30W Fiber Laser purchase

[Kev Williams]

Interesting that the chucks are that similar? Wonder if Harbor Freight still has that machine, and if the chuck could be adapted to the epilog rotary device? Hm....

Here's my 15 year old one and the same thing for sale online-
hf2.jpghf1.jpg
--other than different stickers and some safety guards (ahem ) they're virtually the same.

The jaws on this chuck work in the fiber's chuck (and vice versa) perfectly. Now, whether you can buy just a chuck from HF I'm not sure but I'm sure you could get one easy enough somewhere. Making it fit anything you want is a matter of machining a new back plate for the chuck that the other end of fits your Epi rotary. My V3400 cylinder machine has a 5" chuck that was too big for a certain job many years ago, I just made a pair of aluminum adapter plates that allowed me to swap the chucks.

[Bill George]

My Little Machine Shop 7x16 lathe same as Kev's has a bolt on chuck. However my chuck from Ray Fine for the fiber has Metric threads on the back and it just screws on. Its a common size and I found on eBay for less than $100 US. Little Machine Shop carries a lot of hobby machine shop machines and tooling. Nice people and fair.

[Erik Goetheer]

OK, I'm about to pull the trigger on this fiber laser purchase, so I better get my workshop ready for it. Should be little hassle, but I'm wondering how to deal with the air extraction. I know that fiber lasering is something completely else than CO2 cutting and engraving, but still there will be some fumes, gasses and particles come from the lasered surface. How do you guys deal with this (pictures please)?

[Bill George]

Since no wood, no plastics I just put a small fan by my machine and blow anything generated away from the work and let the shop exhaust take it out. If your getting one in an enclosure then someone else needs to reply.

[Kev Williams]

From the 'whatever works' category --but it does!
airout.jpg
the exhaust tube is held by a piece of welding rod hung from the rafters, connected to a 4" plastic sewer Y pipe-- the exhaust going up goes up and over the door, then down to my LS900 laser which I'm leaning against to take the pic, the down pipe goes thru a hole I cut in the door, the blower is just outside the door in the bottom of the basement stairwell. From the blower the pipe goes up the stair well cement wall and runs under the iron railing, and sits on ground behind some bushes. Been like that for 15 years (same blower too )

I put a $4 HF blast gate on the end, the LS900 has its own blast gate so I can steer the air any way I need to. The LS900 exhausts so well that I can close its blast gate by half or more, leave the fiber's gate wide open, and it'll still remove all smoke easily with the door shut.

Using the flex pipe I can put the fiber exhaust pretty much anywhere I need it, but as you see it, it works pretty well just like that!

[Erik Goetheer]

That looks good, Kev, flexible and pretty easy to install. I'm planning to put the fiber next to the CO2, so I can indeed connect it to the CO2's exhaust pipe with a Y-connection. thanks for this idea.

[John Lifer]

I don't exhaust mine at this point. Small fan would be good, I don't do much plastic, but It will smell. Metal really doesn't bother me .. If it is close enough, just do as Kev did.

[Jacob John]

That looks good, Kev, flexible and pretty easy to install. I'm planning to put the fiber next to the CO2, so I can indeed connect it to the CO2's exhaust pipe with a Y-connection. thanks for this idea.

That's all I plan on doing because I won't be running them both at the same time. I'm going to piggy back off of my CO2 system.

[Erik Goetheer]

Countdown started today. Ordered and paid for the 30W JPT LP fiber laser from Ray Fine. Express delivery, so should be at my workshop pretty soon.

[Jacob John]

Countdown started today. Ordered and paid for the 30W JPT LP fiber laser from Ray Fine. Express delivery, so should be at my workshop pretty soon.

Getting the same thing, but I'm getting the MOPA. I'll be a guinea pig and see how much hair I can pull out testing the color marking.

[Erik Goetheer]

Look what arrived today! A Rayfine 30W fiber laser. And I still can't believe how well shipping went. I opted for door to door delivery, Blanca gave me the T&T number last Monday, 3 days ago, and delivery was today, at my door! And not one question from customs or the tax authorities. And I even didn't have to pay duties or VAT. Really great.

Tomorrow will be unpacking day.

[John Lifer]

NICE! Unpack that baby! Hope you've been reading!

[Bill George]

Mine was almost too well packed! It would be nice having someone help get it out the crate as its in two pieces linked together with a flex conduit. At least mine was anyway.

[Erik Goetheer]

NICE! Unpack that baby! Hope you've been reading!

So I did. it was packed really well, it took about 45 minutes to get the lase rout of the box, by myseld (it's almost 2 AM here, everybody is at sleep). All looks great and everything that I ordered is present, 2 lenses, 2 goggles, rotary, x-y table, rotating table, some docs and software and some other stuff. Oh, and the laser itself of course.. Cool

[Erik Goetheer]

Hm, be aware that if you order a 200x200mm lens (F290)at Rayfine, you actually get a 180x180 lens (F254), with their argument being "We adopt F254 and the size could up to 200x200mm". Well, I'm not going to argue about this with Blanca, not worth the effort and F254 is still a nice addition next to the standard F160. But you're warned.