I CANT Cut Gold with a Fiber Laser?

We do our very best to cut 0.8mm 10k and 14k gold with our fiber laser! In todays episode I share the real struggle to cut gold with a fiber laser! It's CHALLENGING but we got it done and I'm sure you guys can all contribute to improve this process. I'm not STOKED on the results but they're acceptable for the most part. I definitely think we can do better next time and I'll get this video updated as soon as I'm able (and we have the resources again)! Thanks for watching, hope you learned something from it!
Learn the RIGHT way to do it in my follow up video: • The SECRET to Cutting ...
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0:00 - Intro - Overview
1:22 - Cutting Fixtures
2:58 - Jewelry Artwork
5:00 - Gold Cut Settings
8:20 - Safety Warning
9:32 - Encountered Issues
13:03 - Removing the Blanks
15:36 - Settings Recap and Final Look
17:08 - Final Thoughts
19:26 - Outro - Supporting the Channel
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[@gotsteem]

Massive respect to Benchworks for reaching out with the loan of gold sheets for testing.. That was extremely cool of them. Also thank you Alex for taking the time to do the work and share the results. Remarkable work you do and talent you have. I would be curious to know just how much gold was lost due to the cutting process.. Perhaps Benchworks could share the info after they remelt and weigh the gold and you could share the info on an upcoming episode.. Thanks again bro, extremely interesting video.

[@LaserEverything]

I'll see if I can follow up on that :P

[@vincentlalli5371]

I know this may be redundant but try the going the other way with speed.....faster and no wobble. With no wobble I will sometimes have to de focus about 1mm half way through the cut. I use a 50watt and this has worked well for me 1500-2000 at 80-85% power.

[@LaserEverything]

Noted. I'll give that a shot in my follow up video I'm working on today.

[@zakeller]

The rubber jaws seem like they would be thermally insulating the gold as opposed to a big heavy block of machined aluminum like that Mactron one you show at the beginning. So maybe to counteract the warping put a big chunk of sacrificial aluminum behind it as a heatsink?

[@LaserEverything]

Smart, maybe next time. Maybe even a legitimate heat sink would be nice.

[@nathanmontoya4678]

So im just learning how to engrave with a fiber laser but i believe you can do it with an automatic focus laser system the riser lowers half a mm or so as it cuts. Could this be your problem? Have you tried to do so many passes then lower the laser to focus to cut as deeper. So its the same depth taken away as the first loop of passes and repeat process until its through?

[@gregm286]

In lightburn with a 60W MOPA and a 110 lens my settings are: SPEED 60, MAX POWER 85, FREQ 37 Khz, Q PULSE 200, Num Passes, 75, Perferation mode on, 0.05 CUT, Skip 0.01, Wobble Mode on, 0.0330 STEP, 0.0300 SIZE, Kerf Offset 0.050 OUTWARD. This worked well on .5mm thick 18K Yellow

[@LaserEverything]

Thank you for sharing! We saw your other post as well. If you haven't would, be something cool to add to the Community Fiber Laser Settings Library we added to our website in the last few weeks. lasereverything.net/ It's at the top under Settings if you're up for posting it.

[@russesse1]

I am struggling with cutting .83 silver now ( 22 ga) using Corel I actually made a .2 mm thick line so that I could ablate a larger swath then a single line would offer. I will try the wobble feature on ezcad2 to see if that works better. As far as the heart piece you are working on you can ablate the oxidation just by doing a quick pass rectangle over the entire piece @ 40% power for a 50 watt laser

[@LaserEverything]

Thanks for the tips, we ended up doing something similar in the follow up video "Gold Cutting Secrets" so check that one out if you're still struggling with the silver because we do make a fair amount of progress in that episode.

[@russesse1]

@@LaserEverything From watching videos it appears that a 100 watt laser is much faster than a 50 watt laser. It would seem like the relation should be linear but in reality it seems like a 100 watt is 5 times faster. I might just get a new laser source

[@muteealyafay8014]

Do you have a logical analysis, based on it, that leaves no room for doubt? Regarding irrecoverable waste, as a result of burning and oxidation. Regarding gold dust that can be collected, we have the solutions for that.

[@MakrTheory]

Thank you for giving it your best. I know that I would be very intimidated in attempting such a feat, not only because of the materials reflectance but the cost of the material.

[@LaserEverything]

Already working on a follow up. So many people have made suggestions and I'm excited to try them.

[@cenadistore]

Hi, I cut gold, silver and brass almost every day with my lasers, with a 30w I cut 1.4mm of gold, with the fastest 50w cut and I also cut aluminum from 1.5mm and steel up to 1.6mm. Some materials are difficult to cut, like silver, but they cut well with the right parameters

[@LaserEverything]

That's great Greto, glad you've got it figured out!

[@aldex2279]

Hi Greto. I have 50W Fiber Laser, and i would like to ask you,what are the settings you use for silver cutting ? I mean speed power, and wobble. Thank you

[@cenadistore]

@@aldex2279 Hi, for Silver I use: Speed 250 Frequency 50 and 0.03 wobble

[@abdulazizbahareth8362]

@@cenadistore hello what about gold , the speed and frequency and power ? Help

[@markhamguy1619]

@@cenadistorehello how about gold what parameters do u use?

[@Msh-px6gj]

Try black marker on the surface before cutting

[@rohitbatra7243]

Please one video make for perameter for gold cutting and all perameter video

[@javieruriel]

The main reason I bought this laser was to cut gold, now you tell me this 😮😮😮😮 why I didn’t listen your video before😢😢😢

[@kylegustaveson5345]

insert the austin powers "i love gold" gif. ;) thanks for the content sir

[@LaserEverything]

You got it, lol, thanks for watching!

[@LaserEverything]

Yes I messed up speaking the wobble settings TWICE. It is in fact point zero zero one (.001) mm. One of the most frequent comments I've gotten so far is that the wobble should be increased. Many are suggesting trying a wobble around .33, so give that a shot if you'd like to give this a try! Having a 50w laser seems to help too!

[@artcam811]

Here are my settings for my 30w fiber laser for cutting gold: 0.6mm thickness Loop count 10 Speed 80 Power 100 Frequency 30 Start TC -100 Laser off 260 End 500 Polygon 100 WOBBLE diameter 0.080 mm Distance 0.040 mm Here are my settings for my 30w fiber laser for cutting gold: 0.8mm thickness Loop count 20 Speed 70 Power 100 Frequency 30 Start TC -100 Laser off 260 End 500 Polygon 100 WOBBLE diameter 0.080 mm Distance 0.040 mm Here are my settings for my 30w fiber laser for cutting gold: 1.0 thickness Loop count 30 Speed 60 Power 100 Frequency 30 Start TC -100 Laser off 200 End 500 Polygon 100 WOBBLE diameter 0.100mm Distance 0.040 mm I hope it help you 👍🏼

[@artcam811]

And the metal after cut became black. I leave in a solution mixed with water call sparex, and the color return again, for the metal no to bend, I hold the piece with a screws and a solid plate, something like the aluminum holder like you put in the description

[@LaserEverything]

Thank you so much! I will give these a try and our follow-up video that we're working on!

[@LaserEverything]

Very cool I will check this out too!

[@nathanmontoya4678]

I got a 60w jpt mopa I hope my comment helps I'm no pro and I've learned a lot from you but I look at every system I come across. I wanna know how everything works. I might experiment with 2.5D after watching this for the third time.... Not on gold though f that 😂

[@matoturanovic2572]

I cut my gold pieces with 30w without problems. I think your wobble diameter is way too small. I use 0.1mm and distance 0.05mm Power is 80% speed 25 and freq is 25. 0,7mm thick 14k yellow gold takes just 7 passes and you can pop it out without any tools. I am using fine sanding paper or emery sponge to clean it. I like the finish from sandpaper, but you can polish it without any problems :)

[@LaserEverything]

Thanks for the input Mato, it was the wobble. :P I made a follow up video, worked MUCH better.

[@t.m.2590]

Mato jel gubis puno zlata tako?

[@Urbinas00]

Hello what machine do you use? And which cnc do you recommend for cheaper metals like gold or silver? or that it is cnc with drills?

[@LaserEverything]

We don't use CNC currently. Here's our buying guide with the equipment we use/reccomend: www.lasereverything.net/buyingguide

[@Luis-lw1lw]

Excellent video. I have already cut 1.25mm thick 18k gold with the machine I have. I wish you could make a video using rotary Mark. I would like to engrave vectors inside a ring but I don't understand how SplitMark 2 and rotarymark works. I only engrave text with rotarytextmark

[@MscassieClancy]

Could I ask what machine you have. And what parameters used. Thank you 👍

[@Luis-lw1lw]

@@MscassieClancy I have a Fiber Laser Dowin 50w. Activate wobble and set 0.1 diameter and 0.01 distance the parameters would be 300 speed, 90 power and 30 frequency. On my machine I only need about 20 passes to cut a heart like in the video. I recommend you to pay attention to the loss it generates when cutting, usually 0.3-0.4 grams. I'm going to try it with Alex's parameters to see if it generates less material waste

[@MscassieClancy]

@@Luis-lw1lw I have a 30w. I will try with your parameters tomorrow. I will report back. 👍 Thank you

[@LaserEverything]

Copy that, I'll see if I can get on this in the near future. In our rotary setup video on the channel we cover the basics of RotaryMark so you may want to check that out in the meantime.

[@kristiqnkovachev9308]

Hello Luis, how long does it take to cut name plate of that thickness with your 50W?

[@toddysneddon2835]

im sure i seen a china video doing this ,if i remember they used .6 wobble and .4 distance

[@LaserEverything]

Nice yeah, we filmed a follow up video with some settings we had success with :)

[@Goodellsam]

My suggestion is to mark it with laser and cut it with jewellers saw. The saw can follow the marked outline. The cut is fine. Even with a saw edges will have to be finished. One consideration is annealing the gold, makes it soft. It has to be forged to harden it back up. It has to be hard to wear well. Did you try annealing the gold to create excuses on the surface. That might cut down on reflection. Try marking after annealing. It will need to be pickled and polished anyway. I have not thought about the science behind how the laser affects the gold. I don't know how the vibration of the beam, changes the metalurgy. You certainty have given a hobby jeweler a lot to think about.

[@LaserEverything]

lol these are all great suggestions. Some of them are a bit over my head as I'm not a jeweler so I don't have a lot of the tools and techniques down that you do. Every single operation we perform at my shop is done entirely with laser but if I ever want to get into jewelry a little harder I will take these suggestions to heart because they definitely seem reasonable.

[@laszloboldizsar2294]

Hello! What type of Control Card/LMCV4-FIBER?/ is in this machine? THANKS!

[@LaserEverything]

That's an Ezcad 2 board

[@desroseaux1]

I’m a jeweller just bought this 70 watts raycus , to cut gold and silver names, and I don’t know if it will do the job . I have tried already on silver and brass, and I’m not satisfied . On gold I didn’t try it yet , I’m preparing some plates different thicknesses to test it . Let you know when I’m done .

[@CadicadMaroc]

Might I know your parameters? Vous êtes de la france apparement?

[@LaserEverything]

Use a thicker wobble than I did. .33 and .01 were recommended for the wobble parameters to me. Working on a follow up video.

[@desroseaux1]

@@CadicadMaroc Je suis du Canada

[@CadicadMaroc]

@@desroseaux1 Je suis de l'allemagne et on a une bijouterie à Dusseldorf ou l'ont fait de la gravure et du découpage sur l'or et autre y compris plating sur le Silver

[@mehdiahmad947]

hi.with a 50watt laser device,how much the speed and power should it be to hack a photo on gold?

[@LaserEverything]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmTRdXyFg7N1sMU

[@sasastisovic1951]

Why did you put gold in clamps ? why dont just put it on steel and cut out shape ?

[@imajeenyus42]

I think your speed and wobble settings are wayyyy off! Firstly speed - at slower speeds, you tend to get remelting of any crap formed from the cut, while running at higher speeds prevents this. If your spot size is say 0.04mm and you want 50% overlap at 37kHz, that's a speed of about 700mm/s. Second, wobble. As you cut through material, the edges will taper - this seems to be an inherent feature of the cutting process and doesn't depend on lens focal length. If your wobble isn't wide enough at the top of the material, the by the time it makes its way to the bottom surface, the two edges of the cut will have met in the middle and you won't make it through. Thicker material = wider wobble. Not sure how the settings would be for gold, but I cut a lot of silver, and for 1mm silver I use a 0.5x0.03 wobble. Again, don't space the wobbles too close or you'll remelt material. 0.03 spacing seems good for everything. So I'd try 500mm/s 90% 37kHz with that wobble and see how it goes!

[@LaserEverything]

Excellent suggestions Lindsay! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! I will put it to good use!

[@BARTALAN1]

Hola desde Mexico, una duda mencionas que para plata de 1mm de espesor usas wobble 0.5mm x 0.03mm, podrias compartir a que speed y power, yo uso una maquina laser fibra de 50W, gracias , saludos

[@imajeenyus42]

@@BARTALAN1 Hello, I typically use 500mm/s and 90%, hope this helps.

[@desroseaux1]

The laser you used is 30 watts , right? I will try with my 70 watts soon , on a gold plate 0.50 mm and 0.80 mm I’ll let you how it goes . If I don’t mistake your plate was thicker than 1 mm The finish you had on the heart , is not what I’m expecting to have with my 70 watts .

[@LaserEverything]

Plate was .8mm, 30w laser. .8mj pulse power output.

[@mehdiahmad947]

i have a 50w laser.and i cut a 150mm gold withe 0.08Diameter and 0.04 Distance,and the speed on 50 and power on 100.and i cut it in 20minute

[@michaelspringer210]

Maybe heat sink it with some thick expendable steel or copper?

[@LaserEverything]

Not a bad suggestion at all. I'll have to try this next time.

[@laszloboldizsar2294]

Control Card,what kind of? Thanks!

[@LaserEverything]

My machine uses an Ezcad 2 board.

[@abanoubsouryal8183]

i have question I don't have wobble option in my ezcad. how to add to my ezcad. thank you.

[@LaserEverything]

You're using Ezcad Lite. You'll have to upgrade to Ezcad 2, we have a link to it in the discord, there's a link to the discord in the description.

[@abanoubsouryal8183]

@@LaserEverything thank you.

[@user-bz2mc5xd2g]

could you help me please i have 0.020mm gold sheet and i can't cut what i should do which wobble i use

[@LaserEverything]

We address some of our shortcomings from this video, including wobble, with a follow up we did. Here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHmyi4qiq9Ooatk

[@putogenio376]

Hi ..what fiber machine are you using ..how many watts?

[@LaserEverything]

This laser was filmed when we had a 30w JPT fiber in the shop. We have a few differing laser options now, but we also have a follow up video to this one where we got much better results with the same setup, using better tuned settings.

[@Crazydancing01]

सर 1.5 एमएम गोल्ड प्लेट भी नहीं कट रही है कट जाती है तो उसमें बस उसमें फंसे पार्टिकल नहीं निकलते हैं मैं बहुत परेशान हूं मैंने जिससे मशीन खरीदी है वह भी मेरी मदद नहीं कर रहा

[@LaserEverything]

Hello Viswas Soni! I have not mastered cutting gold yet but I am trying to do it better. One suggestion I have heard is to make the wobble much bigger. Try a diameter of .33 and a distance of .01 and see if that helps you! This is what I have heard to help.

[@desroseaux1]

How thick was the metal

[@LaserEverything]

.8mm

[@pradeepsonitosawar4737]

How much lose when you cut with fiber laser

[@LaserEverything]

Depends on your cut size and your wobble, if you have one. There's lots of variables and it's not easy to measure.

[@o1ecypher]

can i have the scraps... 😂

[@LaserEverything]

Ha! I had to send them back to the viewer that sent them to me for the testing :P

[@saidrahmouni1920]

Hello my friend, I follow you. If you want to learn how to cut gold, I will teach you how

[@prabhatsoni4100]

hello, can you please help. me. to. cut gold 0.9mm thick, i have 50w JPT laser source machine

[@zekohus2756]

i cant engrave photo in gold with 50w laser

[@LaserEverything]

For support definitely join either the Discord or Facebook group and we can take a look at what's going on: facebook.com/groups/lasereverything discord.gg/lasereverything

[@matchstickdesignco]

A drill and a jewelry saw will do the job a lot faster and easier. Not at all worth the time or effort to do with a 30W fiber.

[@LaserEverything]

Alas, people ask! :P I'm sure the saw is the way to go.

[@LaserEverything]

30 watt