Laser Gods...Epilog Fusion Pro 32 60W or Fusion Edge 24 80W?

Hello laser community,

I'm trying to decide power vs. size. The machines are similar in price, 1k more for the Pro. They both have cameras, but the Pro has a 2nd camera for identifying registration marks, and both have Pass-thru capabilities. I'm not sure how high a value to place on the reading of registration marks or whether I will use it. My primary concern is engraving detail and 3d engraving, but it would be nice to cut 1/4" Baltic Birch with some efficiency. I plan to look at Trotec, but I think they may be out of my price range. I was impressed with Epilog's software and the machine control. I'm used to my CNC's RichAuto controller, so anything with a bit of bling wows me...lol.:D

I plan to use the laser to engrave and 3d engrave into hardwood.
I currently use a CNC to cut decorative panels for custom homes, but it would be nice to cut some that require more detail on the laser.

Fusion Pro 32/ Fusion Edge 24
32"x20" 24"x24
165" ips 120" ips.
60 watt 80watt

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

It may be the case that one of those choices would be good for you, or that neither is suitable, but you haven't provided enough information for anyone else to give you more than a WAG or a personally biased opinion.

You need to answer some questions for yourself in order to determine which is the better choice, or whether either one is even an acceptable solution. Two questions in particular come to my mind.

First is what would be the largest size piece you would typically need to engrave, versus what size would you be willing (or financially able) to engrave in sections using a passthrough, versus what size would be so big that you would rather turn down the job than figure out a way to make it happen? Second is how much time can you tolerate for engraving whatever you would expect to be a typical 3D engraved piece, and be "efficient" and "profitable"?

Once you have answered those questions, provide some typical artwork and suitable pieces of wood to the laser manufacturer and have them benchmark their offerings to give you a real idea of what difference it makes going from 60W to 80W and whether 165 ips with only 60W is or isn't advantageous over 120 ips with 80W. Include at least one example that requires use of the passthrough to create a continuous engraving that is larger than the bed size, and examine the "seam(s)" for issues; also consider how much time is added by using the passthrough compared to actual engraving time. Also carefully consider the quality of the 3D results out of the laser, such as whether the engraving is distorted by the grain (depending on the wood and grain orientation, you may find that the alternating harder/softer growth creates a problematic inconsistency in the engraving), or whether there is a lot of smoke/resin to clean up and how you are going to clean the piece after the fact.

If you can't fit a typical piece into the machine and are forced to use the passthrough all the time, your time and expenses skyrocket. If you don't have enough power (and speed) to engrave "efficiently", your time and expenses skyrocket (I question whether 80W, much less 60W, is enough power to make 3D engraving on hardwoods truly a profitable business proposition). If the results of engraving are unacceptable or require too much post processing, it's a non-starter. So, figure out your parameters, get realistic samples, and you'll be able to come up with the answer that is right for you.

What Glen said :D

Your listed choices are:

Fusion Pro 32/ Fusion Edge 24
32"x20" 24"x24
165" ips 120" ips.
60 watt 80watt

which begs the question:

why not a Fusion Pro 32 - 32"x20" - 165" per second - 80 watt...?

Yeah, it'll be a few more bucks up front, but in the long run the time savings alone -time being money and all ;) - will pay off that extra in very short order...

Thank you for the comment, Glen!


My primary purpose for the laser is to cut and embellish jewelry. That being said, I guess the size of the bed should be secondary to the machine's power.
Engraving and 3D engraving
1. Engraving jewelry made from Acrylic Maple and Walnut. 6" x 6" max
2. 3d engraving wood jewelry
3.Photo Engraving
Cutting
Cutting 1/4" Acrylic, hardwood, and veneer ply for Jewelry
1/4" Baltic Birch Decorative panel sizes vary from 6" x 6" to 20" x 30"


Attachment 454474Attachment 454475

Well, Kev, I think you might be right... 80 watt might be the way to go...:D

I have the Fushion edge 24 due to be delivered this week.

Other than size they seem to be fairly comparable and before this I did a fair amount of work on a 15 or 16 year old mini.

I don't think there is really any practical difference between the speeds since a lot is lost on speeding up and slowing down. It does make a difference when doing a full bed raster but I doubt there will be much noticeable difference overall.

I believe the fushion also can read registration marks but not really sure, I don't see any time I would use it so didn't really give it much thought. I know it is marketed for cutting packaging and the like.

More power is generally better but there is a minimum any tube can fire at. I personally am getting the 60 watt. I expect it to cut up to 3/8 in mdf core but honestly don't know for sure. A 45 watt mini would do 1/4" fairly well at a slow speed, however vector cuts are way faster than raster anyway.

The fushion 24 isn't cheap but overall finding used machines if very difficult and I wanted to have the new and shiny.

Also pass through is fine once and a while but can be a giant pain. If you are doing it a lot you need a bigger table.

Looking at you last post any of the machines will do those. None of them will be taxing to even a 60 watt machine.

Joe

Thank you Joe!

I took a look at the Trotec speedy 360 today, and it was impressive. I was under the impression Trotec would be more expensive but, it was actually a little cheaper. It's going to be a tough decision.

Thanks for the info!

It turns out the quote from Trotec was for a demo machine which the sales rep did not mention when he verbally quoted me the price. It seems odd "I quoted my demo system. It was in the back and still in the crate. I just put in on my floor this afternoon for the first time" He never mentioned he had an 80 watt Speedy 360 in the back new in the crate, and why would he pull it out and put it on the floor after I left. Especially when he knew the day before that, I was interested in the 80 watt.

All it takes is one phone call for a demo machine to be un-crated and put on the floor for a showing ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kev Williams

All it takes is one phone call for a demo machine to be un-crated and put on the floor for a showing ;)

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Yeah, and it should've been my phone call the day before. :D

After looking at both Trotec and Epilog twice in person, I decided to go with the Epilog Fusion Pro 48 120 watt. The speed, quality of cut, and engraving were equal but where the Epilog shined was in the software and the advantage of the camera. I've seen some posts saying the camera's not accurate. I had them cut and engrave the same 3 files. The final test was engraving and scoring a piece that required exact placement, and the camera worked perfectly. Epilog won on features and ease of use.

Hey Frank, Agree with the camera feature
i was worried about accuracy too but it is really good
i hope the moderators don't mind but check out the
Fusion Pro Owners Group on face book, its really helpful

The Epilog fushion 24 is a fantastic machine. I just got it set up and running and am so far impressed. The packing was great, set up was a piece of cake and overall it is a really great machine.

I can't imagine not having the camera after using it just a time or two. It is a great addition for sure.

The wait was crazy. Ordered Jan 2nd and just got it a week ago or so.

Any questions let me know, I don't check here often enough so PM if needed.

Joe

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vic casware

Hey Frank, Agree with the camera feature
i was worried about accuracy too but it is really good
i hope the moderators don't mind but check out the
Fusion Pro Owners Group on face book, its really helpful

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Vic,

I'm definitely going to check it out!

Thanks
Frank A.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Joe Chritz

The Epilog fushion 24 is a fantastic machine. I just got it set up and running and am so far impressed. The packing was great, set up was a piece of cake and overall it is a really great machine.

I can't imagine not having the camera after using it just a time or two. It is a great addition for sure.

The wait was crazy. Ordered Jan 2nd and just got it a week ago or so.

Any questions let me know, I don't check here often enough so PM if needed.

Joe

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Joe,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I haven't gotten my machine yet, but if I need some advice I will PM you.

Good luck!
Frank A.