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Thread: New flat bed laser arrived... 2500 x 1300mm, 2 heads etc

  1. #1

    Talking New flat bed laser arrived... 2500 x 1300mm, 2 heads etc

    Here is an update:

    After ordering it and paying a deposit in mid January, then being interrupted by the Chinese New Year and all that the holiday entails, the machine was custom made - though it looks much like many 'off the shelf' units, it isn't. The gantry had to be wider to accommodate two tubes, and the structure holding it, also was made wider, they tell me. So I had to wait for the welders to get back to work, and fit it in.

    IN early April they had it running, and sent me videos. It looked good.
    However... I asked for the Leadshine easy-servos, which are encoder-steppers. After running it for 48 hours nonstop, with random paths all over the bed (tubes switched off), they decided they were not content, and it had some issues. we discussed options, and in the end they removed the Easyservos, and put back the Steppers they wanted to use originally.

    Their Chinese-to-English explanation was with the intertia of the gantry, the extra rapid movements possoible with the Easyservos, were negated by the system weight, and steps were missed. They got the Leadshine techs out, and could not better it, I'm told. So the steppers were refitted, and it was tested all over again.

    In late April it went to the docks, left China on 7th May, reached Brisbane 22nd May, and a week later I drove down to collect it, after assigning a customs agent and paying all sorts of exhorbitant fees and taxes- the fees totalling about $2650.
    It was 2 packages- the laser, and the cw6000 dual input/output chiller.

    With the laser, I asked for a spare reci W6 tube for our Goldenlaser (no extra freight charge), and I paid for and got the X & Y easyservos, to experiment with on a smaller laser- plus a smaller tube, (Reci W1), power supply, and spare lenses.

    It has the Reci W8 & W2 tubes (listed peak 185 & 105 watt- rated at 150 and 90 w though), and a 2" and 4" lens in the heads, and the front 3 ft of bed can be raised or lowered about 20" or 50cm. Led dots, and autofocus pens...

    The bed is 2500 x 1300, and the machine's footprint in the shed is 3500 x 2150. (nearly 12 ft x 7'2")

    The controller is an RD6442S, and RD Works V8.01.30. I have a bit of a leaning curve with that, though it's a bit like the GoldenLaser software we have.

    It took a while to get it set up via the LAN network lead.(I had to assign a static IP address to the PC, before they could talk)
    And to fit the tubes (They were boxed for transport & safety), and fit the 2 exhaust fans, and 2 air assist pumps.

    I'm impressed with their quality control, and keenness to see it was all OK before it left China.
    I had a few small issues, but nothing I could not deal with myself.

    The hardest part was getting it OFF the truck, and then into the workshop- the neighbour's forklift didn't have forks long enough to reach the middle, so we had to use it on one side, and our tractor on the other, and lift, and drive the truck out from underneath, then lower it to the ground.
    The next day we unpacked it, and carried it, tractor at one end and forklift at the other, slowly back to the workshop, and pushed it in after that.

    I've been sorting out the parameters for the 2 tubes-power settings for cutting acrylic, and for engraving Alumamark.
    That's taking a bit of testing, with the smaller tube.
    It lasers vectors and vector scans nicely, but the same settings don't work as well on scanning black BMPs...different power settings seem to be needed- but the matt-silver & black Alumamark is a bit touchy, I'm told.



    33848361_10216612519202990_8082604074219864064_n.jpg 33862971_10216612519442996_7647287131357839360_n.jpg 35265492_10216743546478590_2638054468951736320_n.jpg here it is in the shed, looking small beside our ancient cnc router!
    Last edited by Ian Stewart-Koster; 06-15-2018 at 5:30 AM. Reason: typo
    Best wishes,
    Ian



    ULS M-300, 55w made 2002 with rotary. Goldenlaser 130 watt, 1300x700 made 2011.
    Flat bed 2500x1300 150/90watt 2 tube laser, 2018 model.
    Esab router, 1989, 4.5 x 2.0 m, conv. to Tekcel, and modded a 2nd time.
    HP L260-60". Roland PNC-1410. Mimaki GC-130 SU.
    Screenprinting carousel 6x4 and 7x4 ft 1-arm bandit vac table.
    Corel Draw X3, Illy, Indesign & Photoshop CS2 & CS5, Enroute 4
    Pencil, paper, paintbrush, airbrush & dagger-liners & assorted other stuff.

  2. #2
    However, cutting some 20mm acrylic, it was much much neater than our Goldenlaser, and has a supernarrow kerf I'd never have expected.
    Below is a B that is 1.5" high, and the little serif is about 1.5mm square (or 1/16") and is as neat and square at the bottom as at the top.
    I'd never have achieved that standard on the other laser!
    Also the centres of the B fell out vertically neatly just as the cut finished- no sideways tilt or jamming.

    I'll test it with 25mm stuff in a day or two- busy right now.
    35329824_10216743546158582_274582726726647808_n.jpg

    The mirrors and lenses were aligned just right, and the focus was pretty good- all despite ME installing both tubes.
    I had to alter what I was told, and the autofocus for the smaller tube- the focus was sharper at 6mm gap under the air nozzle, rather than the 7mm they told me, but 7mm was right for the big tube, after I did a ramp test.
    Last edited by Ian Stewart-Koster; 06-15-2018 at 5:30 AM. Reason: typo.
    Best wishes,
    Ian



    ULS M-300, 55w made 2002 with rotary. Goldenlaser 130 watt, 1300x700 made 2011.
    Flat bed 2500x1300 150/90watt 2 tube laser, 2018 model.
    Esab router, 1989, 4.5 x 2.0 m, conv. to Tekcel, and modded a 2nd time.
    HP L260-60". Roland PNC-1410. Mimaki GC-130 SU.
    Screenprinting carousel 6x4 and 7x4 ft 1-arm bandit vac table.
    Corel Draw X3, Illy, Indesign & Photoshop CS2 & CS5, Enroute 4
    Pencil, paper, paintbrush, airbrush & dagger-liners & assorted other stuff.

  3. #3
    Looks like a beast Ian. With 2 heads, I can imagine doing some cool things.
    Lasers : Trotec Speedy 300 75W, Trotec Speedy 300 80W, Galvo Fiber Laser 20W
    Printers : Mimaki UJF-6042 UV Flatbed Printer , HP Designjet L26500 61" Wide Format Latex Printer, Summa S140-T 48" Vinyl Plotter
    Router : ShopBot 48" x 96" CNC Router Rotary Engravers : (2) Xenetech XOT 16 x 25 Rotary Engravers

    Real name Steve but that name was taken on the forum. Used Middle name. Call me Steve or Scott, doesn't matter.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Savusavu, Fiji
    Posts
    1,167
    Incredible machine! Best Wishes! (BTW - you might find Lightburn a better program to use than RDWorks.)
    Longtai 460 with 100 watt EFR, mostly for fun. More power is good!! And a shop with enough wood working tools to make a lot of sawdust. Ex-owner of Shenhui 460-80 and engraving business with 45 watt Epilog Mini18.

  5. #5
    Thanks, John, I'm happy to go with Lightburn, but there's no internet in the workshop, and it needs internet to validate itself, so that's a pain to get done, but is on the cards to happen anyhow.
    Best wishes,
    Ian



    ULS M-300, 55w made 2002 with rotary. Goldenlaser 130 watt, 1300x700 made 2011.
    Flat bed 2500x1300 150/90watt 2 tube laser, 2018 model.
    Esab router, 1989, 4.5 x 2.0 m, conv. to Tekcel, and modded a 2nd time.
    HP L260-60". Roland PNC-1410. Mimaki GC-130 SU.
    Screenprinting carousel 6x4 and 7x4 ft 1-arm bandit vac table.
    Corel Draw X3, Illy, Indesign & Photoshop CS2 & CS5, Enroute 4
    Pencil, paper, paintbrush, airbrush & dagger-liners & assorted other stuff.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Savusavu, Fiji
    Posts
    1,167
    I think Lightburn has an offline mode as well.
    Longtai 460 with 100 watt EFR, mostly for fun. More power is good!! And a shop with enough wood working tools to make a lot of sawdust. Ex-owner of Shenhui 460-80 and engraving business with 45 watt Epilog Mini18.

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