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View Full Version : Here's some stuff off my new YAG laser



Bruce Boone
06-01-2011, 9:25 PM
I can't get over the resolution of the YAG laser. It does crazy thin lines in titanium. I've experimented and been able to cut right through a normal 2mm thick ring, but it takes a while. Here's some pictures of rings I've done.

Bren Kano
06-01-2011, 9:32 PM
Looks great. Like the map of the world a lot.

Chuck Thomas
06-02-2011, 1:07 AM
Those look great. I'm still in process of getting a 50W fiber. I have a few more things I'm waiting for, not the least of which is the guts to take the leap. I've seen a lot of simple samples but seeing your work gets me even more excited.

Jiten Patel
06-02-2011, 4:17 AM
Bruce, those are incredible. Very very impressed.

If you don't mind, how much was the set up to get an operation like that running? Laser, materials etc?

Frank Corker
06-02-2011, 5:09 AM
The samples you have posted are very impressive. I love watching the Yag lasers do their stuff on YouTube and have to admit from my lottery win, after my new waterjet this is likely to be the next purchase. I just have to get six numbers on a certain day and this stuff is mine all mine!!!

Dan Hintz
06-02-2011, 6:45 AM
Frank,

If you come to The States, you just have to wait for Ed McMahon to drop off your Million $ check... he has plenty.

Mike Null
06-02-2011, 7:49 AM
Bruce

More remarkable stuff. I wish I could do it.

Bruce Boone
06-02-2011, 8:55 AM
Thanks guys. It's a lot of fun to dial designs in. For once, the designs aren't limited by the process as was the case with milling out designs or using Cermark, which had a resolution of around .008" or so. Resolution here is about 10 times finer. Jit, buckle your seat belt. Cost was around $115,000. The laser is more powerful than most due to higher wattage and tight focus lens. It has a very extreme power density. I was the first in the US to get this model. The tradeoff is that it can't do large areas of stuff with that lens. My flat area is only 2.5" square. It's a very specialized machine tuned to exactly the stuff I have to do. Materials are minimal, although it does take deionized water, which now is considered a chemical, and can't be delivered to a house! The machine itself was turn key with no consumables. It vaporizes metal rather than melting it like a high power CO2. There is a slight amount of slag thrown up when doing a high power pass, but it is easily sanded away. Like any new machine, it has quite a steep learning curve to get it to do what you want.

Dan Hintz
06-02-2011, 10:24 AM
it does take deionized water, which now is considered a chemical, and can't be delivered to a house!
Something is wrong with this, Bruce... who considers deionized water a chemical? It's about as inert as one can get, other than having the ability to pull ion from surrounding materials, like copper/aluminum piping, etc. You can get electrolysis and filter systems for several hundred dollars that would allow you to create as much as you need on demand... lab grade filter systems aren't much more expensive if you shop around. I assume this is a YAG that needs cooling water for the lamp and not a fiber system? If you have to buy in any quantity, I would look into the filter setup and say good bye to those odd hazardous chemical shipping fees and such.

Bruce Boone
06-02-2011, 10:33 AM
It's surprisingly hard to find deionized water, even on the web. I found a chemical company that had it but they wouldn't ship to me. I don't know what else it's used for, but they consider it a chemical. I had to go to Grainger to pick it up! The laser is LED fired, but still uses DI water. It only needs a few gallons, to be replaced twice a year or so, so it's probably not worth buying an expensive filtration system.

Joe De Medeiros
06-02-2011, 11:32 AM
Wow, those rings are amazing Bruce.

Dan Hintz
06-02-2011, 11:51 AM
Bruce,

It depends upon what you need... if it's simply DI water, a small reverse osmosis machine (<$100) will do you fine. They even sell filters with a DI resin (you have to clean the resin with a recharge solution from time to time) for about the same amount. Without speaking to your manufacturer, my guess is they simply don't want you putting tap water down there with Chlorine, Fluorides, metals, etc. gumming up the works. You could distill your own water (boil and collect the steam), and it would be more pure than the DI water, but it would be a pain to set up (but dirt cheap).

Dan Ashlin
06-02-2011, 12:06 PM
Frank,

If you come to The States, you just have to wait for Ed McMahon to drop off your Million $ check... he has plenty.
That would be a double win for me. Not only would i get a million bucks, but I could then enact my Zombie survival plan!

David Fairfield
06-02-2011, 12:30 PM
Awesome!! Did you get the German machine discussed in an earlier thread?

@ Frank, when Ed sends me my check, I'm getting a high res 3d printer.

But in all seriousness, one great thing about being in the making-stuff business is you can buy a hugely cool and expensive gadget, and make it pay for itself.

Dave

Bruce Boone
06-02-2011, 1:10 PM
The machine was made in Italy. The make the machine pay for itself theory is the one I'm going with. :o) I had a SolidScape 3D printer. It did some awesome stuff. The only drawback was that it used molten wax, and you had to use the machine a lot in order to not overcook the wax, which would then create very fragile parts. It would also take a long time to set up and run. I found that I was doing a lot more work for a local jeweler than my own stuff, and it was taking hours and hours of my time, so I decided to lease the machine to him and just have them run my parts any time I had one. It was a win-win; I got to write off the machine, not have wasted hours and maintenance issues, and get free parts as well. They use it all the time and the son of the owner does the CAD work. He just one a design award with it.

Bill Overturf
06-02-2011, 2:06 PM
For DI water check your local pet store. If they sell saltwater fish and corals they will sell DI water its what all us reefers use. I pay 50 cents a gallon for it here in Missouri

Bruce Boone
06-02-2011, 6:43 PM
Wow. Great tip Bill. I'll check into that.

Here's a ring from today.

Bruce Boone
06-03-2011, 9:47 PM
Something a little fishy.

Keith Outten
06-04-2011, 7:30 AM
Bruce,

I can get DI water from our Science Building at CNU, you may have a local College or University near you that could be a source for free DI water as Professors would be willing to trade with you for your services.
Another source for DI water is golf cart sales or service companies, you may be able to purchase from them at an affordable price, they always have plenty on hand for batteries.
.

paul mott
06-04-2011, 9:02 AM
Bruce,

Beautiful work. Are these pictures of the actual rings or computer generated images ?

Paul.

Chuck Stone
06-04-2011, 11:29 AM
Bruce,

It depends upon what you need... if it's simply DI water, a small reverse osmosis machine (<$100) will do you fine.

Check around at some photo labs. Most of them probably have spare reverse osmosis units that came
with their machines (they only need one) and would probably love to have you take it off their hands.
The resin/beads might cost a bit ($50-60 if I remember) but that should last you forever if you don't
leave the water in the unit. MAke what you need, pull the filter cartridge and put it back on the shelf
till you need it again. Takes two minutes

Greg Bednar
06-04-2011, 2:18 PM
All I can say is you do SWEET work. Those rings are fantastic!

Bruce Boone
06-04-2011, 6:45 PM
Thanks guys. They are actual pictures that I took. I'm working on one with kittens, maybe one with parts of different denominations of money, one with micro text, etc. It's fun to play with.