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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Hi from Poppy Ann.

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Nov 13, 2014
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First Hi to everyone,

I am age 61 Male:confused: to Female:eek: transgender living in Mansfield England and just starting to build a cnc router/engraver/3d printer/laser cutter(same frame with changeable heads) the router and engraver i can manage to build with no or little help but for the laser cutter and 3d printer i will be looking for help.

Can anyone advise me on what type of laser would be required to cut 1/4" (6.35mm) plywood and 1/4" depron foam board as i have no idea.

I was an engineer for all my working life (now retired due to disability caused by army service) and have a decent knowledge of mechanical engineering and low voltage electrical wiring plus a little knowledge of basic electronics so what i really need to know is what frequency and power laser is best suited for this job, i am trying to keep the device quite small at around 20"x20"x18" as i have very little space for building it or using it once built.

:thanks: thanks for any help/advice you can give:thanks:

regards Poppy Ann.
 
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Joined
Sep 20, 2014
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Hi Welcome! Can you update your profile so it has your location? I like seeing more of us Brits :)

From googling it would seem a 120W CO2 laser would be needed to cut 6-9mm ply (at a fast enough speed).

And more googling suggests a 120W CO2 laser tube would be huge; I found one that was 1650mm long and 80mm diameter!
 
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USAbro

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Hi Welcome! Can you update your profile so it has your location? I like seeing more of us Brits :)

From goggling it would seem a 120W CO2 laser would be needed to cut 6-9mm ply (at a fast enough speed).

What is goggling mean? I know what Google is but I don't know what goggling is.

HAHA.
 
Joined
Nov 13, 2014
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Hi to Clansley,
Updated profile with a little more information, anything else you want to know just ask i do not hide who i am from people.
also thanks for the information about the laser i was hoping i could get away with either a 5W or 10W system speed is not a problem it is just for fun for myself, i have always had a want to play with a cnc machine since i was young so i decided that now i have to time i will give it a go, the ply is 1/4" which is used in RC model planes if i cannot find a way of doing the laser then i will just miss it out and build a 3d printer/router as i know i can make the router cut 1/4" ply easy enough.
again thanks for your information.
regards Poppy Ann.
 
Joined
Sep 20, 2014
Messages
295
Points
28
More googling suggests you could get away with less power by doing multiple passes: "The secret to a deep cut is removing the black char that protects the underlying wood from a subsequent pass. A high velocity air jet would probably perform this function fairly inexpensively."

Sam's FAQ also has some useful data.

You may get more help from more knowledgeable folk who own CO2 lasers if you repost this question outside of this welcome section; there is a gas laser section.
A search of the forums may also be a good idea; I found this: "I can tell you at 50w my c02 laser barely cuts 1/8" plywood at 0.20"/second"
 
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