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Heya

I think this probably goes here.

Iv been feeling this itch to get into some sort of CNC for building terrain and some other projects and was debating a CNC router or a laser cutter

specifically one of these. at like 5-15 watts


anyone have any experience in this field?

was probably going to jump face first into it. looking to do like max 3mm mdf plywood or acrylic.

Honestly between the two options...I'd get a 3D printer instead. Much more versatile.

 Elbows wrote:
Honestly between the two options...I'd get a 3D printer instead. Much more versatile.

Well maybe. the plan was to make a rail system for my billy bookcase so i can move in and out sheet metal trays full of models.
i have a prototype out of pvc already but is really flimsy.

i guess i can make rails with a fdm printer but at the same time its kinda meh when it comes to terrain. and i want to make tiles for munda which an fdm could but i dont like the quaility and the amount of extra work that would go into sanding.

iv kinda though it through and i feel like i can probably get more out of a laser.

though man im probably eventually going to get one of those affordable SLA printer in the future. 6 bones for a cube? count me in.

Cheap laser cutters seem to be pretty low powered. They'll go through 2-3mm MDF but not much more than that from what I've seen.

Going to second the 3D printer suggestion. FDM printer is totally capable of Necromunda tiles without much post processing, I am literally in the middle of doing that now with a cheap 3D printer (Ender 3).

Like winterdyne said, cheap laser cutters can barely cut super thin MDF and one thing that people do not consider is that any laser cutter makes fumes, ones powerful enough to cut thicker MDF make *a lot* of fumes and require a whole venting system.

I have a 100W laser cutter. It's been an interesting and at times frustrating experience learning to calibrate and use it, but it can do some great things. Given my experience, you'll struggle to cut much with 5-15 W, at least at any decent speed. I'd personally only really consider a machine that size for raster engraving and save the cutting for something with a bit more power. With the 100W machine I tend to run it for cutting in the region of 50-60% power to prolong the life of the tube, and I wouldn't run it faster than maybe 12 or 15 mm/s to ensure a clean cut on 3mm MDF for example.

I'm also not keen on open machines like the one in your post. Depending on what you're cutting you can get some pretty bad fumes and it's beneficial to have the machine closed with good extraction in place. Particularly if you're planning to cut acrylic, those fumes are nasty. My machine is enclosed with a fan extractor which should create negative air pressure in the enclosure and prevent the fumes from getting into the room - but it doesn't work as well as I would like. I've given up on cutting acrylic until/unless I can improve the extraction situation, and even MDF because there are some harmful resins in that. I'm mostly cutting plywood nowadays just because the fumes aren't quite so bad.

I used to run a business making stuff laser cut wargames stuff.

Fume extraction is essential, especially if you're cutting acrylic.

You also want an enclosure unless anyone in the room with the laser will be wearing laser goggles all of the time (and how do you guarantee that?)

When you're looking at laser choices and what they'll cut do remember that you can't compare different types of lasers as materials respond differently to different wavelengths. CO2 lasers are popular for acrylic because acrylic is highly absorbent to that specific frequency making CO2 especially efficient at cutting it. A different laser of the same power will not acrylic equally well.Also remember your laser goggles must be matched to your laser's wavelength.

The big advantage over a cheap 3D printer is that you can actually make nice things with a laser or router whereas everything that comes out of an FDM printer looks like crap.

lol I love all of the hate on FDM printers, even cheap ones will make better looking terrain than anything a laser cutter can pump out. If you want to make signs or engraving then a laser cutter is the way to go. If you want cool looking terrain, get a 3D printer.

I'd disagree. Laser cut terrain is limited in its design but within those constraints can look good. Anything an FDM makes looks rough as hell.

I had the same thoughts a while ago and got seriously advised against anything above 0.5W for "amateur" users. Main reasons are all listed above (shouldn't get direct eye contact, fumes, high power necessary to cut anything decently, etc).

If it's just about cutting MDF, why not go for a table-top circular or oscillating saw?

Was Debating a normal table saw. but the shapes i needa make is a bit complicated and require decent accuracy to work the way i need it to work.

im no stranger to eye dangers or heavy fumes. the original plan was to just build a fume hood to deal with both the light leaking and the fumes.

i just wanted to know if 5w or 15w was enough to cut up to 3mm in mdf or acrylic (in black or clear) clear may be very difficult so not sure on that one.

 Desubot wrote:

i just wanted to know if 5w or 15w was enough to cut up to 3mm in mdf or acrylic (in black or clear) clear may be very difficult so not sure on that one.

Depends what sort of laser. As I said, different materials respond differently to different wavelengths, you can't just look at the power.

That also affects material color - for example, acrylic is opaque to a CO2 laser so it doesn't care what color the acrylic is, it gets excellent absorption regardless


Automatically Appended Next Post:

armored76 wrote:
I had the same thoughts a while ago and got seriously advised against anything above 0.5W for "amateur" users. Main reasons are all listed above (shouldn't get direct eye contact, fumes, high power necessary to cut anything decently, etc).

0.5w is basically useless. A laser is no more dangerous than any other machine tools, welding equipment, etc.

I would question the judgement of the people giving you that advice.

 Scott-S6 wrote:

 Desubot wrote:

i just wanted to know if 5w or 15w was enough to cut up to 3mm in mdf or acrylic (in black or clear) clear may be very difficult so not sure on that one.

Depends what sort of laser. As I said, different materials respond differently to different wavelengths, you can't just look at the power.

That also affects material color - for example, acrylic is opaque to a CO2 laser so it doesn't care what color the acrylic is, it gets excellent absorption regardless


Automatically Appended Next Post:

armored76 wrote:
I had the same thoughts a while ago and got seriously advised against anything above 0.5W for "amateur" users. Main reasons are all listed above (shouldn't get direct eye contact, fumes, high power necessary to cut anything decently, etc).

0.5w is basically useless. A laser is no more dangerous than any other machine tools, welding equipment, etc.

I would question the judgement of the people giving you that advice.

Good to know
i was looking into those smaller desktop co2 laser cutters from orion but at 12x8 the cutting area is a bit small for what i need. :/ though not needing to make my own fume hood is very nice.

If it's just thin mdf, get a scroll saw or a narrow bladed bandsaw.

It's easier to hook up a shop vac for dust control than it is to run a lasercutter and ventilation.

A Co2 laser is pretty versatile. It'll cut mdf and plywood, rubber, cloth, etc. It'll cut acrylic extremely well. It will engrave glass and it can etch anodizing off aluminium.

The laser tubes are consumables but they last a long time. I went through many hundreds of pounds worth of acrylic sheet before the tube started to degrade. To keep the life as long as possible you want to cut as quickly as possible. Avoid raster jobs unless there's no other option and make sure you change your water as soon its warm or power degrades and you have to decrease cut speed to maintain depth. I never did get around to build an active cooling loop with a radiator.

That orion 12x8 unit (like a lot of the small brand name ones) is the exact same unit you can buy direct from the the Chinese manufacturer on ebay. I'd go direct, my experience with those small brands is that the support is crap.

You have to spend a lot more to get one from a real brand name (i.e. Their own design and proper support)


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 chromedog wrote:
If it's just thin mdf, get a scroll saw or a narrow bladed bandsaw.

It's easier to hook up a shop vac for dust control than it is to run a lasercutter and ventilation.

What's so difficult about hanging a piece of ducting out the window?

As long as your laser has an enclosure (and it absolutely should for safety) then it's no big deal.

You can make some pretty nice stuff with FDM machines once you've spent the time to learn them:

You won't make this with a laser cutter.







Horses for courses though.

Yeah iv seen some insane stuff with FDM printers certainly less expensive than trying to make the same thing with a sla printer.

Well i guess there was always the 3rd option i didnt think of.

i found a maker space type place near by. monthly charge to use the place and they also have classes. might take a month to learn ALL the things and see if i want to pursue any of these options.