Ok, I've been lurking and reading for a while, but this is my first post. I'm the IT director for a school district, and am in the market for a laser machine. The primary use (purchase justification) for it will be putting asset/property markings permanently on to smaller pieces of equipment such as laptops. We've got a couple hundred anodized aluminum MacBook Airs running around with no good way to mark them, and will be adding more (potentially a lot more) in the next few months. I've already got an approved budget of $5500, though I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to make a convincing enough case to try and get that bumped up some to get what we need. When I say bumped up some, I don't mean nearly enough to afford a US made machine. North of $10,000 for this purchase isn’t going to happen. On the other hand, direct import from China just won't work with our procurement system. So I'm firmly in the realm of US-ified Chinese machines.
A couple of other schools in the region have Full Spectrum machines, so that was where I started looking, but have pretty much ruled them out. Too many non-positive comments and, well, they just don’t seem to give much bang for the bucks. I’m basically down to bouncing in between a Boss Laser LS-1630 and a couple of models from Rabbit USA (RL-60-9060 or QX-40-7040 upgraded with 60w tube). I've also looked at Automation Technologies, but the biggest thing they show in a 60 watt is a 24"x16". In addition to MacBooks, we've also got iMacs that could use marking, and they're about 25.5" wide, so that 24" doesn't work so well. I don't need to be able to mark the whole back of them, but do need to be able to get them in the machine. I've also looked at MornTech USA. Their MT-L570 is a 60 watt laser which specs a 28”x20” work area (not engraving area, but work area) so it might work, and is a lot closer to fitting my approved budget, but I can’t seem to find much on the company, and their website descriptions are a bit shaky (really no more so than Auto Tech), so I’m leery of that.
The smaller 400mm-ish machines from Rabbit or Boss would fit the 27” iMac with the "foot" stand hanging out the front passthough. Then there's the RL-60-9060, which, at almost 24" x 36" engrave area is big enough to fit a 27" iMac completely inside with room to spare. Likely also fit whatever size comes next, which would be great. It would also nicely handle four MacBook Airs (9"x13" apprrox) at the same time (in a jig of some sort) for efficiency. Oh, and it's about the same price as the Boss LS-1630. Funny, as I'm typing that out, it's really seeming more and more like a foregone conclusion which way I should go.
But, I'm totally new to the laser world, and I’m spending other people's money, so really can't afford to make snap decisions. Looking at specs on a page, the Boss LS-1630 and the 60 watt Rabbit QX-40-7040 seem to be fairly similar machines. Wattage, engraving area, Z-Height, max resolution are all similar. The biggest difference I can see is the Rabbit uses LaserCut and a Leetro controller while the Boss uses LaserWorks and, I think, a Ruida controller. Ultimately, does that make me much difference? Like I say, primary purpose will be marking equipment, so fine detail stuff (smaller lettering, barcodes, and perhaps a logo) will be what I’m looking for there. But I also figure to do some signage projects out of Rowmark or something similar, and there’s no telling what other sorts of projects will come up as time goes by. As far as non-laser software goes, I’ve had a fair amount of experience creating vector art, but in Adobe Illustrator rather than CorelDraw. Most drawing programs are somewhat similar so I don’t figure Draw will be too hard to catch on to, but if I can come out of Illustrator which I already know, more’s the better. Laser software is a new thing though. Is LaserWorks really more up to date and/or easier to work with, or are they more similar than I may be thinking?
As far as machine wattage, does a 60 watt sound like what I’m looking for. I’m sure I’ll want to do some cutting of acrylic and thinner wood, but marking/engraving is my primary use, and I understand that higher wattage tubes can be problematic for that. What about lenses? A 50.8mm (2”) seems to be standard most everywhere, but should I look seriously at a 38.1mm (1.5”) for finer detail? I’m thinking I won’t ever need to go with anything longer than 2” focal length. But I could certainly be wrong.
Last question I’ve got for now would be chillers. The Boss comes with a basic water pump with the CW3000 and CW5000 available as extra cost upgrades. The Rabbit units by default come with the CW3000, but I’m guessing if I asked, could probably upgrade to the CW5000 for a bit of extra cash. The room I’m looking at setting the machine up in is air conditioned, but it is also a smaller space, so I’m thinking a freon chiller would be a better call than the simple ambient temp unit. Or is that not that big an issue for a 60 watt? I mean, having to take a little downtime between batches for the works to cool won’t be the end of the world. I’m not trying to make money with this or anything. But at the same time, efficient use of time is always good.
So, am I anywhere near the right track on my thinking? Any advice offered will be much appreciated. Like I say, this is new territory for me, so I’m just doing my best to make an informed decision. Thanks.