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Anybody with a 40W+ laser in Calgary?

Janger

Janger

(John)
Vendor
Premium Member
I'd like to see in person a 40W or more laser engraver/cutter in the Calgary area. I'd like to see it working to engrave/mark wood in both vector and raster, and see it cut. and if it engraves and marks metal that would also be interesting.

Anybody have one?

I'll bring coffee... :)

John
 
Janger said:
I'd like to see in person a 40W or more laser engraver/cutter in the Calgary area. I'd like to see it working to engrave/mark wood in both vector and raster, and see it cut. and if it engraves and marks metal that would also be interesting.

Anybody have one?

I'll bring coffee... :)

John
Click to expand...
check for a makerspace in Calgary.

That's where I got all my experience with them over the 10 month temporary move I made to DT Toronto.
 
I second the makerspace idea.
@Janger I recommend researching the differences between a diode, a CO2 and a fiber laser and what they can mark vs. cut. The difference in laser wavelength is what sets them apart from each other.
XTool has a good comparison here:
www.xtool.com

Fiber Laser vs. CO2 Laser vs. Diode Laser: Differences Explained - xTool

You may be wondering what are the differences between Fiber laser, CO2 laser and Diode laser engravers, and how to make a decision. Don't worry, this post provides all the details about the three laser machine types and an ultimate buyer guide for you.
www.xtool.com www.xtool.com
 
Yes there are a lot of nuances. I've read that article and others. There is no universal laser - Ortur has a new offering which comes with 4 different laser heads to try to solve that problem. I just want to see whatever working in person and judge the results. I've seen a 20W diode laser which was frankly underwhelming.
 
Janger said:
Yes there are a lot of nuances. I've read that article and others. There is no universal laser - Ortur has a new offering which comes with 4 different laser heads to try to solve that problem. I just want to see whatever working in person and judge the results. I've seen a 20W diode laser which was frankly underwhelming.
Click to expand...
You need to see my 40W diode cut through 1/2” birch plywood.
The reason there is no universal is because of the different wavelengths. They just do different things.
 
DavidR8 said:
You need to see my 40W diode cut through 1/2” birch plywood.
The reason there is no universal is because of the different wavelengths. They just do different things.
Click to expand...
I've seen that at least some of the 40W diodes are actually 8 5W diodes focused together.
Are they all like that or are some actually a single 40W diode?
 
Doggggboy said:
I've seen that at least some of the 40W diodes are actually 8 5W diodes focused together.
Are they all like that or are some actually a single 4OW diode?
Click to expand...
Yes, they make higher wattage by ganging them together. My 40W is 8 5W lasers together.
And holy smokes has it gone up in price!
lasertree.com

LASER TREE K40 40W+ Optical Power Laser Module

Features 1. Built-in eight high-performance fast-axis compression diodes, which can provide up to 44W optical power to achieve fast and efficient cutting.2. The bottom is equipped with a red cross positioning cursor (offset X: 0mm, Y: -21mm), which can quickly locate the starting point and...
lasertree.com lasertree.com
 
make sure you are comparing optical power. A lot of the cheaper lasers are using electrical power in their advertisements. 40w is typically about a 5w optical power.

Actual 40w output diode laser will be pricey similar to what David just posted.
 
Calgary Protospace has a couple of CO2 lasers. I believe their open house is every Tuesday evening.
Prior to Covid, Mount Royal U used to have a small maker space in their library. They had a CO2 laser that they would operate for you. It was free to the public.
 
"Phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range" T-800, Sorry all I could think of when I read the title. Only company I know has a high power laser is brazzo in Edmonton we used to get our cabinet and jb doors cut by them.
 
I seen one a while ago, cnc, possibly 4,000 watt, can’t remember what was told. Was a bit over welled by it. Appeared able to cut at least 3/4 inch stainless. There was some left overs in a scrap bin beside it.The plate being cut while I was there was about 3/16 inch steel sheet, you could not out run it! A very small kerf, clean cut, no slag on bottom side. Very amazing to me. An auto feeder, think they were 5X10 sheets. Maybe could do a little wood engraving.
Beside that was a 240 ton cnc press!
South and east of Calgary.
 
DavidR8 said:
@Janger
atomstack.com

AtomStack A20 Pro 1064nm 20W Fiber Laser Marking And Engraving Machine

Discover the AtomStack A20/K1 Pro, the world's first 1064nm 20W fiber laser engraver. With ultra-fast speeds up to 400mm/s, it excels in high-precision engraving on metals, plastics, acrylic, leather, ceramics, and rock.
atomstack.com atomstack.com
Click to expand...

Some stats I've collected - @DavidR8 that Atom stackA20 fiber has a very tiny spot size and you can see it shows with 11,111W/mm^2 power. Far better than all the others I've looked at in the low end price range. The sample pictures of the results on parts engraved by the A20 seem quite a bit better than other examples from other machines. The Beamer laser in the below is the one the Rose index manufactuer (Tim, https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/rose-index.6063/post-93519) uses and it does a fantastic job at 19K W/mm^2 with only a 20W fiber laser. So power is not critical for engraving, it's the wave length and optics that really counts. Seems like for engraving you need a spot size less than a thou in diameter. Anybody else draw the same conclusion?

@DavidR8 what spot size does the optics on your CO2 laser produce?

This graph shows the power level of the laser spot generated by various machines measured in Watts/mm^2. They don't generally say what this number is - instead they tell you the watts, they probably have the laser spot size somewhere in the docs, and then you do the math.

1734405232930.png



1734405291248.png
 
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@Janger I don't have a CO2 laser any longer. When I found the Lasertree K40 module I sold my CO2. But I have a hankering to build one :)
As far as I know, on average CO2 lasers have larger spot sizes than diode or fiber lasers.
 
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