What Can You Cut With This "15W" LASER Machine?

[@ELECTRONOOBS]

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[@caslor2002]

Hi You can upgrade the laser to work better.. Just add an Z axis to the laser mount.. You can add also a microswitch under the laser. So every time it resets can attach to the cutting material and then reposition to the pre-cut height. After the end of each loop the laser will be lower at the height of your choice and so the cutting edge of the laser beam will be in the right focus

[@justintan7817]

Thanks for this very detailed video and subscribed. This electrical power 15W one, could engrave stainless steel, but it need to use the marker pen to paint black the serfuce of the stainless steel, to adovid reflection. Also, it would be better to adjust the focusing to be as close as possible to the lens.

[@IldefonsoZanette]

Thanks for the review. I couldn't find the link for better safety glasses.

[@madzak9847]

You cant cut wood or plywood with this laser without the compressor, use one from cheap chineese soldering station and a needlе for ball pumping at least it will go 1000 times faster , i cut 3 mm plywood with chineese 1 w laserpointer and sodlering station compressor 6 loops on 150mm/min

[@hobbytime8041]

Hey. Great video. Could you please share link for good quality recommended protective glasses? :)

[@joflo5950]

I know I'm late, but I've got a tip for cutting through wood an the plastic: Lowering the speed is not always good. It leads to charing and melting, which makes the material harder to cut. If you move faster with more passes instead, you don't get these effects as much, and can achieve harder cuts.

[@thomasrussell4674]

Correct

[@superturkeylegs]

Covering with a damp paper towel helps absorb excess heat

[@BritishBeachcomber]

10:34 for cutting thick materials with a laser you need z-axis control. Lower the laser for each pass to stay in focus.

[@5thElementSandwich]

Until now I’ve been searching for weeks looking for informative videos on laser engraving and found mostly junk content. Your video is one of the best and most descriptive ones I’ve seen about anything in years. Your ability to deep dive and answer questions I didn’t know I had is a skill not often found. You just got another subscriber. Thank you for your help.

[@KimStrandberg93]

except he doesn't know what he's talking about.

[@LiLi-or2gm]

A bit of compressed air might help with wood cutting. There's a lot of smoke coming right off the hot spot, which is absorbing/blocking/defocusing the light.

[@fruechtekorb]

That right. Even on a 40W CO2-Laser compressed air makes a difference of several mm in Wood or PMMA.

[@truantray]

Which is why proper laser cutters have an active air exhaust. And, you do not want to breathe those fumes.

[@frankhovis]

It also (with diode lasers) makes a big difference what's underneath the wood your trying to cut. The only reliable way I have of cutting some 3mm "laserply" on my so-called 5W laser is to sit it on top of some paxolin PCB I had laying around. This half melts when the laser hits it and reflects the heat back up into the cut enough that I get smooth clean cuts 99% of the time. The only issue I have now is I'm not sure what that would be giving off as fumes (I work well ventilated) and also I'm running out and don't know where to buy any more or what else would work as good as it for a base plate.

[@MrMoo272]

even a fan would help

[@SohanSardar8064]

Price

[@TonyGingrich]

To echo @Jo Flo More passes at a faster speed is usually better than less passes at slower speed. A few more tips: Fixed focal lengths are a bit less stressful, but also less flexible. I use a 7w with a variable focus, mounted to a 3018 with Z axis. I'll set my Z home as far as possible from the material surface while still able to focus the beam properly. The reason is because the longer the beam before the convergence point, the narrower it will be immediately above the focus. With that, you can cut deeper into material--the previously cut material above doesn't interfere with as much of the beam, as it would with a wider beam due to focal point closer to the module. I use the 3018, but there's nothing specific about that spec that is better or worse than another. The important part is the Z axis. I can generate my gcode to lower the Z by a few micrometers with each pass, keeping the focal point at the material. The rate of Z adjustment is different for each type of material. Some materials, like wood, produce ash when burned in the cut. After several passes, the ash will completely block the beam from being able to penetrate deeper. The ash also glows, therefore radiating the thermal energy to the sides and causing unwanted results. I use 2 strategies: a relatively high CFM fan to blow ash and smoke (which cools into soot/ash) away; and I configure break points in my gcode so that I can take a moment to brush the cut path before resuming. Hope these help!

[@crudivor]

OMG thanks so much for this review. I was about to buy this machine for clear acrylic. Good to know it doesnt work with it. Youre the first one I saw with honest review

[@aterxter3437]

The issue when cutting through 4mm balsa is from the nature or your "cutting element" the laser is manuly focalised on the top or the material. When it has cut two mm, the laser isn't focalised in trench and the material needs more and more energy to cut because instead of focusing thé energy in a tiny spot to burn a little piece of material, it is burning a greater surface. It would has been useful to have a Z-axis to lift down the laser after each loop and keep the energy/surface ratio constant Edit : I had not seen the explanation before posting m'y comment Maybe, try to focus the laser in the middle of the material instead of the surface

[@MrMoo272]

This is correct. To add to this, instead of focusing the laser in the middle before you start, do 1 or 2 passes with it focused on the surface then refocus the laser to the "new" surface a couple of mm down, keep repeating the process until you've cut all the way through the material. The more you do it between passes, the better the cut will be as long as the material or the machine head doesn't move.

[@Seu_Lunga]

Nice video, but at the copper engraving, you need to paint it black the pcb and engrave the negative of pcb, then you throw in acid for corrosion

[@underourrock]

If you had a platform (z) and an air nozzle attached setup to clear the debris, you might be able to cut thicker materials compensating for both the focal length and the debris that clogs up deeper cuts.

[@adalbertogomesmacedofilho2919]

13:40 Thank you for helping - everyone who sells this equipment guarantees that it makes markings on the metal - and you could confirm that they don't ... thank you for saving me some money. Hug from Brazil !

[@vamps_vids]

it is possilble... but you need a special paint for that.

[@purduephotog]

Steel needs to be coated with moly lube. Then it'll etch.

[@magtazeum4071]

I really like the Italian like English accent..It's crystal clear and sweet

[@mdsign001]

"What's up my friends to this new video!" Best intro ever.

[@rolling_marbles]

Definitely need to have a Z-axis, even on a laser so as you go down the material, you can step the Z down. Plus, you can focus as 50mm from the object and raise the Z for thicker material.

[@TonyMueller]

Could you try cutting mylar sheet? The thin stuff used for stencils. It usually comes in white or clear, so I've been reluctant to buy this unit or others like it because that's the main use I want it for.

[@lasersbee]

4:24... I would bet that the output power is much less than 4 Watts. The only way to know the true output power of a Laser beam is with a Laser Power Meter.

[@ChrisLocke1969]

Hint... for deep cutting, z-axis is your friend (yet missing from most off the shelf engravers)

[@frankhovis]

You can now get (or make quite easily) a Z Axis adjustment. Aliexpress has Z Axis Module For Laser Engraver www.aliexpress.com/item/4000002428006.html

[@kilrahvp]

That's why I just got the laser and mount it to my 3d printer :)

[@RinksRides]

To cut thicker materials you need z-axis or automated adjustable focus to move the laser focus down through the materials. You are correct in that 435nm does nothing on clear or white. And in fact most metals act like mirrors for infrared (heat). This is why laser cutting metals is so difficult. Great video and comprehensive!

[@mpetersen6]

I've been doing test cuts on different materials. Chipboard, Modeling Plywood, Basswood (from Linden trees). In different thickness. The plywood is the toughest. I think it has something to do with the glue between the layers. Basswood. Blows through Basswood like a its air. Chip board cuts really clean but the engraving is very fragile. I really need to build a fence system and clamps so I can take parts off the machine and register them for secondary operations. I'm more interested in structure building in HO scale. The engraver will be used to engrave brick patterns for walls with the brick patterns interlocking like finger joints. Just draw up all CAD drawing with the same start point.

[@jigsey.]

Great review.. To bring your cutting speed and passes use air assist to blow away the smoke

[@pauldecastro1523]

Hello is it possible to make a solder Stencil with the laser cutter? will it possible to engrave to a vinyl or something thin sheet material like, for a footprint of a smd device example atmega16u2 qfn footprints?

[@coolerkater1991]

How about cutting felt and satin?

[@kataseiko]

Just in case you're new with lasers.. Don't cut MDF without proper ventilation or a fume exhaust! The fumes are toxic.

[@steffennilsen2132]

Thanks for the acrylic test, was considering a 20W diode laser, but I need to be able to cut white and transparent acrylic. Seems like you need to step up to a CO2 laser for it

[@alerey4363]

7:42 you can clearly see the problem is not the laser power rating but the focal "depth of field"; on an engraving laser the depth of field is a fractin of a mm because it only needs to burn just the surface of the material (of course burning 0.1mm of wood would talke a lot less power than carving 0.1mm of metal); for a cutting laser what you need is a depth of field slightly greater than the thickness of the material you wish to cut; for foam you can get away with a 5W laser as long as the focal depth of field is (in your case) 5 mm or more, which clearly the laser you showed hasn't.

[@TheRoboticXstreamer]

This is truly one of the best youtube channels ever . This guy even inspired me to make my own tech channel . Hope you reach 1M subs ❤❤❤

[@SheilaMarciaJ]

Can this engrave bone materials? Or do i need co2 40W laser?

[@mrafghanzboii2197]

You are amazing my bro. Earned a subscriber.

[@jamesvs400]

thanks for the video! I've seen a lot of these types of machines advertised on my Facebook feed. I've got a 130W CO2 laser and i typically cut 3mm acrylic and 30mm/s and 3mm MDF at 45mm/s. typically engraving speeds of 400mm/s. I'd have to agree with the glasses although because you are dealing with visible light, if you can see any blue light at all then id say that they are no good but better than nothing. one thing that bothers me with these cheap machines is that there is no air assist. if you had a nozzle that added pressured air to the cut location then the cutting speed would be greatly increased. it's just something all these machines don't have as an option. that and fume extraction :P a good little machine for experimentation and prototyping. I've ordered a "40W" laser which i will just mount to my CO2 laser head ( my controller has dual laser head control as an option) so I'll run some experiments soon :)

[@ZoeyR86]

make a right angle tube that focuses a jet of air with the laser it will help a LOT.. i use a big 60w aquarium air pump with a 3/8" silicone air line... and a 3d printed cone with a 2mm opening it press fits over the focus ring and the air help clears the cut like this a 10w can cut 12mm balsa in 15 passes at 5mm/s

[@TuttleScott]

if you put the laser on a 3d printer head you could adjust the z axis as you do repetitions to keep the laser in focus. in theory. divide the thickness of the material by the number of reps for each pass.

[@SurajGrewal]

Try not to cut plastics with chlorine, while being in the same room as it. Examples of such plastics include some leathers, PVC etc

[@TheRainHarvester]

It will rust all metal parts very quikly on your machine, I've heard.

[@Grizzydan]

Chlorine gas is deadly, just one puff will damage your lungs and may even kill you. This is the stuff they used in world war 1.

[@severinfriedl]

I'm almost sure your modul is defect or not correctly adjusted. I got better results with my 2.5w Laser. But you have to adjust the output power first

[@ljprep6250]

Yes, the stated output (15/10/7/5.5W) all turn out to be far different and lower figures (5, 3.5, 2.5, 1.6W) once they finally give you an honest "luminous output" figure. Those cheats! All your tests were wonderful to see. You've convinced me that these blue/violet lasers just won't do. I'll spend the same amount of money ~$335USD and get a K40 (Chi) CO2 laser instead. And maybe pick up a small 2W laser unit (

[@egeli2294]

Totem S 40W / NEJE Master 2S Max / Atomstack A5 Pro / Ortur Laser Master 2 pro I found the four. would like to know which one of the favorites is and which one is best for small knives, normal kitchen knives, silver key rings, zippo, silver engraved bracelet for children. thank you in advance for the help and information I will get. nice day

[@ChilledSon]

You have built a great channel, keep it up! You deserve more subs. Greetings from Canada

[@AtomsLab]

The eBay glasses are definitely not safe to use. They might not melt completely through but they only block about 99% of the light which isn't nearly good enough, you can still get injured from a reflection or direct exposure. I would recommend glasses with at least OD5 to be safe.

[@texascharlie4554]

Take no chances with your precious eyes. Go to LASERSAFETY.COM and read what you really need.

[@erich9791]

Hey guy, please, don't stop your video Eric from Reunion Island. Thanks for all.

[@TheDradge]

I wonder how the Norton method works to engrave white tiles. In that method you spray the tile with white paint first and that seems to work great. But in this video you had no cutting through white acrylic. Weird!

[@UsmanGhani-df5cg]

Best ever video

[@jesusreignonhigh6732]

Off topic question: Do you have a future DIY project on your list concerning a reflow oven for SMT board assembly?

[@phantomcruizer]

Well I guess I can’t build a portable death ray with this thing. Good video. Thanks.

[@SolarWebsite]

Well if you can get really close, and if you can immobilise your victims for a sufficient amount of time, I'm sure you'd be able to kill someone with this. ;-)

[@kawarthaleather6659]

Maybe you can help. I just got a Lasermaster 2 20 W. It worked great and was just getting productive, then ran into a snag. When I turn the machine on and try to link it to Lightburn, the program can't connect. The lights are on in the laser and it homes itself but will not connect. I'm still waiting to hear from Gearbest. Any ideas?? Steve

[@iamkian]

I have a EleksLaser- A3 Pro 2500mW Laser with a Z Axis mod. The Z Axis mod will lower the laser every loop causing the focus to stay on the material needed to be cut. This mod works great!

[@justintan7817]

Ortur Laser Master has more safety protection function, also the power ( Electrical Power: 15W, Luminous Power: 4000-4500 mw) of this one is higher, maybe you coud consider to try this one.

[@iamkian]

@@justintan7817 I for sure would like to try / test / review it. Will you send me one? :-)

[@fibranijevidra]

Nice review Deki. Thanks.

[@zachwrtw1701]

Great video!! I’m sold!

[@SurajGrewal]

For cutting thicker material, edit software to place stoppages, where your refocus on each pass

[@DarrenMalin]

My K40 cuts 4mm MDF like butter , love the thing :)

[@dodienko]

It will engrave steel but you need a Laser marking spray (Cermark) which is actually laser bonding type spray, so tiny particles from the paint are laser bonded to the metal and it's permanent.

[@raghavadevarakonda7592]

Respect from a fan and also a student from India💥🔥

[@BizlaC]

With a cone shaped focus point, rather than setting the focus point on the top surface, try setting it roughly halfway through the balsa, it won't be as clean of a cut, but it should make it to both sides.

[@imchris1978]

You could try air-assist it helps these lower-powered lasers a lot just a very narrow jet at the focal point

[@antonw.415]

That's right, my laser-engraver cuts Balsa with a thickness of up to 6mm with air-assist, and it has about 2.5 Watts ^^

[@DanjotheBanjo]

Where can you buy this laser? I ordered from GearBest and now it appears to be a scam site. I googled GearBest and seems like everyone was ripped off

[@alicefolegatti8976]

Hello.. if I buy this laser Can I engrave and cut acrylic And plexiglass to 2mm??? AND with 20w laser? Thanks a lot is very big important For me know this

[@张云瑞-k3m]

Hello, Acrylic And plexiglass can both be cut.But I think you need at least a 40W machine to cut 2MM.If you don't mind, can we change to whatsapp? [phone].I'll send you the power meter to look online

[@Viennatom.]

Great video and great test!!! THX a lot

[@mikemcguckian6968]

Would you try to cut through a piece of 11mm or 12 mm plywood please with the ortur machine and show the results? Also is there a more powerful ortur machine than the one you have used and if so, would you do the experiments on it please. Thank you for a very interesting video.

[@swiftrick15]

That's why I use a laser mounted onto an Ender 3. There is a hot swappable Thingiverse print that works well. This way you can lower the Z height after every pass to keep the laser point focussed on the layer you want. Gets through much quicker. I guess the printer you are using only does Z and Y.

[@VinylBlair]

Hi, I'm thinking of trying this with my Ender3, what laser are you using and what power output?, Cheers Sean.

[@swiftrick15]

@@VinylBlair Just a cheap chinese Laser. Cost about $80 with fan, module and glasses. On ebay..search for " 445nm 2.5w blue laser engraver"

[@Sulzart]

Thanks for this video, could you also burn epoxy with this laser ? I want to open ICs with a laser.

[@nabilandadamslaboratory3422]

Making a foam plane sounds really cool! Looking forwards to that!

[@therealfox]

Does this ever happen?

[@washimbari0001]

Love your video

[@freddybaltazar2347]

Would it be possible to cut 0.1 mm copper foil? Or what type of laser cutter would I need?

[@Joshua-ju5uc]

For the clear Acrylic, would it be possible to engrave or cut it if the top surface was first covered with washable marker, easy remove tap or even paint?

[@russellthorburn9297]

Laser cutting and engraving is quite complex. I too found balsa to be strangely resistant to the laser. In contrast,, amazingly , I was able to engrave several different types of rock(even polished rock) and I was also easily able to cut through 5 mm mdf at high speeds.

+Electronoobs For laser engraving steel, you have to know the type because the methods are VERY different between low, high carbon and stainless. I put permanent marks on my tools with a "10Watt" laser like the one you used in this video. There are also spray and brush on ceramic compounds that the laser "cures" to create great, crisp marks.

[@mambaman2007]

A very good review indeed . Thanks a lot

[@MarkMichalowski]

Would painting the thicker MDF and thicker materials with black paint increase the cutting depth at all, d'you think?

[@justintan7817]

Yes, the darker, the better, to advoid the reflection of laser

[@texascharlie4554]

No ! this type of laser would take many passes for thicker materials. Define "thicker ".

[@MarkMichalowski]

@@texascharlie4554 OK, cheers. The absolute "thickness" isn't important, though - I didn't ask if painting thicker things black would allow them to be cut all the way through; I asked if it would increase the cutting depth, which is a relative thing. If black paint/black surface treatment increase laser absorbtion, then the extra light absorbed (and extra heat generated) would surely increase the depth OR the width of the cut - or both. Or maybe just cause it to burn unpleasantly, perhaps! "Thicker" just means "thicker than the successfully-cut materials".

[@vivienstaehle-bouliane7735]

thanks for all this test. For metal; issue is not power but wavelength; we need IR laser with high power but it is not available at low price yet

[@william251087]

Buenos días! Acabo de adquirir un Ortur Laser Master 2 de 20W, estaba realizando algunas pruebas para llegarle al punto que me gustara, con la escala de grises no lo lograba entonces actualicé el firmware pero tengo problemas ahora se ha descontrolado los movimientos X y Y. Cualquier movimiento me indica "límite de movimiento excedido" Que puedo hacer?? Hay alguna forma de restaurarlo a fabrica. Ayuda por favor

[@OregonDARRYL]

Have you tried painting the steel black so the laser doesn't bounce off? It might engrave if you do that....

[@caleb-hill]

6:56-7:46 Flite Test wants to know your location.

[@SolarWebsite]

Flite Test has at least one large CO2 laser cutter, maybe more. For the amount of cutting they do, the speed increase as well as the ability to cut thicker materials is worth the (enormous) price difference. This should be good enough for people like me who only need to cut or engrave occasionally. So I've ordered a similar machine. Should be fun.

[@FCMontibello]

Good afternoon ... I hope you can help me ... I am looking to buy a laser for cutting cardboard, maximum 5mm ... This video you show is of a 15w laser ... I have seen one of 20w. .. The question is, if you can help me, what are the technical details that I should consider to buy one ... besides being 15w, 20w or more ... On eBay there are a number of offers but, I can't technically establish what is the best option. Thank you very much if you can help me ... Best Regards

[@saliksheraz6236]

Nice and helpful video

[@DIYAtoZ]

Is it works fine with round material like bamboo engraving.

[@grahambate3384]

RC planes sound good. My son makes foam planes. Can U make area for cutting better and 2nd can U cut 45% angles? Cheers

[@sasodoma]

Do you think that with metal there would be a problem with the beam reflecting back into the laser and damaging it?

[@Arckivio]

If this was fixed to a CNC router head that has Z up & down movement, I wonder if you could do separate passes with the Z moving down to refocus the beam with each pass?

[@flickeringthought6349]

What is the right watt laser cutter that can cut paper without leaving a burn mark?

[@markdaniel8740]

Besides blowing away the smoke, is there any advantage to lowering the laser between passes to make the focal point deeper?

[@cnc_mill]

Thank you for explain and show details

[@simcard578]

Did you try to engrave rubber sheet pad for sealer stamp?

[@KarotaKid]

Is there any laser cut specific to cut paper and light fabric? Cause I make clothes for action figures and I need one. I was wondering if this is fine for this purpose

[@neurofiber2406]

Great video. The glue layer is the problem for plywood.

[@ryujiyamazaki583]

Hi, you didn't mentioned which glasses to buy as that is what U said, please provide some links

[@Baggyarsediver]

Please do tests using styrene sheet, Scale modellers use styrene alot it is a huge category of hobbyists. We are always looking for afordable alternatives to straight edge and hobby knife. I suspect it will cut styrene fine as it cut acylic and styrene is a far softer material than acrylic. I would be interetesting to see speeds Vs thickness Vs black styrene Vs White. Interesting video, laser cutting it just another awsome tool to complement 3D printing, Resin casting, and CNC machining. This machine has a lot of potential for proving proof of concept for different scale model kit production methods.

[@DanielH]

Really good and informative video. Thanks

[@jacquesb5248]

with the 4mm would do one pass with focal point set to surface, then set focal point 2mm lower, wouldnt that help?

[@dragandzajic]

Is it possible to cut paper (even photocopy paper) with no burn marks?

[@fate2022]

for ëngraving"on metal, you need to put a coating over the metal 1st, I have even seen someone use yellow mustard,and they were able to make a text engraving on metal very easily.

[@maqabyah2]

Could this engrave on 3d prints like Hatchbox wood PLA, PETG, PLA etc without warping ?

[@anukeshambatkar6255]

sir what is difference between blue laser and green laser is it have more power to cut or better efficiency er

[@johnni5254]

Nice video. Regarding the speed, maybe you mean: 25mm per SECOND? 25mm per minute would be awfully slow, and definitely, we wouldn't even be able to see any movement at all.

[@doomo]

Possibly obvious question but is the laser unit included or is it an extra purchase?

[@joelmartinez2896]

Hey buddy I know I'm late to the party but I'm new to woodworking and wanted an engraver..im planning on engraving on cutting boards and stove covers, you think this will be good enough for something as big as those?

[@choc0lateh]

Hi could u please advise if this laser could engrave deboss on silicone rubber? Thanks in advance.

[@orhankazar8157]

Hello my friend .. Can we replace the lazer hed with another more powerful one (40_50 _60 _ets..watts).with the same set and the same program. and what changes be made . thanks ..

[@texascharlie4554]

the only higher power lasers are CO2 based, certainly will not fit on the mechanism he is using.

[@sitgesvillaapartmentneilsc7924]

its the tube and psu not the head!

[@bogdahn689]

We have a 100W CO2 cutter, and it cuts and engrave acrylic with no problem. Also we need air pulsing to avoid fire... And this help to keep the material cooler when the laser is not on it. Since a make a CNC by myself, i would like to add it a laser module, and i was wondering about this laser daiode...Y save me 150 bucks, thx !

[@rajeshnarayanaswamy5773]

What is the laser cutting machine in market I should buy to cut 4 mm thick balsa and 2 mm thick ply and also cut 2 mm fiber class.Kindly advise

[@lucacarofano7324]

hi do you recommend it as use on wood? thanks

[@LuyolaAdams]

Love your new intro