[hackerspaces] Choosing a laser cutter

[justin corwin]

We have an epilog 45 just like that, and it is similarly solid. A couple
services and a new tube, but dependable as all get out.
On Aug 28, 2015 12:03 PM, "Adam Mayer" <phooky at gmail.com> wrote:

> Epilog is expensive but they're generally trouble-free and well supported.
> We're on our second unit now. The first one was able to pay for itself via
> per-minute and training fees, but it took about four years to hit break
> even.
>
> I'd say it comes down to how much you plan on charging for commercial
> usage, and how much time and energy you can devote to keeping the machine
> in good shape. If you're committed to tinkering with the machine and can
> handle occasional downtime, you may want the cheaper option. We're happy
> with our epilog tank.
>
> Also, PS, we're selling our old one:
> http://www.nycresistor.com/2015/08/05/for-sale-historic-epilog-laser-5000-usd-obo/
>
> On Fri, Aug 28, 2015 at 2:14 PM, Ben Brown <ben at generik.ca> wrote:
>
>> We have a G.Weike (Chinese) LG900N 60W laser cutter at Kwartzlab, as does
>> a number of other spaces. We've had it since 2011 and despite constant use,
>> it's held up really well for us. Other spaces have reportedly had more
>> issues.
>>
>> http://www.kwartzlab.ca/wiki/Laser_Cutter
>>
>> Aside from some minor upgrades to beef up the power circuitry, we really
>> haven't had any major hardware issues. We're about to replace our 2nd tube
>> (decreased lifespan due to sitting around for a few years, though). Once in
>> a while the mirrors need to be adjusted. Our auto-Z calibrator tore off
>> when one user crashed the bed some years ago, but works perfectly fine with
>> manual calibration.
>>
>> Our largest gripe is that the proprietary software (LaserCut for Windows)
>> is potato quality, but it does have import capabilities so most people just
>> design on other programs like Inkscape, Illustrator or 3D CAD and import
>> from there.
>>
>> It was about 6,000 CAD with shipping, customs and other accessories
>> (water cooler, etc). It's probably our most used big tool in the space.
>>
>> Ben
>>
>> On 2015-08-28 1:53 PM, opit wrote:
>>
>>> Hello all,
>>> here at Technarium we're considering buying a laser cutter (water jet
>>> would be even better, but probably is outside of our financial
>>> abilities). Maybe any of you have a piece of advice of what to look for
>>> and what to avoid? What do you use at your space and what didn't work
>>> out? What's your experience with Lasersaur or with generic machines from
>>> Alibaba?
>>>
>>> Last week there a similar request was posted here, but what we're
>>> looking for is a larger machine that could also be used by freelancers
>>> at the space and for custom manufacturing orders. We plan to have up to
>>> 7500 Euros for it.
>>> Thanks!
>>> #o
>>>
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Discuss mailing list
>> Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.hackerspaces.org/pipermail/discuss/attachments/20150828/1914ec30/attachment.html>