What do I need?

[Stianbl]

So, I was thinking about building a cnc machine, with a laser.
First I thought of engraving, but now I'm thinking about a cutting laser.

Basicly, I do some lockpicking for fun (no crimes), and I was thinking about how great it would be to have a machine to cut out picks for me/others.!

So, my question is basicly, what would I need if I wanted to cut out picks from a < 1mm stainless steel plate? I dont need a super fast machine, but Some speed would be nice.
The shapes are fairly basic, but with a decent cnc machine it would work out great I think. But I'm not sure what kind of laser (CO2 i guess) I need, or what kind of power it would have to be to do this.

Any information would be great. =)
Thanks!

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

Maybe 1 kW of CO2 laser with gas assist. Yah- that would do it and give a clean cut too unlike plasma.

Mike

 

[Stianbl]

1 kW CO2?
Hmm, didnt know it was soo tough to cut through 1mm steel(or less).
Guess a laser like that wont be very cheap =)

Probably better if I find a cheaper plasma then =/ At least while just playing around.
Seen some nice plasmacutters for about 300$, which cut through 12mm steel like butter.

 

[Laser_Ben]

They won't actually cut through 12mm steel "like butter", not for $300, but they will cut it, just very slowly.

 

[Stianbl]

Ok, he used about 1sec/cm for the 12mm.
But anyways, I just need to cut through 1 mm.. Do i really need 1kW to do that?
How much would that cost? If you where to say an estimate.

 

[Laser_Ben]

a 1kW system from a company like Coherent or Synrad is going to be in the 20-30k range. You probably need at least 250W to start to cut.

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

OK -- 250 Watts as a starting point for 1 mm. The systems I've seen use a gas assist nozzle and produce beautiful cuts. Usually 250 Watts is used for engraving only but on thin metal, maybe ???.

Mike

 

[Stianbl]

Thanks a lot fot the information guys
But it's still a bit too much for me to play around with ^^

Guess I'll try out a plasmacutter instead. =)

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

A 20 Amp plasma cutter will most likely leave you "slag" on the cut. We normally use AIR as the gas but pure N2 might work on thin metal. You need the N2 for the plasma but maybe a touch of Argon might help reduce the slag.

Mike

 

[whatsupadrian]

water jet replaced laser cutting

 

[Laser_Ben]

No, not really.. True, each method has it's perks, but nothing has 100% replaced laser cutting. You can get WAY better fine cuts on parts with a laser then a water jet.

 

[Stianbl]

Hmmm, maybe a water cutter would do it?
I'll have to check the cost of this.
The cnc machine is no problem. Already got taht. But I need a tool to cut with, that I can add to the cnc

 

[Laser_Ben]

Plasma cutter will be the cheapest by probably 10 fold.

 

[Stianbl]

Ye, looks like it's going to be plasma. I'll have to check out water cutters a bit more. Maybe theres a cheaper way to make it myself, as it only have to cut through 1mm steel.

 

[GooeyGus]

water jet replaced laser cutting

Water cutting is a pain in the ass. All the abrasives that need to be disposed of properly, super expensive tips that wear out.

Just about the only thing that water jets are BETTER than lasers at, is cutting really thick materials.

Other than that, laser cutting is much preferred over water.

 

[Igorokk]

What do I need

We all know there will be a new iPhone this year, none of us know the specs, but Im curious to hear from you guys: what would the next iPhone need to have for you to consider purchasing it?

Personally I need a keypad and a better camera, but other than that ... nothing comes to mind.