Does anyone here have a Bodor laser cutter?

[Adrian Page]

I'm still looking for a laser cutter for my R/C airplane kits. I will have to make a decision in about 2 weeks. It's a bit overwhelming. I will have a budget of about $5000 so I will have to import one myself from China. After 3 weeks of "research" I realized that choosing a Chinese laser boils down to choosing your favourite box design as all the inner components seem to come from the same places. (I still haven't figured out who makes all the boxes) I'm developing my list of required "innards" and now I'm just shopping for a company that looks like they will actually ship what's in the pictures to me for a fair price.

I'm liking the looks and specs of this Bodor machine.
288471

The specs are:
1300 x 900
RECI Z2 100 watt tube
Hiwin rails
JMC 3 phase stepper motors
Ruida RD6332G controller
CW5000 chiller
powered table

Just a hair under 4 grand FOB

I really like the transparent cover although I understand some don't like the idea of a flammable top cover. What do you guys think of this unit and spec list?

Adrian

[Kev Williams]

Looks like a nice machine-- I like the specs for the rails, controller, etc.. what would also be nice is to find some comparison data vs other types, since I have no idea if a Hiwin rail is an "entry level" or a "state-of-the-art" rail, etc....

One thing I know for sure, the one in the pic is much smaller than a 1300x900 machine, I'd love to see one 'actual size'...

[Adrian Page]

Good eye Kev. That was the only one I could find with the door shut. This one is probably closer. Just ignore the double heads.
288481

Adrian

[Adrian Page]

Looks like a nice machine-- I like the specs for the rails, controller, etc.. what would also be nice is to find some comparison data vs other types, since I have no idea if a Hiwin rail is an "entry level" or a "state-of-the-art" rail, etc....

One thing I know for sure, the one in the pic is much smaller than a 1300x900 machine, I'd love to see one 'actual size'...
That's one of the reasons I posted the part supplier names. I'm hoping someone will offer words of wisdom about the various part suppliers. The Chinese companies seem eager to install whatever you want.

Adrian

[Scott Shepherd]

Adrian makes the coolest RC planes. If you haven't seen them, check out here :

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/827919495/adrians-model-airplane-kit-cutting-project/?ref=kicktraq

[David Somers]

Wow! Adrian! Nice stuff! Checking that out was a cool lunch diversion!!!

Dave

[Adrian Page]

Adrian makes the coolest RC planes. If you haven't seen them, check out here :

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/827919495/adrians-model-airplane-kit-cutting-project/?ref=kicktraq

So what do you think of the bits and pieces on the Bodor Steve? Any you would avoid or add to?

Adrian

[Dave Sheldrake]

100 watt will make any engraving an issue and go for a CW5200 chiller as it has no known faults. HiWin rails are ok but if possible go for PMI

cheers

Dave

[Adrian Page]

100 watt will make any engraving an issue and go for a CW5200 chiller as it has no known faults. HiWin rails are ok but if possible go for PMI

cheers

Dave

Thanks Dave. Turns out the tube is a 90 watt. RECI doesn't seem to acknowledge any of the W series tubes on it's website. I just really need the thing to cut balsa and ply really well. If it can engrave that's a bonus. Apparently I can add a 2nd tube for engraving later on? One of the suppliers suggested a cheap 60 watt would be better for engraving.

Adrian

[Dave Sheldrake]

If Bodor will do it go for an EFR tube like the ZX1250, great spot stability and long life compared to RECI. (peaks at 90 watts, agreed power 80 watts)

I like the *look* of the Bodor but haven't heard much about them in the trade so can't say if the company is any good. The supplier is right, a 60 watt tube is about the best engraving size.

An EFR or RECI will shred ply and balsa very easily, plan on a decent compressor though, air is the god of laser cutting low density woods :)

cheers

Dave

[Adrian Page]

Thanks again Dave. I\How does the EFR tube compare to the RECI Z2. (Most suppliers seem to want to use the W2) Apparently the Z tube is more stable, smaller spot, etc. than the W one. Also can you tell me anything about why the PMI would be preferable to the Hiwin? Any thoughts on Leetro vs Ruiada and the best choice for steppers?

After looking over all the homebuilt lasers I really believe the box is of very little consequence. I think you could pile the components together on a sturdy table and have a perfectly fine working laser cutter.

Adrian

[Bert Kemp]

Learning to fly RC plane is on my bucket list, I just hate the thought of buying a plane and then wrecking it on my first try. I'm looking around to see if anyone might teach my how to fly one.

[Jerome Stanek]

Learning to fly RC plane is on my bucket list, I just hate the thought of buying a plane and then wrecking it on my first try. I'm looking around to see if anyone might teach my how to fly one.

I learned to fly starting out with a cheap foam plane then moving up

[Bob A Miller]

Adrian

Nice models... Just wondering if the GBee is as hard to fly as a model as it was/is in real life..

[Sotos Patistas]

Learning to fly RC plane is on my bucket list, I just hate the thought of buying a plane and then wrecking it on my first try. I'm looking around to see if anyone might teach my how to fly one.

Find all the clubs withing a 30-40 mile radius and go talk to them. Most have designated instructors who will also help you with plane setup and such, but you'll likely hit it off more with some than others. You will need to join AMA as well as the club however, but it will be worth it in what you save in airplane repairs.

Sorry for the thread hi-jack Adrian.

HTH

[Bert Kemp]

Thanks I'm going to start looking for clubs close to home

[Adrian Page]

Adrian

Nice models... Just wondering if the GBee is as hard to fly as a model as it was/is in real life..

Bob,

Gee Bee's fly great! They are very neutral do exactly what you tell them too. They are very stable and also very capable of aerobatics. The trick is landing them. They have very long landing gear and they tend to tip over on landing. The long landing gear was required because the little planes had huge propellers for their size. A good strong breeze helps with the landing as the planes are very low drag and it takes some room to slow them down for landing.

Adrian