Hi all! I am considering getting a laser cutter to add to my shop. I am just starting my research and am wondering if anyone has any advice on the topic. Features to look for, features to avoid, brands to look for, brands to avoid, etc.
The ability to handle larger sheets, either via a large enough cutting bed or a pass-through slot with conveyor setup. Enough laser power to actually do the task, 3/8 subdeck or keel plywood is no small task.
I've seen some pretty wild claims about what material thicknesses different laser cutters can handle. Is there anyone on this forum with practical experience?
I think a big question is laser type. CO2 lasers are older, and can cut wood and plastics, but require more infrastructure and tuning (laser is made in a big glass vacuum laser tube and bounced off a series of mirrors). Diode lasers are more modern, and are much easier to manage as they are solid state (laser is formed in the head with no requirements for mirrors), but they don't cut plastics like acrylic. I have a AlgoLaser Delta 40W that can cut through 3/8" plywood just fine. It's also lightweight to the extent that you could hang it up on a wall by its frame and then use it outside on a folding table and not worry about ventilation. One thing to note is that the cheap plywood tends to have a lot of mineral filler (think spackle) that is used to fill voids. No laser will cut through the mineral filler, leaving areas uncut.
I have a Muse 40 watt CO2 laser from Full Spectrum laser. It will cut 1/4" Baltic birch ply but I would not try to cut 3/8" ply. My FS laser was more expensive than many other hobby machines, but its software is very easy to use. The software was a key part of my decision to buy. I had used a FS laser at my local library as well as another brand. The FS will pull in a PDF file and can be cutting in just a couple of minutes. The other laser at the library required going through Adobe photoshop (an expense and learning curve I wanted to avoid) and setting the cutting power and speed was much more involved. So I recommend you download and try the software before you buy. I would like to have more than 40 watts. Two years ago I left my vent connected during an extreme cold spell and froze the tube. When I replaced the tube I went from the nominal 40 watt, 500mm tube to a nominal 50 watt, 850mm tube. The extra watts do help when cutting 1/4" ply, I get less uncut areas. I would still love 60 watts or even 90 watts.
