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That’s the pump I was talking about. But after seeing Rich’s photo, I had no idea about what air curtain was. Might need something else.

I would recommend an aquarium air pump. Search ebay for commercial ones.

The normal pumps that come with Chinese lasers are pretty much identical to the aquarium pumps in metal housings that are...

I opted for a dust collector instead of an in-line fan. It has a higher static pressure. I can put a small filter box that I made that uses cheap 12 in ac filters to remove most of the crap before...

You also should zip tie the engraving head in place so it does not bang around and get damaged during the move.

Michael, Glad to hear your machine is working well.

Do you use oxygen or nitrogen as your assist gas? I’m a little nervous about trusting a Chinese machine with O2.

I’d also like to hear from anyone that has experience with fiber cutters. I think there was someone based in Europe that got one from senfeng laser, but I could be mistaken.

I have been wondering...

The software is dependent on the controller.

Need to know what the controller board is before the software can be identified.

One issue you need to watch out for on dc glass tubes (most Chinese machines) above 80w is DC strike. When the tubes first turn on they need 100% power then back off very quickly.

the pictures...

Thank you sir!:D

Thanks. Still have a ton to learn.

Do you get depth at a slower speed and then clean up at a faster speed or do you go fast the whole time?

Kev, Does the gun come off the engraver looking that good?

Mine always seems to have burs that need to be taken off with a scotchbrite pad. Would love to be able to cut that step out and get...

Corel draw is $500 for a license that does not expire. The subscription is $200/ year.

inkscape is much less robust but it is free.

An 80w speedy is a very good choice.

I would recommend a 2 inch lense instead. I don’t think there is a noticeable difference in engraving quality but there is a noticeable difference in cutting...

That begs the question-what are you planning to be doing with it?

I would second Gary’s suggestion. I upgraded from a nice Chinese machine to a used speedy this summer . One of the best decisions I have made.

My old machine was faster than a glowforge but the...

I honestly don’t think an economic solution exists to recirculate the air. Any filter system that is getting all those smoke particles out of the air will use up expensive filters quickly. Any system...

Not familiar with macs but if you can get the file to the windows computer you can download a free program called Inkscape and can print from it.

Seems like a good machine and price. I’ve got a newer machine that does not have the C. Honestly I don’t think there is much of a practical difference between metal and ceramic tubes.

Also as an...

You might want to look at some of the Trotec videos on sending jobs to the laser before you go. It is a pretty different workflow than the Chinese machines.

I just made the same jump you are looking at this summer. Chinese machine to a lightly used speed 400. Could not be happier. The difference in speed is incredible. The brand new 2019 speedy 400s...

Never done any practical automation. But I am fascinated to see the results.

What are you using to trigger events between the laser and automation controller?

Plywood can be a difficult thing to cut. The number of plys and the type of glue can make a huge difference. I have a 100w EFR tube and have issues getting an acceptable edge on some 1/8 ply. I have...

Trotecs use air cooled laser sources. You cannot use a water cooler with one. Water coolers are used for glass tube Chinese machines.

You would be be much better suited getting an ac unit to cool...

Thanks Gary. Good advice. I’m quite certain the specs are from an overzealous engineer 40 years ago and no one has bothered to change them.

I think it would also be a good thing to be able to...

When you get a spec from a customer specifying a depth to the engraving is there a tool or technique that can be used to measure accurately? I have a micrometer with a pretty small anvil but it’s...