Lightburn and a laser engraver question

No experience unfortunately. I personally would be wary of Swiss Army knife devices because how can they possibly do multiple things very well? And such different things! The price is not bad though.
I have access to the now discontinued Epilog Mini which I believe is 40W. It’s pretty fast although I think the resolution on engraving could be a bit better (I think it’s 200dpi), depending on the material.
 
The XTOOL looks like a cool one. I don't need one, but they're cool. My wife started getting more interested in lasers when XTOOL announced their screenprinting setup. She's been considering that as a side hustle.
 
It's great to hear that you found a laser engraver that works well for you! However, if you're still looking for options or considering expanding your collection, I highly recommend checking out the Monport laser. It's known for being very nice, easy to use, high quality, and affordable. You can find more information about it on their product page at https://monportlaser.com/collection...-with-fda-approval?sca_ref=5031521.ka374VZjm3 With the Monport laser, you might discover additional features or benefits that could enhance your laser engraving experience even further.
Uhm three similar messages in a row smells a bit bot-y…
 
THOUGHT CRIME

DOUBLETHINK

TWO MINUTES HATE

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Always eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or bed—no escape.
Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters in your skull.”​
 
I was just getting back into lasering after a bit of an absence. Everything was going fine until everything just stopped. Lightburn shut down, computer restarted etc. Came back to it later and LB doesn’t recognize my laser any more. The Neje software does but not Lightburn 😂 Should probably do a fresh install of windows and see if I can get it back up and running before I move (and finally have a shop!) Aye yi yi! 🤦‍♂️
 
These advertisements for the Monport laser are popping up all over the forum...
I have a Monport K40. It took me literally 2 months to get it dialed in. Their customer service is non-existant if you need it, and their quality control is mediocre at BEST.

If you look at some of my posts, you'll see the faceplates I've engraved with it, so it works really well. But if I was doing it again, I'd look at either Omtech (which basically sell the same laser, for the same price, and I assume they are all produced at the same factory, but with different badging at the end), but has US based customer support.

I'm actually looking at getting rid of my Monport K40 and going with a galvo fiber laser. Can still do acrylic or painted metal, but higher detail level than the K40, takes up less space, and doesn't need constant adjusting/dedicated water cooler etc.

IF you are really thinking about a laser, take my advice, avoid Monport. Speaking from experience.
 
Here's the pedals I made when I had access to a laser engraver. Probably the pedals that have turned out the best that I've ever made enclosures for. Aside from the DOD250 clone on the top left all were pedalpcb boards. There was also a Smashing Pumpkins themed Op Amp Muff that I gifted to a friend who's a huge Siamese Dream fan for his birthday.
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So you can do a dry run just with the light?
Yeah, I have a footswitch for doing batch jobs (i use it for more than just pedals). So I click it once and it frames each part in red light as seen above. Then I click it again and it starts the engrave .

Once the engraving is done, it defaults back to the red light framing, so you can place your next piece of material, then click again and it will start, so everything is repeatable, and consistent.
 
Bumping this guy:

Have you tried etching bare enclosures with the fiber laser? I've been curious about how that works out. The IR wavelegnth should be able to handle it from what I've read.

I've been toying with the idea of grabbing a 2 watt IR diode module for my cheapo engraver: unfortunately that's about as powerful as the 1064nm diodes get.
 
Bumping this guy:

Have you tried etching bare enclosures with the fiber laser? I've been curious about how that works out. The IR wavelegnth should be able to handle it from what I've read.

I've been toying with the idea of grabbing a 2 watt IR diode module for my cheapo engraver: unfortunately that's about as powerful as the 1064nm diodes get.
Yes, you can etch bare enclosures with it. I will try to find my first one and post a pic(completely got the alignment wrong because I forgot to refocus when I changed the lens).
One of the easier ways to do it is to first lay a flat cleaning pass over the entire surface, then anneal on it. Otherwise you can use the settings for a dark mark or deep engrave (depending on the texture options you want)

Another thing I have learned I can do, is actually remove the copper on a blank PCB, so I can etch my own, then spray paint them, and re-etch to open the solder points. That's on my next try out list
 
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