PDA

View Full Version : A beginner from denmark!



Soren Danielsen
07-02-2011, 5:51 PM
Hello there!

Alright, to start off with I'll give you a little background info and then ask my questions.

Im a graphic design student from Denmark wanting to play around with a laser, so I can make things such as accessories (eg. necklaces) and art projects.

Previously I have used 3d printers to make necklaces (like this one (http://i.imgur.com/F5kde.jpg)), but I really want to make things out of wood (this video is exactly what i want (http://www.youtube.com/user/goodwoodchannel#p/a/u/2/CFnQqGRli_Q)), and I have a few ideas when it comes to the engraving features of laser cutters.

So first of all I need to know how to get started -

Since I live in denmark I'm guessing none of you would know where to find laser cutters here, and I have tried searching for schools offering night classes, but haven't been successful thus far.
So what would you do in my situation?

buying a 'hobby' sized laser cutter might be an option, but when I search ebay at ~$1000 models, they look very tiny and DIY-like. Anyone have good or bad experiences with these?

one of the things i want to make is something similar to this (http://i.imgur.com/YnZIT.jpg) - anyone know how much that would cost in a shop?

the last things i want to know:
is laser cutting software mac compatible?
are there alternatives to coreldraw?
how easy is it to convert things made in illustrator/photoshop to a printable coreldraw file?

thanks in advantage, and sorry for the newbie questions and wall of text.
if anyone have other good starter tips or tricks ill be happy to hear them!

kind regards
Søren from Denmark

Larry Bratton
07-02-2011, 6:48 PM
Soren:
First of all, welcome to our forum. Lots of information here.
Before I go into detail on your question, I need to know what is your budget is for purchasing a laser?
If your speaking of just material for that piece..that is MDF and without being real specific about size and all, it would be very inexpensive. A couple of dollars.
Yes, lasers can be run from a Mac. We have members here that do it, but it's going to depend on the drivers for the actual machine you get.
You can print to a laser from Illustrator and Photoshop. A laser works off a printer driver.
If you get a machine, read this whole forum from back to front and you will learn what you need to know.
Good luck!

Edit: I might add that the MDF that was cut is probably 1/2" -12mm and it will take some power to do it. I have a 40 watt machine and no way could I get through that with one pass. More power means bigger money for the machine. I would guess at least 100 watts would be required to do that.

Dee Gallo
07-02-2011, 6:59 PM
Welcome to the Creek, Soren! I'm not your tech advisor type, but I can say that for making small pieces like the video shows you don't need a gigantic high powered laser. The power of the laser is more what you want to consider, not the bed size. We have some people in Europe on the forum who might be able to steer you in a good direction. You might consider a used laser to start out with to save money.

If you have experience with computer graphics (such as PhotoShop and Illustrator) you are miles ahead of most people just starting out. I do a lot of my work on a Mac, using Bootcamp for CorelDraw and have never had a problem sending files to the laser. It will depend on which driver your laser uses, but I find CorelDraw to be very simple to use and since it is compatible with my Epilog it was the best choice.

Your "safe" example would be very simple to make for a dollar's worth of scraps. It looks like it just uses paper and veneer in layers... it would take more time to glue it all together than to cut out.

As for taking classes, you would do better to read all the threads on this forum starting from the beginning. The time invested would teach you more than any one class you could take. The thing about lasers is that each one is its own boss and you need to find out how yours will act with all substrates so even the settings given here or in manuals are only starting points. Once you get into it, things start to make sense more and more.

"Playing around with a laser" is an expensive thing, you might want to look around for someone who has one and might be willing to take you as an unpaid apprentice to get some lessons and experience before you take the plunge. There are a thousand things to learn and a hundred directions you can go in.

Good luck, dee

Larry Bratton
07-02-2011, 7:45 PM
Dee,
I agree that a small bed machine would work just fine. However, that is at least 1/2" MDF and it would take some pretty good power to cut that. They are using MDF because it is dense enough to allow drilling for the chain and hold up with wearing it.
Not sure I understand what you mean by "Your "safe" example would be very simple to make for a dollar's worth of scraps. It looks like it just uses paper and veneer in layers... it would take more time to glue it all together than to cut out." Do you mean as an alternate to thick mdf ?

Emma austin
07-02-2011, 8:48 PM
Can't add anything technical really but just letting you know I cut 9mm MDF very nicely with my 50watt universal.
That is in one pass. Pretty low speed though. I cut 4.75mm very regularly at a decent speed

Dee Gallo
07-02-2011, 11:22 PM
Dee,

Not sure I understand what you mean by "Your "safe" example would be very simple to make for a dollar's worth of scraps. It looks like it just uses paper and veneer in layers... it would take more time to glue it all together than to cut out." Do you mean as an alternate to thick mdf ?

Soren included a link to a picture of another project. If you click on it, you will see a layered ornament or sign or something. That's what I referred to, as it is the word "SAFE!" and is totally different from his MDF necklace.

Rodne Gold
07-03-2011, 1:57 AM
Hiya , welcome
You will neead about $5000 for a decent laser to do what you want , the $1000 ones are utter junk. Read this thread http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?166611-Chinese-lasers-they-re-here-!!!
AI files are fine and any software that can export or import various file formats can be used for design , normally the lasers have drivers that are designed to work with a particular software package like corel etc, but most design software can accept imported graphics from another.
The only way to learn what a laser does and what you can do and how to work them is to experiment and read these forums.

Larry Bratton
07-03-2011, 11:13 AM
Soren included a link to a picture of another project. If you click on it, you will see a layered ornament or sign or something. That's what I referred to, as it is the word "SAFE!" and is totally different from his MDF necklace.

OK..thanks for the clarification.I missed that link until you mentioned it..I see now it says "SAFE"