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Ron Kerpsack
01-18-2007, 1:17 PM
Hi all
I am looking at buying a laser engraver for my shop for personal use and to start up a engraving business. Parttime at first the maybe full time later on. I would welcome input from you all as which one to buy and which ones to stay away from. I am a field service engineer for an optics company so I know a little about lasers. Any and all input is welcome. I also do woodturning , pens etc so a rotary feature would be a requirement.
Have a good one
Ron K:)

Bob Yeager
01-18-2007, 3:20 PM
This question has been asked several times...(I posted a similar question back in October when I was looking)..try a search on this site and I'm sure some good info will pop up.

I found the following site good also for info..you will find their "2006 buyers guide".

http://www.engraversjournal.com/articlelist.php

Happy shopping.

Bob

Pete Simmons
01-18-2007, 3:24 PM
Ron: I have engraved a lot of penssee woodpenman.comI have never used a rotary attachment to do them.Also I am very happy with my Epilog Mini-18 35 wattLook up some threads by me a few years ago. A lot of talk about your very question.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=15448

Brent Vander Weil
01-18-2007, 4:21 PM
I have to agree with my friend Pete on this one... I have the very same machine as he Epilog MINI 18 35W and it has done the job quite nicely for me.

Although I did end up buying from Rob at usedlasers.com I was in touch with the Epilog rep in my area also and he was the best... funny you should be an optics guy... I am considering the purchase of the 1.5 lens for my machine, just have to overcome my squeaky tight wallet :-D LOL

The more you search and read on this site the more you will be able to make a good pick...

Joe Pelonio
01-18-2007, 4:30 PM
Ron: I have engraved a lot of penssee woodpenman.comI have never used a rotary attachment to do them.
Same here, pens are fine without it, unless you plan to do larger round objects like bottles and baseball bats you shouldn't need that.

4 things to compare that I consider critical:

1. Warranty
2. Price of replacement tube
3. Watts of power
4. Maximum material size limit

Bruce Boone
01-18-2007, 6:32 PM
Some pens do use a rotary axis. Simple names and logos do not, but higher end graphics that wrap around the pen certainly benefit from having one. I got my ULS laser from Rob at UsedLasers.com and recommend him.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/uploads/btboone/20061253420_snakepen.jpg

George M. Perzel
01-18-2007, 7:08 PM
Hi Ron;
As Bob mentioned , this subject has been discussed many times on this site and a little search research here will propvide you with a multitude of comments and advice, some of which is non-intentionally biased because of the nature and need of people to reconfirm their own purchase decisions, myself included!
Joe's advice is right on and in about the right order of priority. I do not know of any publication or survey that provides a feature by feature comparision and assessment of capabilities, mainly because there is not yet any technical publication which deals with the technology from a user's viewpoint or is willing to make a "Consumer Report" type comparison/ranking out of fear of losing a manufacturer's advertising dollars.
The bottom line is- do your own research based on your needs and requirements. Ask questions, demand demos, and ask more questions. Don't buy addons like compressors , rotary units, grid tables, etc until you are sure you know what you are getting and its real value. $600-$800 for a cutting grid table?-tell them to go pound sand. A rotary fixture?-have had to look for reasons to use it-waste of money.
Good Luck- feel free to call and discuss
Best regards;
George
LaserArts
585-924-4519

Keith Outten
01-18-2007, 10:06 PM
Bruce........Oh Yeah......very nice work :)

.

Bruce Boone
01-18-2007, 11:08 PM
Thanks Keith. Not a great example, but it is rotary axis lasered and filled with tinted CA. Some pens with rotary engraving can sell for double or triple what others can sell for. The question is if you will do enough of the work to cost justify one, which might be $600 or so. For me, it was worth it because it allows me to do designs on wedding rings and pens that I could not do otherwise. If it's just for the usual wine bottles or glasses, it may not be worth it. I always try to err on the side of more capability instead of cost savings, but that comes from years of earning a living from my shop. I try to come up with new ways to use the equipment I have. Your mileage may vary.

Here's a better example of what a rotary axis is good for.
http://www.boonerings.com/largepics/spyra.jpg

Gary Hair
01-18-2007, 11:34 PM
Thanks Keith. Not a great example, but it is rotary axis lasered and filled with tinted CA. Some pens with rotary engraving can sell for double or triple what others can sell for. The question is if you will do enough of the work to cost justify one, which might be $600 or so. For me, it was worth it because it allows me to do designs on wedding rings and pens that I could not do otherwise. If it's just for the usual wine bottles or glasses, it may not be worth it. I always try to err on the side of more capability instead of cost savings, but that comes from years of earning a living from my shop. I try to come up with new ways to use the equipment I have. Your mileage may vary.



But that's not laser - it's cnc isn't it?

Either way, it's absolutely beautiful!

Gary

Bob Yeager
01-18-2007, 11:38 PM
now THAT is just waaaaay tooooo cool! Great job! Wish I could do that!

Bob

Bruce Boone
01-18-2007, 11:57 PM
The metal parts are titanium, so were turned in a lathe and 4th axis milled, but the wood was rotary cut on a laser. I also 2 axis laser cut a splined section in the middle of the centerband that engages the splines on the titanium barrel, so the pen makes a twirling motion when it's put into its base. Not very necessary for the pen to work, but like the wood spirals, adds a huge amount of "cool factor" that would have been difficult to do without the laser. The pen sells for considerably more than "normal" pens because of the design.

Rodne Gold
01-19-2007, 2:51 AM
Get the one with the best support nearest you, all the lasers on the market work well and do more or less the same thing , there are no real lemons out there. I run GCC (laserpros) but if rotary work is a priority , would tell you to steer clear as the rotary attachment provided has a real sucky clamping system , however if you are prepared to do some modifications like putting on decent clamping jaws , it will work a charm.
Be aware that some rotary attachments might not work well for small diameter objects especially those with compound curves or tapers (head clearance issues , depth of focus issues , centring issues etc)

Keith Outten
01-19-2007, 5:56 AM
Bruce,

From very nice to absolutely awesome workmanship. I can't say I know anyone who could afford such a pen but I would love to find a customer base that could. I'm sure I haven't ever seen a pen with as much machining time to create.

Thanks for the picture, if you have more please start a new thread and share them as I am a big fan of high tech machining.

Very Cool!

.

Mike Null
01-19-2007, 7:03 AM
Bruce:

I've never seen finer workmanship. WOW!

Ron:

I recently purchased a Trotec after some careful research and after owning a very good ULS 25 watt machine for 8 years. I'm very happy with my choice.

By the way, what is meant by support is not your sales rep; it's the technical and parts support you get from the factory or the distributor.

Shane Silcox
01-19-2007, 12:46 PM
I just made the jump also. I would agree with the above, check the support from the manufacturer. What completely sold it for me was the fact that the manufacturer I bought from overnighted parts if you had a problem. That is support. Others would only ship ground, but I could upgrade to overnight at my expense. No thanks. If I buy a new Dell PC for a tenth of what I spent on this machine, Dell will overnight the parts to me.

Also, verify warranty. There is quite a difference in warranty length and coverage (Some will cover different components for different lengths of time, ie. optics vs. cabinet vs. tube).