Which is better for engraving acrylic - diode or co2.

[Chriscb]

Afternoon all,
Looking at buying a laser which will be predominantly used for engraving pens - most of which will be wood but a few will be acrylic. I am aware of the two main types of laser - Co2 and diode - and of the colour and materials in general that can be used. It seems to me that a co2 laser is most capable, but not as useful than a typical diode laser. The machines I'm looking at are the Makeblock xTool D1 (diode) and the Omtech K40 ( Co2). The former has a large work area, a rotary attachment and such like, where as the `Omtech has a somewhat confined and small area, which I guess will restrict the objects I could engrave. Will the co2 laser 'bubble' the acrylic or leave the edges smooth?

(Even as I type this my wife is suggesting all manner of other stuff that I could use the laser for!)

So user comments on your experience of engraving acrylic pens please?

Thanks.
Chriscb

 

[SabertoothBunny]

I have a NEJE laser with an jig attachment for engraving pens that works really well and I have no complaints. I would suggest reaching out to Nancy A McEntire on Facebook as she is the master of all things concerning the NEJE laser or check out her website www.nmclasers.com to reach out to her directly with questions. She knows a ton about this stuff and sells the lasers directly.

 

[MRDucks2]

My opinion having looked at the two lasers you are considering - I would go with the diode laser. The additional flexibility will pay off for you in the long run and you have a good variety of nice diode laser systems in that price range. Most folks move to a CO2 laser for additional power and you are really gaining no advantage with the model you are looking at over the diode laser.

 

[Aurelius]

Personally, I just picked up a D1.

To me, the CO2 laser is more for cutting. It will obviously be able to cut a lot more materials a lot cleaner but you are not looking at cutting. For engraving you would likely have your CO2 below 10% power for its entire lifetime, so you'd just be paying for power you'll never use.

In my mind, if you are super serious about engraving the next step up is a fiber laser but I think that's a rung or two higher up the price ladder than you were looking.

 

[PatrickR]

Personally, I just picked up a D1.

To me, the CO2 laser is more for cutting. It will obviously be able to cut a lot more materials a lot cleaner but you are not looking at cutting. For engraving you would likely have your CO2 below 10% power for its entire lifetime, so you'd just be paying for power you'll never use.

In my mind, if you are super serious about engraving the next step up is a fiber laser but I think that's a rung or two higher up the price ladder than you were looking.

The d1 looks nice.
how is it working out? Their website looks a little ???. Did it ship from China?

 

[Aurelius]

The d1 looks nice.
how is it working out? Their website looks a little ???. Did it ship from China?

Ok, sorry in advance for the drama.
So far it seems like a very nice unit. I got it off eBay for a very good price. The seller mis-identified it as a 10W unit but it was actually 5W so I got a partial refund. Since then, it turns out that the motherboard is shot but, to their credit, xTools is sending a replacement no questions asked. I guess that's a long way of saying I can't actually tell you how it works because mine currently doesn't but, based on having it in hand, I am confident it is well built and should perform nicely. At the very least, I now know for certain that the company stands behind their product even if it was purchased second hand, so that lends confidence as well.

 

[Chriscb]

Personally, I just picked up a D1.

To me, the CO2 laser is more for cutting. It will obviously be able to cut a lot more materials a lot cleaner but you are not looking at cutting. For engraving you would likely have your CO2 below 10% power for its entire lifetime, so you'd just be paying for power you'll never use.

In my mind, if you are super serious about engraving the next step up is a fiber laser but I think that's a rung or two higher up the price ladder than you were looking.

Well balanced reply - and I just bought a D1. Clearly it'll be a couple of weeks until it arrives but from reviews and Youtube I'm confident that it'll do what I ask of it.

Thanks for your input.
Chriscb

 

[Csteck00]

Afternoon all,
Looking at buying a laser which will be predominantly used for engraving pens - most of which will be wood but a few will be acrylic. I am aware of the two main types of laser - Co2 and diode - and of the colour and materials in general that can be used. It seems to me that a co2 laser is most capable, but not as useful than a typical diode laser. The machines I'm looking at are the Makeblock xTool D1 (diode) and the Omtech K40 ( Co2). The former has a large work area, a rotary attachment and such like, where as the `Omtech has a somewhat confined and small area, which I guess will restrict the objects I could engrave. Will the co2 laser 'bubble' the acrylic or leave the edges smooth?

(Even as I type this my wife is suggesting all manner of other stuff that I could use the laser for!)

So user comments on your experience of engraving acrylic pens please?

Thanks.
Chriscb

Good afternoon Chriscb,
I ran across your post and thought I would share my experience with you. I have been engraving pens for a couple of years now. I started small with a NEJE and then graduated to an ORION (Chinese made Generic) 40 watt laser and have now moved up to a Glowforge. I tell you all of this to say that I am not an engineer by any sorts and I was looking for something that was Mac compatible. I want to spend as little time as possible learning a graphic design program and more time turning custom pens. The Glowforge has been my answer and has allowed me to up my engraving game significantly. When you look at the price, they ain't cheap. But they are a solid choice for our line of work. I am happy to share with you in greater detail my research and some of my project results. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have.

best regards,
Chris

 

[rsgonner]

Good afternoon Chriscb,
I ran across your post and thought I would share my experience with you. I have been engraving pens for a couple of years now. I started small with a NEJE and then graduated to an ORION (Chinese made Generic) 40 watt laser and have now moved up to a Glowforge. I tell you all of this to say that I am not an engineer by any sorts and I was looking for something that was Mac compatible. I want to spend as little time as possible learning a graphic design program and more time turning custom pens. The Glowforge has been my answer and has allowed me to up my engraving game significantly. When you look at the price, they ain't cheap. But they are a solid choice for our line of work. I am happy to share with you in greater detail my research and some of my project results. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have.

best regards,
Chris

Which model of Glowforge do you use? Do you need a jig to rotate the pen? Use with acrylic? How about ebonite? This is very interesting.

 

[Chriscb]

Good afternoon Chriscb,
I ran across your post and thought I would share my experience with you. I have been engraving pens for a couple of years now. I started small with a NEJE and then graduated to an ORION (Chinese made Generic) 40 watt laser and have now moved up to a Glowforge. I tell you all of this to say that I am not an engineer by any sorts and I was looking for something that was Mac compatible. I want to spend as little time as possible learning a graphic design program and more time turning custom pens. The Glowforge has been my answer and has allowed me to up my engraving game significantly. When you look at the price, they ain't cheap. But they are a solid choice for our line of work. I am happy to share with you in greater detail my research and some of my project results. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have.

best regards,
Chris

Good evening Chris,
I too came across your reply - a little late perhaps! But thank you for taking the time to share your experience.
It's been just over a year since I bought the D1 - and it's been an interesting learning experience. No disasters, but not all plain sailing either. As the D1 is belt driven, tension of said belts is very important, to allow accurate cutting or engraving. I now run a routine set of checks every fortnight to catch any problems. I've had to tweak the tension every couple of months.
As for engraving acrylic pens - it works very well. Although it does add a few more steps to the finishing process. Wooden pens present no problem. I have been astonished at the variations of 'jobs' I've been asked to undertake. Pens of course, but also coasters, jigsaws, business cards, phone stands, boxes et al. The only thing I've turned down is engraving glass.

I can see the advantages of the Glowforge, and whilst the expense would not be an issue, the shear size of the enclosure is. Simply there is not enough room in the clean workshop.

Kind regards,
Chriscb