I decided that I wanted a laser cutter/engraver. There are many sizes available, and I settled on a 900x600mm with 100 watts of power. A US made one of that size and power would be about $42,000. My costs, including customs tax, shipping, final residential delivery, and wire transfer fees came to about $5850. I then paid a friend about another $300 in wiring, ducting, electrical work, etc.
There is a middle way to go - where you buy from a US company who imports and re-badges Chinese lasers. This is for people who don't feel comfortable working with other countries directly and are seeking (but maybe or maybe not actually getting) more support. Going that way would maybe be in the $12,000-$15,000 range.
I had to pick a brand, and there are many. I went with Triumph.
Timeline:
7/11/13 - First contact. Decided on features.
7/30/13 - Settled on exact features, got invoice.
7/30/13 - Send payment by wire (I sent the full amount up front. Some people send partial until it ships).
8/3/13 - They shipped machine.
9/30/13 - It arrived at my house via truck.
The laser company arranged the delivery - I didn't have to do much. They asked me to sign a customs broker form giving power of attorney to represent me. I did. The payment to the laser company handled everything except for about $300 in custom's tax.
Some things to consider:
Get a real chiller. Don't listen to the idea of using a 5 gallon pail of water. The model 3000 is just water, radiator, and fan. The model 5000 adds real refrigerant-based cooling. The model 5200 doubles that capacity again. I have the 5200, and I have never seen my water temp go up by more than a few degrees C. Even the 3000 would be vastly better than a bucket of water as far as having a sealed system that does not need much cleaning.
I suggest to make sure that every detail of what you want is on the invoice before you place the order to prevent any misunderstanding.
Software -
Mine came with software called PHcad. I like it a lot. You can use it directly, or it can work with Autocad, Corel Draw, or Adobe Illustrator. This software is the same as Thunder Laser's LaserGrav software.
Support -
My first support email was that the laser was not having its power set correctly. They responded two days later, and apologized for it being a Chinese holiday and for their slow response time. They correctly fixed the problem by showing me that I didn't set one needed parameter.
My second support issue was that the software crashed when loading files. They said that the version I had only worked on XP, and that for Windows-7, I needed the newer version. They sent me a download link, and the newer software fixed that.
I am happy with support so far.
About laser tubes:
You can get a generic tube, or a premium brand. I got the premium RECI. I highly suggest that you specify the tube that you want by model number, and not by wattage. This is because some people speak in terms of average max wattage, and others talk about peak wattage. My tube is 100 typical and 130 peak, but it is better to call it a "RECI Z4." Note that the Z is newer than the W, so ask for it by name.
About power:
The laser is 220 volt. They will sell you a 110 volt conversion, but I opted for 220. I asked for the chiller to come as 110 volt, and it did. The blower and compressor came as 220, and I needed to wire up some outlets. I have the laser always getting power, as it has its own switch, and the blower and compressor are on a double-pole light switch that I mounted in a box on the bottom of the laser unit.
So far I love it and aside from getting the old version of the software at first, I have had no problems. It came with the laser tube already installed, and it was correctly aligned.
Marking ceramic floor tile:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUQyvLk9G7I
It is said that C02 lasers cannot mark steel unless you buy special marking ink that is very expensive. I have had no trouble marking steel, though it is not as good as a Fiber Laser - so don't buy a C02 primarily to mark steel. It cannot cut metal.
My invoice - I had about $300 in customs tax charges on top of this:
They included a nice gift:
Tube is giant:
I paid $100 extra for "residential delivery" (no loading dock). The delivery company accidentally picked a truck with a small lift-gate. Had to uncrate it on the truck.
Z4 tube (latest):
Chiller 5200 (would be fun to use this to water-cool a PC):
Big work area, without being giant. Unit is about 600 lbs but has wheels:
Made custom Milk Bones for my dog to practice the "matrix" feature (marking multiple objects with the same thing:
Yes, it can mark tool steel:
I paid a friend $50 an hour to redo my hook up work. It took him several hours, and $150 in parts. So that was like $300 more. We put a 4" dryer vent in the wall (6 inch is better):
Inlayed wood sign:
Box:
Engrave the back of a mirror:
Software:
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