burning laser help.

flashskate13 · Apr 19, 2014

Hi,

I'm in need of some help I know very little about lasers but here to learn.

I build CNC and models and other creations and I am planning on building a new CNC for my partners company she creates custom cards and similar items but I need a laser capable of cutting through card. I have read that black card is easiest to cut but we will be needing to cut all colors including white.
Can some one advise me on a setup capable of this. I'm not after a co2 laser just a diode if its possible.

Any help would be appriecated

petters · Apr 19, 2014

Why do you need a laser? Aren't there CNC paper cutters? Regardless, I would say look into 808nm diode bars.

flashskate13 · Apr 19, 2014

Basically because I build a lot of cnc machines and have many parts laying about making one would work out a lot cheaper just the laser is new territory to me. But thanks I will looking into that.

ru124t · Apr 19, 2014

Dang, thought he was going to want to join the club .

KRNAZNBOY · Apr 20, 2014

ru124t said:
Dang, thought he was going to want to join the club .

What i was thinking. Although, when i was a noob, i always though about making up some realistic cover story for why i would need a powerful laser.

This seems legit, however, so no worries.

Although if you need to cut white paper, it si going to get expensive. You need more power!!!!

:beer:
-Matt

ru124t · Apr 20, 2014

White paper????? I use scissors ! Works every time , no 18650s to worry about!

The Lightning Stalker · Apr 20, 2014

A laser will always leave a charred edge along the cut which is something that is generally considered
unacceptable in the printing industry. That is why you won't see it in any commercial application. There
are diodes out there that will do it, but even a reflection off of dark paper is an eye hazard. It would have to
be fully enclosed, otherwise proper protection would have to be worn by anyone in the area.

flashskate13 · Apr 20, 2014

Hi,

Yeah this is no cover story, if I wanted to burn thing I'd buy a lighter it's cheaper and easier lol. Basically I make pepakura models and I use white cardstock. Which the last one was 120 a4 pages and around 2 days of cutting, long process burnt edges are not much of a problem on that, and the pepakura I could use black paper. but wouldn't be exceptable on the card craft side of things. Was looking at a 445nm 2w would that be any good. Or maybe I will design a drag knife.

Aleksa · Apr 20, 2014

You need to learn that different materials absorb different wavelengths. You will need a very powerful laser diode. I would suggest buying a CO2 laser tube. Diodes are very expensive,and very hard to work with(the high power ones).
For start,i would use a 450nm high power laser diode.
There's a video on youtube,a guy cutting Pi with his small DIY CNC. Search it up,maybe that's exactly what you need.

millirad · Apr 20, 2014

With a diode laser of sufficient strength, the lens will have to be focused very precisely on the work. And the table movement in the z axis/height must be stable enough to keep the focal point steady.

The duty cycle of a diode laser will generally be a problem.

flashskate13 · Apr 20, 2014

Hi,

Will a 808nm 300mw be able to cut black paper easily? As I can get all my pepakura cut I will be happy? The paper is slightly thinker but not like card

Aleksa · Apr 20, 2014

Not easily. You will need to slow down your CNC quite a lot. I would suggest something like 500mW or 1W. Better get a 1W diode and then adjust its output. If you are new to lasers,better get a laser diode from a DVD/CD burner. It has a IR diode and RED diode. If im correct,something like 800-890nm is the IR one and the red one is 600-700nm. They are in range of 100mW to 250mW. They cant cut black paper,but can cut black thin plastic. Experiment with them first,then buy the real deal.

petters · Apr 20, 2014

Yeah but you have to remember though, it doesn't just have to cut it, it has to cut it clean. I dont think anything not in the double, even triple digits would be enough to get the desired results. Cooling the laser would be another factor, among the many other things needed to worry about (like safety).

adambowker · Apr 20, 2014

flashskate13,

I understand you're wanting to build a CNC with a laser, but I've got something at home I paid $120 for that works a million times better than trying to deal with a laser.

It's the Silhouette Portrait vinyl cutting machine. It cuts paper, vinyl, cardstock... you name it. You can send any design to the machine and it will cut it. Plus there won't be any burn marks!
Honestly, that's probably a better option than building a CNC laser. It's up to you though :yh:

-Adam

The Lightning Stalker · Apr 21, 2014

You will need at least 3W to cut at a decent rate, but it will still be very slow compared to a drag knife.
The machines you see cutting paper at insane speeds all use CO2.

burning laser help.

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