engraving them. Did you try light passes to clean up with some fine sandpaper? Just curious.

    The other larger engravers look Great! Thanks for showing what it could do!
    Hank Lee

    Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

    Comment

    • capncarl
      Veteran Member
      • Jan 2007
      • 3564
      • Leesburg Georgia USA
      • SawStop CTS

      #3
      What is the actual size of the machine?
      i haven't noticed hold downs on the lasers I've seen, they just place the item on the bed where they want it.
      is the bottom, or stage area removable so you could set it on a larger piece of wood........ maybe the bottom of a tiny table top?
      This thing costs less than the branding iron! And seems to do a nicer job.
      How does the software handle importing images and stuff like that?

      Comment

      • LCHIEN
        Internet Fact Checker
        • Dec 2002
        • 20913
        • Katy, TX, USA.
        • BT3000 vintage 1999

        #4
        Originally posted by capncarl
        What is the actual size of the machine?
        i haven't noticed hold downs on the lasers I've seen, they just place the item on the bed where they want it.
        is the bottom, or stage area removable so you could set it on a larger piece of wood........ maybe the bottom of a tiny table top?
        This thing costs less than the branding iron! And seems to do a nicer job.
        How does the software handle importing images and stuff like that?
        8" high by 5-3/4" square.
        The laser moves X-direction, the table moves Y-direction. I tried laying a small piece on the table just using gravity and it slowly slid to one side as the table moved slowly northward.(the Laser o moves fastest because it does X-moves most often.
        Software still seems a bit obtuse. Drag and drop image files to the preview area. Limited to 512 x 512 pix resolution for engraving but it reduces or enlarges images automatically to fit.I have imported several files already. No gray scale though.


        I'm considering if its worth the trouble to make a hold down jig. The tray is 4x4 roughly, since it moves north-south only you can make an overlay 4" wide and maybe 6-7 inches long so it sticks out. Route a couple of t-slot in it and then laser some lines on it for line up. A few bent pieces of sheet metal and the t-tracks can make hold downs. It doesn't need to be real strong.

        With the open sides you can engrave oversized long pieces hanging over the table N-S or E-W if you are careful. That's how I did the chopsticks and that 3 in one engraving. Just can't put aworkpiece that's both long and wide on it.

        Now the next step up would be a model with a large aluminum frame base and a laser carrier that moves both N-S and E-W, then the workpiece just lays there and doesn't move at all.

        So yeah, cheaper than a branding iron. I have an electric iron. Takes me 15 minutes to heat it up - have to clear an area and set up a stand, too. A couple of minutes to brand. Then leave it for 15 minutes to cool off before I can put it away. I have to use a kitchen time for the heat up and cool down, otherwise I forget and it gets too hot.
        What I have done is make some small 1/8 thick x 1-1/2 x 2 wood placques pre branded and just nail them on with brass nails. Otherwise branding takes a 30+ minute process.
        with this one, too, after you get a logo (don't have one for my brand) you can add date and location if you want. Compared to a brand appearance, this is sharper, more uniform, and has some relief (depth) to it. That's in addition to being more safe, more flexible, and maybe faster. A complex logo on hardwood can take 15-25 minutes to engrave. One liners a couple of minutes.
        Last edited by LCHIEN; 02-05-2017, 04:39 PM.
        Loring in Katy, TX USA
        If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
        BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

        Comment

        • atgcpaul
          Veteran Member
          • Aug 2003
          • 4055
          • Maryland
          • Grizzly 1023SLX

          #5
          Would a small piece of double stick tape work?

          Comment

          • Bill in Buena Park
            Veteran Member
            • Nov 2007
            • 1865
            • Buena Park, CA
            • CM 21829

            #6
            Loring, sounds just like the little NEJE I bought last year and posted about. I use my DC to pull the smoke away and keep it cool. Also, make sure you are using a 2A power supply, as it seems to need the power to prevent "hanging". Mine has a manual focus for the laser - assume yours has the same? This means I can dial in on the "resolution" Hank is describing.

            Hank - check out how I use mine for pens, toward the end of this video: https://youtu.be/IENQoyh_SZI
            Bill in Buena Park

            Comment

            • capncarl
              Veteran Member
              • Jan 2007
              • 3564
              • Leesburg Georgia USA
              • SawStop CTS

              #7
              Can the bottom of the engraver be removed so it can set on a larger piece of wood and burn in something?

              i recall reading about someone buying a Grizzly dust collector that had been previously used in a laser operation where the resins in the smoke had clogged and possibly ruined the filter stack.

              Comment

              • Bill in Buena Park
                Veteran Member
                • Nov 2007
                • 1865
                • Buena Park, CA
                • CM 21829

                #8
                Cap,
                The bottom cannot be removed on my unit, and likely Loring's as well, since the laser diode at the top only moves in one axis (x), and the platen at the bottom moves in the perpendicular axis (y). The laser moves back and forth, and the platen advances the work like an old dot-matrix printer carriage.

                As for DC - I don't think I'd recommend using one for pulling smoke off a serious laser operation, but these little 1W jobs don't produce enough to be an issue, IMO - and I'm using 1 micro bags, not the canister filters.
                Bill in Buena Park

                Comment

                • LCHIEN
                  Internet Fact Checker
                  • Dec 2002
                  • 20913
                  • Katy, TX, USA.
                  • BT3000 vintage 1999

                  #9
                  Originally posted by capncarl
                  Can the bottom of the engraver be removed so it can set on a larger piece of wood and burn in something?

                  i recall reading about someone buying a Grizzly dust collector that had been previously used in a laser operation where the resins in the smoke had clogged and possibly ruined the filter stack.
                  Bill is right, the upper laser carrier moves right-left and the bottom platen moves north-south so there's a mechanism in the bottom.
                  .
                  Loring in Katy, TX USA
                  If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
                  BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

                  Comment

                  • capncarl
                    Veteran Member
                    • Jan 2007
                    • 3564
                    • Leesburg Georgia USA
                    • SawStop CTS

                    #10
                    I didn't catch the movement of the bottom..... there goes that idea.
                    Some of the laser engravers I've seen in operation, I don't believe the diode unit actually moved x/y. It looked like the laser beam was being moved by mirrors. The cnc lasers used for cutting did move x/y.

                    Comment

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