Links to everything mentioned Laser shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2317200&u=4212672&m=140586&urllink=&afftrack= Clocks and cut files chadscustomcreations.etsy.com/ Links to air assist equipment Air Compressor amzn.to/3Q1LXtC Water Air Separator amzn.to/4bfHo7p Connectors amzn.to/4aA5ud2 on/off valve amzn.to/4cZ8P6O Brass and black steel sheet www.jpplus.com/gloss-black-015-brass-coated-steel
6:53 for „milled steel” you could use oxygen but valve and piping should be switched to o2 rated. For stainless and alu some neutral gas like argon or nitrogen should be used. Simple plasma cutter like Hypertherm Powermax use compressed air for all materials - this is sub-optimal (worse on stainless). Higher level plasma cutter use gas switching consoles with different gases. Oxygen in compresed air couse stainless „burning” on edges. CHEERS! :)
Coconut... I could cry I brought a 20w Atomstack fiber laser and it will not cut steel and I brought it to make a prototype of a electric motor design I have come up with. I will have to save up for this laser I think
@@sprinteroz2239 oh really? How thick are you trying to go I saw they have the first 20w 1064nm fiber laser attachment. I assumed it would do better than the 70w 450nm that I have.
@ChadsCustomCreations Thanks for the reply, its 0.5mm steel plate off a washing machine external body, I wanted to make a laser warning sign but even after 5 cuts it only etched into the steal also warped it a lot due to many passes very disappointed in the system. It has no air assist for the fiber laser as I seen you using air to archive a deeper cut in the steel. I want to cut is 0.35 to 0.5mm silicone steel plate, the mr20 it etches names into tools ok, but not much good at cutting. It took me 2 months to get it going as it come with a faulty control board and atomstack would not replace control board so after learning all there controllers the x20 control board and the e85 control boards work with the mr20 fiber laser . Now I find out that it will not cut steel plate, so bit of a waste of money on this product mr20 atomstack shame to say.
Just a thought; rather than multiple passes continuously, one pass then pause for 30 seconds and run again, repeat as necessary. This is a lesson I was taught in welding thin metal.
Yes this is brilliant I didn’t think about it but this wouldn’t be too hard to set up in lightburn I bet it would make a world of difference I’ve gotta revisit this and probably have 4 secrets to metal cutting
@@ChadsCustomCreations Could you also install a heat sink as your "spoil board" with active cooling? Thermal adhesive would also prevent the need for clamps. You can probably buy an industrial heat sink, or make your own with your fancy laser cutter. :)
@@ChadsCustomCreations Run separate programs for each cut instead and pause as long as you need between each. If the Lightburn software can't do pauses that is. You can also likely trick it by doing some kind of repetitive move command without actually turning on the cutter and using that as a wait function.
Coming from a fibre laser operator, if you replace air with nitrogen, you will get better cuts, have more pressure and wont have issues with water in the air supply. Yes, it costs more to use but it goes a long way and if you get food grade, everything will stay clean. Otherwise, an air dryer will help, along with air and water filters.
Coconuts kill around 150 people per year falling out of the tree.... on a more serious note, for me anyway, I recently lost my left foot, and I am trying to find a way to contribute to my families finances till I can recover enough to try to work again. I think it's awesome that your last giveaway went to someone who could use the help. It's easy to lose your faith in humanity when you're at the end of your rope. Love your channel. Thank you for what you do.
John I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your foot. What a great man you are to be already thinking how you can already start contributing to your family again already. There is a a lot of bad with humanity but I can tell you are one of the good ones. I am rooting for you to win my friend!
I really think they are the future for laser tech. I wonder how long before the laser heads get so big that they end up doing a moving laser head with just the mirrors and nozzle like we see with the Co2 lasers.
Coconut. I'm a maker at heart and always wanted a laser cutter / engraver but I will never be able to afford one since I only make $250 a month. Owning one would be a life changer for me. I already know what products I could design and sell. With a bit of luck this could push my life towards a better direction. Thank you for your time and entertaining videos.
microwitch on the lid, so when you open the cover the current was stopped and the fan turn off. when you open the lid, the current keep flowing and the fan runs
Warping metal sheet with the multiple passes - have you considered instead of concentrating on one area at a time, switching up the order of passes to do a little here, a little there, allowing time for localised cooling?
Coconut and I'm grateful your gift went to people who were down on their luck and were grateful! That, makes you a winner all day, everyday. Congrats! Love the vid and all the things you made. The cat is amazing and he would be lost without you haha
to stop heat building up you need to separate the layers with a pause inbetween. I just draw a small circle in the corner so the laser has to travel to the corner every pass & that adds a few seconds pause between each pass.
Have you tried to full-on glue the steel plate to a thin stiff material like particle-board/OSB/plywood or such? Something still cutable with the initial pierce but that doesn't warp from heat and keeps the plate in place for the entirety of the cut.....(applying some heat to the metal would break the glue bond and it's metal so cleaning it up should be fairly easy...)
So that image of Norman was made with the xtool laser screen printer kit you can see it in action in my video I put out a few months ago. Thanks for subbing!
Coconut - I built a custom laser with a 20-watt laser. I'm about to get this 70 watt and make my frame big enough to cut an entire 4' x 8' plywood sheet. Can I get the laser with the control board alone ? Thanks
Great idea! I am not sure if they sell the control board alone but maybe contacting customer services they might be able to work something out with you.
Coconut water is delicious but hard to get to when it is inside a coconut. I would like to see your 70W laser open a coconut in one pass. Thanks for showing this unit it is amazing. I am curious how thick of wood it will cut in 1 pass. I am trying to get my friend to do a business she is a teacher and you know that doesn't make a lot of money she has been selling crafts and needs something easy to work with. I bought her a 50 table co2 laser but to complicated for I have to run it for her.
Coconut, I'm a newbie. And I work at an engineering company as a technician. I just started working on lasers about 7 weeks ago. Before I worked on automation systems. I really enjoy working on lasers. I would love to have one of my own. Who knows maybe I can get lucky. And if I ever upgrade I can pay it forward.
Lasers are great definitely my favorite CNC machine out there. Sadly this giveaway has ended but I am giving away another in my last video if you wanna join in. ruclips.net/video/fCnQL3DcaC4/видео.htmlsi=VVvnf0aFkQn07mcc
coconut You compared differences to the plasma cutter but the problems appear to be the same. The slag can be from not penetrating or going too fast or too slow. I'm curious if the aluminum was rough on the sides of the cut or not. Also to prevent thermal expansion while cutting larger pieces try implementing breaks for the metal to cool down during different intervals of the cut. During the break a fan can blow on the material to help speed the process. However thats where the water table comes in handy with the plasma as well. I believe without a doubt the laser can be as powerful as the plasma but the water jet is dominating the industry on a large scale. Diamonds are not cheap though.
Ohhh interesting actually putting in breaks even manually would not be hard in my software I should definitely try that! That’s brilliant I so wish I had thought of that! I am going to have to revisit a large scale attempt on that 22 gauge and then if it works I change my 3 secret’s to 4 secrets and give props to you for the idea!
I’ve been under the impression that the galvo style fiber lasers are not that great for cutting and are pretty limited to that about 4”x4” engrave area.
Coconut! I have operated a 4000-watt Trumpf fiber laser cutter for about 13 years now. When cutting any thin metal, I use nitrogen to keep the material cool.
Coconut .. I wonder if you could use a rotary attachment on the XTool and carve/engrave a coconut? Thanks for putting in the hard work to test if the Ikier would cut metal or not, I'm sure it'll help someone out with future projects! Looking forward to getting a laser cutter/engraver in the future myself so that I can start crafting little custom designed keepsakes and mandalas out of various materials.
Coconut! I also thought about the pause, but in addition to this: Maybe the warping of the metal stops/decreases if it is sufficiently thick? Maybe it is then doable with several tens of passes without or with shorter pause?
I would recommend a desiccant based compressed air dryer and also go way up on pressure. I've run 175psi on a 1kw fiber laser and that seems to work well.
Oh that’s interesting about the higher psi i will have to try that. I wanted to find an air separator with desiccant but couldn’t find one is that something I can just add to say stage 2 and 3 of a normal 3 stage unit?
A winner has been chosen for this one but I still haven’t heard back from them if not soon I’ll roll the dice again and pick someone else. I comment on the winner tell them to write me an email I give them another code word and if they comment back with that code word I know the right person emailed me.
It would be interesting to try a water table like plasma cutters use to reduce warping. Put the cutting grid into a pan of water and raise the water level till it just touches the metal. The compressed air is going to spray water everywhere though...
@@ChadsCustomCreations Yep, in addition keeping the material cool so it doesn't warp, the water tables also absorb the smoke and sparks. Some plasma cutting is even done underwater. It's possible that the laser can pass through a thin layer of water, and cut the metal underwater. That would be an interesting experiment to do with the air turned off, but maybe then it won't blow out the melted metal?
Nice work. Having developed high efficiency laser cutting many decades ago, you will obtain significant benefits by dropping your nozzle standoff distance to around 1mm (depending on your nozzle diameter). The gas jet loses substantial momentum with distance from the nozzle exit. More thrust equals greater melt ejection and more efficient cutting. Also, changing to Nitrogen gas will give you clean cuts. Other options are to use a supersonic nozzle, more difficult to design and manufacture. Good luck!
After watching this.... I know I made the right choice buying a plasma cutter. I would like to have one of these but for marking items not cutting them. I mean metals and some plastics such as kydex. I know this thing would probably cut wood really well... but I don't do wood craft. I am curious about how well it would cut carbon fiber and if a less powerful version would suffice to do that.
Thanks for watching Robert, as a metal cutter it is definitely limited to thin stock but the precision, engraving capabilities, and vast array of materials it is very effective on it’s a contender for someone looking for a lot of versatility. Which machine did you go with?
@@ChadsCustomCreations I went with the Everlast PowerPlasma 82i. So far it is doing well. I figure it will be good enough to do what I want and if my business with it grows I can always upgrade to something better.
A little trick for your air compressor, add a hose 2 or three feet long to the bottom drain with a valve at the end of it to drain it. All the water will remain in the hose not the tank thus saving the tank from corroding as much.
@@ChadsCustomCreations One more, put your compressor on a timer. I use a variable 8 hour timer. If I plan on using it I set it for the hours I plan on being in the space. Never have to worry about it.
Coconut. To reduce warping, have you tried preheating thr metal before cutting? Perhaps you could mount a hair dryer or heat gun to the box and blow hot air into it.
Other metals like a sheet of titanium? Any how like some already mentioned if you need to do some multiple passes then add some heat sinking (big bar of alu/copper/ or just plain metal) and wait between passes.
i wonder how hard they are overpowering the diodes, the cooling solution is also not great those diodes are very sensitive to overtemperature. and no faraday isolator to prevent backreflections. they probably wont last that long but results are looking great. lets see long term.
I did put my thermal temp gun on it when running it for over an hour I couldn’t detect any elevated temps from the outside. If you watch the intro you can see where I tear down the laser head and the whole thing is mainly a giant heat sink. They also used a new style of Diode I don’t really know the difference other than it has a longer rated lifespan to what most other lasers are using. But only time I’ll really tell.
Would you have less warping if you heated the metal itself? I realize the laser is raising the local temperature beyond melting and you can't heat the plastic/electric components that share the same space to those temperatures, but it seems like a heated bed (maybe using electrical current, maybe just a hot bed) would dramatically reduce the metal's tendency to warp wouldn't it?
If thermal conductivity causes issues with warping and such, wouldn't it mean that if you more slowly and uniformly pre-heated the metal sheet in some manner before even starting the laser, you should not then be able to possibly cut through thicker sheets without warping them? The thermal conductivity of the metal will technically decrease at higher temperatures, though probably only a modest amount even if preheated to a couple hundred degrees, but it has to be the non-uniform nature of the heating from the diode that is causing the warping issues so minimising the differential temperature from the cutting point to the farthest edge of the sheet I would hypothesise could have a fairly significant benefit for some of the trickier metals. (though probably you'd also need to make sure the compressed air isn't blowing too cold air in as well which could ultimately be a limiting factor to the benefits I suppose...)
Nice that it can cut brass. Did it warp on 0,2 thickness? Did you use air assist at maximum? And small pieces doesn' t fly away? I need to cut parts in 0,1 and 0,2 brass thickness with no bevel or warping on it, with precise dimensions. Maybe it would be better a 70w with 1064 wavelength? the atomstack 20w fiber seems doesn' t has enaugh power . Thanks
For me the .2mm brass was cutting great and wasn’t showing signs of warping, I believe I was using full air and tiny pieces would go flying but you can add tiny tabs to hold everything in blade that you can tear off afterwards if that’s an issue. I think a 70w 1064 would be better but to my knowledge that’s not available yet for us consumers.
Coconut. I saw the post about using nitrogen, no idea on costs but had wondered about using CO2. I know someone using it for cryotherapy and the nozzle temp is very low. Also like the post idea of just running one or two passes with the laser off to help cool the material, will be curious if you see any real differences with the laser off test passes or if there will be too much heat accumulation to dissipate in a timely manner.
I love that the community can share these ideas in the comments cause I never would have thought of these but they make so much sense I can’t wait to try them.
Coconut water hydration - remember that while you work in your hot shop! Can these cutting lasers also be used for engraving/marking? Maybe you need a kid with a truck to go mobile to the customers?
Yes they can be, that’s a great idea. And yes my shop is super hot these days especially cause I just bonked my metal ceiling fan with a 2x4 and put it out of commission 😅
coconut ... I am an aerospace engineer and I have been waiting for diode lasers to commercially be available at this capability level. Thank you for the video, I totally enjoyed it and I subscribed to your channel.
Roger it’s an honor to have someone of your caliber watching my videos and finding enjoyment in them. I hope you stick around I am sure you have tons of great insights to share.
I wonder if it can cut 0.1mm stainless steel foil without warping and clean sides. I can cut it with my 10W, but it slightly warps and edges are ridged.
When cutting metals you need to use sheilding gas like nitrogen or CO2. On the stainless (well any reflective metal) they make special tape to ease in cutting, but black sharpie works really well in a pinch.
Terry I actually have tested it with oxygen and the temperature was definitely increased but I didn’t have the right valve to get enough air pressure to cut cleanly. I have a video on it if you’re interested is seeing the results.
Have you tried putting the pierce outside the part contour with a small path to it? Let the laser pierce through the material and only then start moving. That's how big fiber lasers do it (I operate 8kW Trumpf fiber lasers daily). Also, thin materials warp way easier than thick ones. I always dread having to cut parts from .5 mm, especially if they have engraving, because it warps from the engraving way more than from the actual cutting. The three points you mentioned are indeed very important and I would like to add the focal point of the laser to that list. Since this laser is meant for engraving, it focuses on the top of the material, but for cutting you want to have the focal point close to the center of the material
This is awesome, I could finally create some mock up parts in a small scale with thin gauge of metal for my bigger parts. Instead going with a thick chunck of metal you can also cut multiple thinner ones and then rivet them all together to replicate a thicker piece.
Coconut kokonut quoquonaught I know it’s not practical (cooling) but can you test pre-heating a metal piece before cutting? Maybe leaving metal in sunlight for 30 min before cutting
Coconut is awesome, especially with almonds! I wonder if something like a coolant spray could be used to help cool the metal while cutting, similar to what is done on machining tools. A water table might work as well, similar to a plasma table.
Matthew thanks for entering the giveaway away sadly this one has ended but I am doing a 5w laser giveaway on my latest video now if you want to join. ruclips.net/video/fCnQL3DcaC4/видео.html
Coconut: I used to work as a drafting and designer at a laser cutting facility, we would use 400W CO2 lasers and 100KW fiber laser to make parts for a wide range of industries. I liked using the equipment after hours to make custom personal projects into reality. I have since moved on in my career, but miss having the lasers to use. I am currently doing some research on a desktop laser to continue with projects from home. I could never afford the equipment to cut 1" thick stainless at home, but a machine that can cut wood and acrylics would be useful.
Kody that’s incredible the amount of power those machines must have! Maybe one day 100KW will be more affordable for the common man until then these 70w are pretty cool and versatile for the average Joe.
Hi, I was curious if you noticed any degredation in power over time as you were testing? 450nm light is very reflective on aluminum, and can damage the higher powered lasers if it reflects back into the diodes. I was wondering if you had any problems with that, or IKier has some kind of antireflection solution in their lenses. Also, I can't find the spec on their website, do you know what the focal length of the lenses are?
Oh that is definitely a concern, I’ve heard putting the material at a slight angle can keep this from happening, I didn’t notice any degradation in power during my test only the fogging of my lens when my compressor built up condensation and I was luck that this did not harm the glass.
@@ChadsCustomCreations Thanks. Ya, I've been angling mine when I use high power on aluminum, just was wondering if you had any issues over time. And you are right, you gotta have clean air because it doesn't take much dirt on the lenses to mess up their efficiency, and to start heating them up and damaging them.
Coconut. This word leads me to my question. Beside cutting metal, woods and acrylic, could a 20w diode laser also cut coconut shells? That would be so cool for me to make some Artesania. Thx Chad.
Coconut: Going to be honest this is why I've stuck with a router for the metal, cleary as happened with PC's things are moving leaps and bounds in the Diode laser sector, so it won't be long before they are powerful enough to handle reasonable thicknesses. Great video, explaining it all.
It’s pretty neat to be able to see the progression in laser technology. When I was a kid I never would have imagined the average joe would have lasers in their homes.
I do believe that blue acrylic cannot be cut with it. But I think it can still work on objects that have blue coatings thanks for watching til the end. Sadly this giveaway has ended but I have another one with a few more days left on my last video if you would like to join in. ruclips.net/video/fCnQL3DcaC4/видео.html
Coconut - who would've thought such an exotic word could lead me to a video that drastically reshapes my outlook on metalworking? Watching the process of cutting metal with a diode laser was nothing short of awe-inspiring. It's a testament to how technology can push the boundaries of what we can create. This video has fueled my passion for innovating in my own projects, pushing me to explore the possibilities within laser technology in new and exciting ways. Winning this contest would enable me to further pursue this technology, refine my skills, and perhaps revolutionize traditional methods in my future creations.
Coconut! I would love to have my hands on this nice laser cuter! I've been unemployed since 2021 and one of my last investments was a 20w Atomstack laser cutter. When it failed, they didn't stand by the warranty, so I lost it...
Coconut - metal cutting would be so cool! I also saw Applied Science cutting glass by putting it in water to dissapate the heat. Maybe that will prevent warping. Not sure if there will be enough heat left to actually cut the metal, but worth a try :)
Hi, try using oxygen as your cutting gas instead of compressed air. You should be able to cut quicker and thicker, by how much, I have no idea but its what big shops use.
@@ChadsCustomCreations I want to be able to cut and engrave acrylic in opaque white and clear for sure so from what I can tell the diode laser is not best, but I am also looking at things like maybe aluminum though not as important as the acrylic. I want to make instrument panels that can have back lighting for like flight simulators and such.
@@kromsavatar oh yes diodes cannot do clear acrylics for that you would want a Co2 laser like the Xtool P2. I have seen people cut opaque white with the S1, But it’s a trade up as the Co2 can’t do Aluminum but even this IKIER 70w can only do those thin aluminum business cards.
Ehhh.... So i have an idea that goes with this, which i might as well share/divulge here: If, instead of directly pointing the cutting laser onto the work piece, you were to point it at a thick, highly polished piece of metal, you could use that piece of metal as an electrode on a welder. This allows for two different alterations that neither the laser nor the welder have on their own: First, the cutting power of the laser can be enhanced by direct electrical action, since electrical discharge can only occur through the laser. Second, the shape of the welding cut can be changed by focal point present on the electrode.
What would happen if you replaced the "air" with oxygen... thereby using the heat to get it hot enough and the oxygen to burn the metal, like cutting torches do?? I think this will open up a whole new set of abilities and thickness, especially since you can accurately control the speeds and pressure and the nozzle tips sizes... my mind is going crazy thinking of it... and combinations of both oxygen and air and pressure and nozzle sizes.... I've seen the mechanical cutters cut super clean lines through 5 inch steal simply because they control the speeds and pressures etc....Blessings
That’s a great idea I did actually attempt this with oxygen and I could tell it was giving me a much higher burn temp but I didn’t have enough air flow to direct the molten metal out and away in a clean fashion. I need a better valve, more oxygen, and maybe a custom nozzle.
Coconut oil is good to use but do not pour it down the drain, unless you want some clogged drains. Anyway, just atumbled across this video and great job on the testing of the metal materials. Does it do any better on colored acrylic?
I have had experience with clogging my drain with coconut oil also hahaha thankfully enough hot water and running the garbage disposal cleared it out. I have not tried the acrylics yet but they showed it cutting some pretty thick black I think they said 18mm
Coconut. Nicely done video. I was not aware that Diode lasers were stepped at 5 watts to achieve higher wattage. I can visualize several projects with a 70 watt unit.
Coconut! I love watching people find non-standard uses for tools & materials. I think it takes a truly creative mind to imagine alternate uses. Several years ago I owned a nice CNC wood router (abt. 2'x3'). It took me about three months to get comfortable with the software (even with my IT background), but when I did it was a great experience! I had several ideas - one of which was making cross-cut tree slab clocks similar to the ones (cypress) my grandfather made back in the 70's & 80's... red cedar, black walnut, birch, etc. I made quite a few clocks, business card holders, phone holders, etc. Sadly, I lost all my shop tools due to relationship ending and the need for money for new housing (I was actually homeless for awhile). I'm now in my 60's, retired, and plenty of time to fill... without much budget (lol). Watching all these videoes has me wishing I had that dream shop back again! Happy cutting!
Coconut. I am interested in the 70 watt laser and I would like to know if I could use it to mark steel with a depth on 0.006”. My goal is to mark parts that I manufacture the parts are 12 x 5 x 0.25” and the area that would be marked is about 3 x 2”. The marking is made up of 50 characters. The of the characters are 3/16 and 1/4” Where can I find machine that you used on this video?
Wow that’s a huge compliment Asher! It was quite a daunting amount of footage I think like 400gbs of footage and since I used multiple cameras the footage was all jumbled up and not in order, lesson learned.
@@ChadsCustomCreations - I believe it! And did you make the explainer animations yourself? Like at 2:15 and 9:15? Those are great teaching tools, Id love to figure out how to do that kind of visual.
@@asherdiy I got luckily with the plasma head animation I was able to find that one online and just tweaked it a bit. The metals and thermal conductivity was all made by me in Final Cut just using key frames images and sound effects it took forever but where else would I find that visual haha 🤣
@@ChadsCustomCreations wow - kudos to you man, I edit in Final Cut too, but if I was trying to do something like the thermals visual, I probably would’ve (lazily) just made a still slide or something. Your approach obviously makes for a much cooler visual. Anyway, I’m a fan, thanks for chatting video making with me.
Coconut I am retired and I’m trying to build a business producing products with a laser. I have a Sculpfun 5.5w and a K-40 CO2 laser but they are painfully slow and I’m afraid of getting a large order. Keep those videos coming!
Hi Coconut ! Jim here, a Disabled Vietnam Vet with a compliment on your video...Nice work ! My little shop is equipped with some 3D printers, and a small diode laser. (1.2 watt) I make some very small item and enjoy 3D printing. Keep up the great videos.
Jim thank you for your service! Sadly this giveaway has ended but I am giving away a 5W laser on my last video if you want to join in. ruclips.net/video/fCnQL3DcaC4/видео.htmlsi=UoPxbQP0AATHyXnb
Hi when you have been testing the 70watt laser cutter have you had any trouble with Lightburn with the laser cutter itself can you control it with lightbulb totally and control the power and speed thanks mark
Hey Mark I had no issues with Lightburn and this machine. I believe LB even has a macro for the auto height adjustment if you don’t want to use the physical button on the machine.
coconut - I'm still having a lot of fun with the laser I picked up and have recently learned that I can engrave on leather. maybe one of these days I'll actually settle on something and start actually producing something to sell lol
Coconut. I am a disabled maker working hard to help others through my creations. I appreciated your video, have wondered for a while about whether I could cut metal, you've answered my questions. 😊
@@ChadsCustomCreations yep, I know, in DIY world the problem with gas assist is the real thing. With tecnichal gas, such as O2, Co2, Ar or mix Ar/H2, Co2/Ar you may have better results but is hard to find and not even legal to detain at home a container of pressurized gas without permission.
Crazy to get 70 watts from diodes. Have you thought about trying to engrave or even carve into stone? I think fiber lasers ablate it away on 50 watts models
Chris it is pretty incredible how they can pack so many diodes in there. Actually yes my last video I used a 20w fiber to carve into slate the results are awesome!
@@ChadsCustomCreations Just gave it a watch, those are pretty good results. Have you tested how deep either the 70 or 20 watt lasers can engrave the stone?
Coconut! I would love to start on craft projects with my wife including paper crafts, wood clocks, wood boxes, etc... The Xtool would be a FANTASTIC addition to my small selection of crafting tools. I like using a scroll saw but the laser would do a much cleaner job. I hope to hear from you soon!
Links to everything mentioned
Laser shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2317200&u=4212672&m=140586&urllink=&afftrack=
Clocks and cut files chadscustomcreations.etsy.com/
Links to air assist equipment
Air Compressor amzn.to/3Q1LXtC
Water Air Separator amzn.to/4bfHo7p
Connectors amzn.to/4aA5ud2
on/off valve amzn.to/4cZ8P6O
Brass and black steel sheet www.jpplus.com/gloss-black-015-brass-coated-steel
6:53 for „milled steel” you could use oxygen but valve and piping should be switched to o2 rated. For stainless and alu some neutral gas like argon or nitrogen should be used. Simple plasma cutter like Hypertherm Powermax use compressed air for all materials - this is sub-optimal (worse on stainless). Higher level plasma cutter use gas switching consoles with different gases. Oxygen in compresed air couse stainless „burning” on edges. CHEERS! :)
Coconut... I could cry I brought a 20w Atomstack fiber laser and it will not cut steel and I brought it to make a prototype of a electric motor design I have come up with. I will have to save up for this laser I think
@@sprinteroz2239 oh really? How thick are you trying to go I saw they have the first 20w 1064nm fiber laser attachment. I assumed it would do better than the 70w 450nm that I have.
@ChadsCustomCreations Thanks for the reply, its 0.5mm steel plate off a washing machine external body, I wanted to make a laser warning sign but even after 5 cuts it only etched into the steal also warped it a lot due to many passes very disappointed in the system. It has no air assist for the fiber laser as I seen you using air to archive a deeper cut in the steel. I want to cut is 0.35 to 0.5mm silicone steel plate, the mr20 it etches names into tools ok, but not much good at cutting. It took me 2 months to get it going as it come with a faulty control board and atomstack would not replace control board so after learning all there controllers the x20 control board and the e85 control boards work with the mr20 fiber laser . Now I find out that it will not cut steel plate, so bit of a waste of money on this product mr20 atomstack shame to say.
Could you try with the steels again while blowing compressed oxygen on it? ⛽🔥
Just a thought; rather than multiple passes continuously, one pass then pause for 30 seconds and run again, repeat as necessary. This is a lesson I was taught in welding thin metal.
Yes this is brilliant I didn’t think about it but this wouldn’t be too hard to set up in lightburn I bet it would make a world of difference I’ve gotta revisit this and probably have 4 secrets to metal cutting
@@ChadsCustomCreations Could you also install a heat sink as your "spoil board" with active cooling? Thermal adhesive would also prevent the need for clamps. You can probably buy an industrial heat sink, or make your own with your fancy laser cutter. :)
@@ChadsCustomCreations Run separate programs for each cut instead and pause as long as you need between each. If the Lightburn software can't do pauses that is. You can also likely trick it by doing some kind of repetitive move command without actually turning on the cutter and using that as a wait function.
Or increase your power output and increase travel speed. I'd also recommend using nitrogen instead of air.
@@niceguy391987 one would some he's already at 100 watts, but yes that would be a no-brainer if not.
Coming from a fibre laser operator, if you replace air with nitrogen, you will get better cuts, have more pressure and wont have issues with water in the air supply. Yes, it costs more to use but it goes a long way and if you get food grade, everything will stay clean. Otherwise, an air dryer will help, along with air and water filters.
Interesting I haven’t thought of nitrogen!
Coconuts kill around 150 people per year falling out of the tree.... on a more serious note, for me anyway, I recently lost my left foot, and I am trying to find a way to contribute to my families finances till I can recover enough to try to work again. I think it's awesome that your last giveaway went to someone who could use the help. It's easy to lose your faith in humanity when you're at the end of your rope. Love your channel. Thank you for what you do.
John I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your foot. What a great man you are to be already thinking how you can already start contributing to your family again already. There is a a lot of bad with humanity but I can tell you are one of the good ones. I am rooting for you to win my friend!
Coconut ! Thanks for testing all those materials. Diodes are getting closer to an all around laser. Thanks for sharing!
I really think they are the future for laser tech. I wonder how long before the laser heads get so big that they end up doing a moving laser head with just the mirrors and nozzle like we see with the Co2 lasers.
Coconut. I'm a maker at heart and always wanted a laser cutter / engraver but I will never be able to afford one since I only make $250 a month. Owning one would be a life changer for me. I already know what products I could design and sell. With a bit of luck this could push my life towards a better direction. Thank you for your time and entertaining videos.
I am definitely rooting for you to win!
microwitch on the lid, so when you open the cover the current was stopped and the fan turn off.
when you open the lid, the current keep flowing and the fan runs
Brilliant solution I might even be able to tap into the safety switch that is already there.
Coconut thanks for taking the time to go through all the capabilities of this machine!
My pleasure I am glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
Warping metal sheet with the multiple passes - have you considered instead of concentrating on one area at a time, switching up the order of passes to do a little here, a little there, allowing time for localised cooling?
That’s a good idea thank you for sharing that I will give it a try!
Coconut and I'm grateful your gift went to people who were down on their luck and were grateful! That, makes you a winner all day, everyday. Congrats! Love the vid and all the things you made. The cat is amazing and he would be lost without you haha
Same here, it felt great being able to share the benefits of having this channel with others especially those in need.
I wonder if doing an exremely quick first pass on the stainless to discolor it would make it easier to cut.
That’s actually a great ideas as it does engrave nice and black at the right speed.
How about sticking a piece of dry ice under the bed, or maybe lay a couple blocks of copper either side of the cut area?
Definitely or a few have suggested putting a delay between each layer to give time for the metal to cool down.
to stop heat building up you need to separate the layers with a pause inbetween. I just draw a small circle in the corner so the laser has to travel to the corner every pass & that adds a few seconds pause between each pass.
This is the way I wish I had thought about it. Thanks for sharing this!
Have you tried to full-on glue the steel plate to a thin stiff material like particle-board/OSB/plywood or such? Something still cutable with the initial pierce but that doesn't warp from heat and keeps the plate in place for the entirety of the cut.....(applying some heat to the metal would break the glue bond and it's metal so cleaning it up should be fairly easy...)
That’s a great idea I haven’t tried it but I definitely need to!
In that last pic of Norman, he looks almost laser cut himself. Was he? How'd you do that? (new sub)
So that image of Norman was made with the xtool laser screen printer kit you can see it in action in my video I put out a few months ago. Thanks for subbing!
soot might make a great coating to boost absorption. it's quick to apply with an acetylene flame, and pretty easy to remove.
Great tip thanks for sharing!
Coconut - I built a custom laser with a 20-watt laser. I'm about to get this 70 watt and make my frame big enough to cut an entire 4' x 8' plywood sheet. Can I get the laser with the control board alone ? Thanks
Great idea! I am not sure if they sell the control board alone but maybe contacting customer services they might be able to work something out with you.
Coconut water is delicious but hard to get to when it is inside a coconut. I would like to see your 70W laser open a coconut in one pass. Thanks for showing this unit it is amazing. I am curious how thick of wood it will cut in 1 pass. I am trying to get my friend to do a business she is a teacher and you know that doesn't make a lot of money she has been selling crafts and needs something easy to work with. I bought her a 50 table co2 laser but to complicated for I have to run it for her.
You’re right about that! Thanks for watching til the end!
Coconut, I'm a newbie. And I work at an engineering company as a technician. I just started working on lasers about 7 weeks ago. Before I worked on automation systems. I really enjoy working on lasers. I would love to have one of my own. Who knows maybe I can get lucky. And if I ever upgrade I can pay it forward.
Lasers are great definitely my favorite CNC machine out there. Sadly this giveaway has ended but I am giving away another in my last video if you wanna join in. ruclips.net/video/fCnQL3DcaC4/видео.htmlsi=VVvnf0aFkQn07mcc
wonder if quantum dots could be used to up the strength of power diode lasers as they do in QD TVs.
I’ve gotta look into this I never heard of that thanks for sharing!
coconut You compared differences to the plasma cutter but the problems appear to be the same. The slag can be from not penetrating or going too fast or too slow. I'm curious if the aluminum was rough on the sides of the cut or not. Also to prevent thermal expansion while cutting larger pieces try implementing breaks for the metal to cool down during different intervals of the cut. During the break a fan can blow on the material to help speed the process. However thats where the water table comes in handy with the plasma as well. I believe without a doubt the laser can be as powerful as the plasma but the water jet is dominating the industry on a large scale. Diamonds are not cheap though.
Ohhh interesting actually putting in breaks even manually would not be hard in my software I should definitely try that! That’s brilliant I so wish I had thought of that! I am going to have to revisit a large scale attempt on that 22 gauge and then if it works I change my 3 secret’s to 4 secrets and give props to you for the idea!
Fiber lasers are only 2-3x the cost of this nowadays & would cut way quicker & cleaner, probably cheaper overall if you have a lot to cut
I’ve been under the impression that the galvo style fiber lasers are not that great for cutting and are pretty limited to that about 4”x4” engrave area.
Coconut! I have operated a 4000-watt Trumpf fiber laser cutter for about 13 years now. When cutting any thin metal, I use nitrogen to keep the material cool.
This is a great tip I didn’t know it was used for the purpose.
Seems odd that "metal cutting" is mentioned but I didn't see a spec anywhere for what thickness.
9:30 here are the thicknesses I was able to cut.
Coconut .. I wonder if you could use a rotary attachment on the XTool and carve/engrave a coconut? Thanks for putting in the hard work to test if the Ikier would cut metal or not, I'm sure it'll help someone out with future projects! Looking forward to getting a laser cutter/engraver in the future myself so that I can start crafting little custom designed keepsakes and mandalas out of various materials.
That’s a great idea! My pleasure doing these test I totally nerd out when new technology comes out like this.
Coconut! I also thought about the pause, but in addition to this: Maybe the warping of the metal stops/decreases if it is sufficiently thick? Maybe it is then doable with several tens of passes without or with shorter pause?
Dr.Djurfeldt that’s a great idea and point about the thicker metals I will definitely have to try this!
I would recommend a desiccant based compressed air dryer and also go way up on pressure. I've run 175psi on a 1kw fiber laser and that seems to work well.
Oh that’s interesting about the higher psi i will have to try that.
I wanted to find an air separator with desiccant but couldn’t find one is that something I can just add to say stage 2 and 3 of a normal 3 stage unit?
Coconut. Is the contest still open? Some interesting info. How do you contact the winners?
A winner has been chosen for this one but I still haven’t heard back from them if not soon I’ll roll the dice again and pick someone else.
I comment on the winner tell them to write me an email I give them another code word and if they comment back with that code word I know the right person emailed me.
It would be interesting to try a water table like plasma cutters use to reduce warping. Put the cutting grid into a pan of water and raise the water level till it just touches the metal. The compressed air is going to spray water everywhere though...
You know I never knew why plasmas have the water tables but it makes sense looking at it that way.
@@ChadsCustomCreations Yep, in addition keeping the material cool so it doesn't warp, the water tables also absorb the smoke and sparks. Some plasma cutting is even done underwater. It's possible that the laser can pass through a thin layer of water, and cut the metal underwater. That would be an interesting experiment to do with the air turned off, but maybe then it won't blow out the melted metal?
Coconut. Solder paste stencils for making printed circuit boards tend to be about 0.125mm (5mils).
I bet it could definitely do that.
Nice work. Having developed high efficiency laser cutting many decades ago, you will obtain significant benefits by dropping your nozzle standoff distance to around 1mm (depending on your nozzle diameter). The gas jet loses substantial momentum with distance from the nozzle exit. More thrust equals greater melt ejection and more efficient cutting. Also, changing to Nitrogen gas will give you clean cuts. Other options are to use a supersonic nozzle, more difficult to design and manufacture. Good luck!
These are some great point I think modifying this unit could make for some great improvements.
After watching this.... I know I made the right choice buying a plasma cutter. I would like to have one of these but for marking items not cutting them. I mean metals and some plastics such as kydex. I know this thing would probably cut wood really well... but I don't do wood craft. I am curious about how well it would cut carbon fiber and if a less powerful version would suffice to do that.
Thanks for watching Robert, as a metal cutter it is definitely limited to thin stock but the precision, engraving capabilities, and vast array of materials it is very effective on it’s a contender for someone looking for a lot of versatility. Which machine did you go with?
@@ChadsCustomCreations I went with the Everlast PowerPlasma 82i. So far it is doing well. I figure it will be good enough to do what I want and if my business with it grows I can always upgrade to something better.
A little trick for your air compressor, add a hose 2 or three feet long to the bottom drain with a valve at the end of it to drain it. All the water will remain in the hose not the tank thus saving the tank from corroding as much.
That is a great idea!
@@ChadsCustomCreations One more, put your compressor on a timer. I use a variable 8 hour timer. If I plan on using it I set it for the hours I plan on being in the space. Never have to worry about it.
Coconut.
To reduce warping, have you tried preheating thr metal before cutting? Perhaps you could mount a hair dryer or heat gun to the box and blow hot air into it.
I have not yet but that is a great idea Louis!
Other metals like a sheet of titanium? Any how like some already mentioned if you need to do some multiple passes then add some heat sinking (big bar of alu/copper/ or just plain metal) and wait between passes.
Definitely great tips I need to revisit this cause the 22 gauge I think is a great thickness for us makers.
Great video but not sure why I can’t save this video to watch later or put into a play list. Any thoughts
Hmm interesting not sure what might be causing that, I hope I didn’t mess something up while publishing.
Coconut, can you show the etching on the metals, with each laser?
That’s a great idea for a video I’ll put that on my list!
i wonder how hard they are overpowering the diodes, the cooling solution is also not great those diodes are very sensitive to overtemperature. and no faraday isolator to prevent backreflections.
they probably wont last that long but results are looking great. lets see long term.
I did put my thermal temp gun on it when running it for over an hour I couldn’t detect any elevated temps from the outside. If you watch the intro you can see where I tear down the laser head and the whole thing is mainly a giant heat sink. They also used a new style of Diode I don’t really know the difference other than it has a longer rated lifespan to what most other lasers are using. But only time I’ll really tell.
Coconut I love, that you also dropped the I in Aluminium in the conductivity, not just in the pronounciation. 😊.
That’s how we spell it and say it here in the United States but it’s not as cute as Aluminium I must admit.
Would you have less warping if you heated the metal itself? I realize the laser is raising the local temperature beyond melting and you can't heat the plastic/electric components that share the same space to those temperatures, but it seems like a heated bed (maybe using electrical current, maybe just a hot bed) would dramatically reduce the metal's tendency to warp wouldn't it?
That’s a great idea I would definitely like to try this and share the results.
If thermal conductivity causes issues with warping and such, wouldn't it mean that if you more slowly and uniformly pre-heated the metal sheet in some manner before even starting the laser, you should not then be able to possibly cut through thicker sheets without warping them?
The thermal conductivity of the metal will technically decrease at higher temperatures, though probably only a modest amount even if preheated to a couple hundred degrees, but it has to be the non-uniform nature of the heating from the diode that is causing the warping issues so minimising the differential temperature from the cutting point to the farthest edge of the sheet I would hypothesise could have a fairly significant benefit for some of the trickier metals.
(though probably you'd also need to make sure the compressed air isn't blowing too cold air in as well which could ultimately be a limiting factor to the benefits I suppose...)
This is some great insight thanks for sharing I will give this a shot!
Nice that it can cut brass. Did it warp on 0,2 thickness? Did you use air assist at maximum? And small pieces doesn' t fly away? I need to cut parts in 0,1 and 0,2 brass thickness with no bevel or warping on it, with precise dimensions. Maybe it would be better a 70w with 1064 wavelength? the atomstack 20w fiber seems doesn' t has enaugh power . Thanks
For me the .2mm brass was cutting great and wasn’t showing signs of warping, I believe I was using full air and tiny pieces would go flying but you can add tiny tabs to hold everything in blade that you can tear off afterwards if that’s an issue.
I think a 70w 1064 would be better but to my knowledge that’s not available yet for us consumers.
@@ChadsCustomCreations thanks. At that speed maybe it can run with low air and cut 0,2 brass without putting tabs?
@ I think that would be a possibility for sure.
Coconut. I saw the post about using nitrogen, no idea on costs but had wondered about using CO2. I know someone using it for cryotherapy and the nozzle temp is very low. Also like the post idea of just running one or two passes with the laser off to help cool the material, will be curious if you see any real differences with the laser off test passes or if there will be too much heat accumulation to dissipate in a timely manner.
I love that the community can share these ideas in the comments cause I never would have thought of these but they make so much sense I can’t wait to try them.
Coconut water hydration - remember that while you work in your hot shop! Can these cutting lasers also be used for engraving/marking? Maybe you need a kid with a truck to go mobile to the customers?
Yes they can be, that’s a great idea. And yes my shop is super hot these days especially cause I just bonked my metal ceiling fan with a 2x4 and put it out of commission 😅
coconut ... I am an aerospace engineer and I have been waiting for diode lasers to commercially be available at this capability level. Thank you for the video, I totally enjoyed it and I subscribed to your channel.
Roger it’s an honor to have someone of your caliber watching my videos and finding enjoyment in them. I hope you stick around I am sure you have tons of great insights to share.
I wonder if it can cut 0.1mm stainless steel foil without warping and clean sides. I can cut it with my 10W, but it slightly warps and edges are ridged.
I would bet it could.
When cutting metals you need to use sheilding gas like nitrogen or CO2. On the stainless (well any reflective metal) they make special tape to ease in cutting, but black sharpie works really well in a pinch.
These are great tips thanks so much.
It would be interesting to see what would happen if you used something like O2 assist gas.
Terry I actually have tested it with oxygen and the temperature was definitely increased but I didn’t have the right valve to get enough air pressure to cut cleanly. I have a video on it if you’re interested is seeing the results.
Have you tried putting the pierce outside the part contour with a small path to it? Let the laser pierce through the material and only then start moving.
That's how big fiber lasers do it (I operate 8kW Trumpf fiber lasers daily). Also, thin materials warp way easier than thick ones. I always dread having to cut parts from .5 mm, especially if they have engraving, because it warps from the engraving way more than from the actual cutting.
The three points you mentioned are indeed very important and I would like to add the focal point of the laser to that list.
Since this laser is meant for engraving, it focuses on the top of the material, but for cutting you want to have the focal point close to the center of the material
That’s a good idea they have the settings in lightburn to do that I’ll have to give that a try.
This is awesome, I could finally create some mock up parts in a small scale with thin gauge of metal for my bigger parts.
Instead going with a thick chunck of metal you can also cut multiple thinner ones and then rivet them all together to replicate a thicker piece.
Sierra that’s such a great point I think this machine is perfect for this application.
Coconut boy I would love the 10W XTool to complete the memory tree planter I made for my daughter
Eric that’s sounds like a great reason to win. I am rooting for you!
Coconut, you do have great ideas and makes. Always nice watching your creations
Johan that means a lot to me thank you for watching til the end!
Coconut kokonut quoquonaught
I know it’s not practical (cooling) but can you test pre-heating a metal piece before cutting? Maybe leaving metal in sunlight for 30 min before cutting
Interesting thought I need to try that!
Coconut is awesome, especially with almonds!
I wonder if something like a coolant spray could be used to help cool the metal while cutting, similar to what is done on machining tools. A water table might work as well, similar to a plasma table.
Great idea I think some kind of cooling or even waiting between layers would enable thicker metals.
Coconut
I've been a bit too busy with work as of late, but im making a concerted effort to get back into DIY and making
Matthew thanks for entering the giveaway away sadly this one has ended but I am doing a 5w laser giveaway on my latest video now if you want to join.
ruclips.net/video/fCnQL3DcaC4/видео.html
Coconuts, how does the 70 watt laser do on granite? I’m thinking of using one for a new business but haven’t seen it used on granite materials.
I’ve gotta grab some and test it out. I imagine it would be similar to what you see people doing with slate coasters though,
Coconut shell can be cut? You got me thinking about some new projects...
I bet it could, glad to hear it I am always trying to inspire others.
Thanks!
Wow that’s incredibly generous of you!!! I will put this towards future video productions. Best community here on RUclips.
Coconut as in what is the flight to weight ratio needed to carry them from Africa to England. :)
Haha is this a Monty python reference?
Coconut: I used to work as a drafting and designer at a laser cutting facility, we would use 400W CO2 lasers and 100KW fiber laser to make parts for a wide range of industries. I liked using the equipment after hours to make custom personal projects into reality. I have since moved on in my career, but miss having the lasers to use. I am currently doing some research on a desktop laser to continue with projects from home. I could never afford the equipment to cut 1" thick stainless at home, but a machine that can cut wood and acrylics would be useful.
Kody that’s incredible the amount of power those machines must have! Maybe one day 100KW will be more affordable for the common man until then these 70w are pretty cool and versatile for the average Joe.
Perhaps you could try using a heat sink as your back plate.. for extra cooling
Now that’s a great idea!
Hi, I was curious if you noticed any degredation in power over time as you were testing? 450nm light is very reflective on aluminum, and can damage the higher powered lasers if it reflects back into the diodes. I was wondering if you had any problems with that, or IKier has some kind of antireflection solution in their lenses.
Also, I can't find the spec on their website, do you know what the focal length of the lenses are?
Oh that is definitely a concern, I’ve heard putting the material at a slight angle can keep this from happening, I didn’t notice any degradation in power during my test only the fogging of my lens when my compressor built up condensation and I was luck that this did not harm the glass.
@@ChadsCustomCreations Thanks. Ya, I've been angling mine when I use high power on aluminum, just was wondering if you had any issues over time. And you are right, you gotta have clean air because it doesn't take much dirt on the lenses to mess up their efficiency, and to start heating them up and damaging them.
Coconut. This word leads me to my question. Beside cutting metal, woods and acrylic, could a 20w diode laser also cut coconut shells? That would be so cool for me to make some Artesania. Thx Chad.
I bet it would and can you image the smell, toasted coconut yummy!
@@ChadsCustomCreations😂😂
Chad could you please share a link for the stand-off mounts? Thanks
Here are some www.walmart.com/ip/2414770833
Please try with a thin sheet of titanium (Ti-6Al-4V)
I definitely need to try that thanks for the recommendation!
Coconut. That black/brass steel looked really nice lasered. Have you tried painting any metals and then lasering to reveal color patterns
Yes I have it works great and that doesn’t take much power either to remove the painted layer.
details on that knife blank please!!!! metal thickness & all!!
Apologies the knife blank example I showed was just an examples I pulled off the internet.
Coconut would be interesting to engrave/cut. would have to be pretty symetrical though to stay in focus i suppose.
Ryan that’s a great idea! Maybe with the curved surface engraving that the Xtool S1 has maybe it would be possible.
Coconut: Going to be honest this is why I've stuck with a router for the metal, cleary as happened with PC's things are moving leaps and bounds in the Diode laser sector, so it won't be long before they are powerful enough to handle reasonable thicknesses. Great video, explaining it all.
It’s pretty neat to be able to see the progression in laser technology. When I was a kid I never would have imagined the average joe would have lasers in their homes.
@@ChadsCustomCreations Back in my day, we never dreamed we'd all have PC's let alone tiny hand held ones that allow you to make calls too!
Coconut Are there any colors like "blue" that would prevent the laser from doing its job ?
I do believe that blue acrylic cannot be cut with it. But I think it can still work on objects that have blue coatings thanks for watching til the end. Sadly this giveaway has ended but I have another one with a few more days left on my last video if you would like to join in.
ruclips.net/video/fCnQL3DcaC4/видео.html
Coconut - who would've thought such an exotic word could lead me to a video that drastically reshapes my outlook on metalworking? Watching the process of cutting metal with a diode laser was nothing short of awe-inspiring. It's a testament to how technology can push the boundaries of what we can create. This video has fueled my passion for innovating in my own projects, pushing me to explore the possibilities within laser technology in new and exciting ways. Winning this contest would enable me to further pursue this technology, refine my skills, and perhaps revolutionize traditional methods in my future creations.
Beautifully written glad to have you here on the channel. I love seeing the laser tech progress over these past few years.
For metals I’m waiting on the diode laser assisted water jet head - a killer combo.
Tim that would be an incredible combo!
Coconut have you ever layered coconut shells. Very flammable probably flame test it outside first
I have not but night be worth a shot! I want some coconut plywood!
@@ChadsCustomCreations careful… coconut shells burn like jet fuel once they get going
Coconut!
I would love to have my hands on this nice laser cuter!
I've been unemployed since 2021 and one of my last investments was a 20w Atomstack laser cutter. When it failed, they didn't stand by the warranty, so I lost it...
Oh that’s awful to hear atomstack did not take care of you. How long did it last?
Coconut I yave often wondered if a diode would cut metal. I've had decent luck permanently marking hand tools with a ten watt.
Yes even the 10w have some pretty impressive results when it comes to marking metals.
coconut - -how does the laser cutters go for gasket materials?
Amazingly well, I’ve used it with some gasket rubber to make a seal for my pool skimmer.
Coconut - metal cutting would be so cool! I also saw Applied Science cutting glass by putting it in water to dissapate the heat. Maybe that will prevent warping. Not sure if there will be enough heat left to actually cut the metal, but worth a try :)
Such an interesting idea I’ve gotta try this thanks for sharing!
Coconut is amazing. So is the XTool. I live in Alaska and need a winter hobby.
@@Rahn907 thanks for watching! I’ve always dreamed of living in Alaska, some winter hobbies are a great idea!
Hi, try using oxygen as your cutting gas instead of compressed air. You should be able to cut quicker and thicker, by how much, I have no idea but its what big shops use.
That’s a great idea I’ve tried it before and it definitely increases the burn temp but I need to get a better value for more air flow.
Coconut or not I want to get into laser cutting and engraving but have not figured out what to get or start with.
I am still a fan of the Xtool S1 for anyone starting out here is my video showing it off.
ruclips.net/video/NNcsMqg7h_A/видео.html
@@ChadsCustomCreations I want to be able to cut and engrave acrylic in opaque white and clear for sure so from what I can tell the diode laser is not best, but I am also looking at things like maybe aluminum though not as important as the acrylic. I want to make instrument panels that can have back lighting for like flight simulators and such.
@@kromsavatar oh yes diodes cannot do clear acrylics for that you would want a Co2 laser like the Xtool P2. I have seen people cut opaque white with the S1, But it’s a trade up as the Co2 can’t do Aluminum but even this IKIER 70w can only do those thin aluminum business cards.
Ehhh.... So i have an idea that goes with this, which i might as well share/divulge here:
If, instead of directly pointing the cutting laser onto the work piece, you were to point it at a thick, highly polished piece of metal, you could use that piece of metal as an electrode on a welder.
This allows for two different alterations that neither the laser nor the welder have on their own:
First, the cutting power of the laser can be enhanced by direct electrical action, since electrical discharge can only occur through the laser.
Second, the shape of the welding cut can be changed by focal point present on the electrode.
Very interesting ideas thank you for sharing!
What would happen if you replaced the "air" with oxygen... thereby using the heat to get it hot enough and the oxygen to burn the metal, like cutting torches do?? I think this will open up a whole new set of abilities and thickness, especially since you can accurately control the speeds and pressure and the nozzle tips sizes... my mind is going crazy thinking of it... and combinations of both oxygen and air and pressure and nozzle sizes.... I've seen the mechanical cutters cut super clean lines through 5 inch steal simply because they control the speeds and pressures etc....Blessings
That’s a great idea I did actually attempt this with oxygen and I could tell it was giving me a much higher burn temp but I didn’t have enough air flow to direct the molten metal out and away in a clean fashion. I need a better valve, more oxygen, and maybe a custom nozzle.
Coconut oil is good to use but do not pour it down the drain, unless you want some clogged drains.
Anyway, just atumbled across this video and great job on the testing of the metal materials. Does it do any better on colored acrylic?
I have had experience with clogging my drain with coconut oil also hahaha thankfully enough hot water and running the garbage disposal cleared it out.
I have not tried the acrylics yet but they showed it cutting some pretty thick black I think they said 18mm
Coconut. Nicely done video. I was not aware that Diode lasers were stepped at 5 watts to achieve higher wattage. I can visualize several projects with a 70 watt unit.
I think there are some others that can go higher but the 5.5w seems to be the most practical at this point in time.
Coconut! I love watching people find non-standard uses for tools & materials. I think it takes a truly creative mind to imagine alternate uses.
Several years ago I owned a nice CNC wood router (abt. 2'x3'). It took me about three months to get comfortable with the software (even with my IT background), but when I did it was a great experience! I had several ideas - one of which was making cross-cut tree slab clocks similar to the ones (cypress) my grandfather made back in the 70's & 80's... red cedar, black walnut, birch, etc. I made quite a few clocks, business card holders, phone holders, etc. Sadly, I lost all my shop tools due to relationship ending and the need for money for new housing (I was actually homeless for awhile). I'm now in my 60's, retired, and plenty of time to fill... without much budget (lol). Watching all these videoes has me wishing I had that dream shop back again! Happy cutting!
Mark that is an incredible journey, I hope we can get you your workshop back!
Coconut.
I am interested in the 70 watt laser and I would like to know if I could use it to mark steel with a depth on 0.006”.
My goal is to mark parts that I manufacture the parts are 12 x 5 x 0.25” and the area that would be marked is about 3 x 2”. The marking is made up of 50 characters. The of the characters are 3/16 and 1/4”
Where can I find machine that you used on this video?
I think it would definitely be able to do this. I have this machine linked in the video description. Let me know if I can help in any way.
Coconut, have you ever tried to cut open on with this laser?
Not yet but after all these comments I'd be coconuts to not try it.
Coconut - This would be a very interesting way of cutting battery spot weld connection tabs, just the thicknesses you need either in copper or nickel.
I think it would be perfect for that!
Dude - this is like a Mark Rober video. Huge props for such a well crafted vid. This must have taken ages to edit. Well done sir, well done.
Wow that’s a huge compliment Asher! It was quite a daunting amount of footage I think like 400gbs of footage and since I used multiple cameras the footage was all jumbled up and not in order, lesson learned.
@@ChadsCustomCreations - I believe it! And did you make the explainer animations yourself? Like at 2:15 and 9:15? Those are great teaching tools, Id love to figure out how to do that kind of visual.
@@asherdiy I got luckily with the plasma head animation I was able to find that one online and just tweaked it a bit. The metals and thermal conductivity was all made by me in Final Cut just using key frames images and sound effects it took forever but where else would I find that visual haha 🤣
@@ChadsCustomCreations wow - kudos to you man, I edit in Final Cut too, but if I was trying to do something like the thermals visual, I probably would’ve (lazily) just made a still slide or something. Your approach obviously makes for a much cooler visual. Anyway, I’m a fan, thanks for chatting video making with me.
Would you be able to use argon to cool your metal like a mig welder users to keep metal cool around a weld?
I think you very well could I definitely need to give that a try.
Coconut I am retired and I’m trying to build a business producing products with a laser. I have a Sculpfun 5.5w and a K-40 CO2 laser but they are painfully slow and I’m afraid of getting a large order. Keep those videos coming!
Thank you so much for watching til the end!
Hi Coconut ! Jim here, a Disabled Vietnam Vet with a compliment on your video...Nice work ! My little shop is equipped with some 3D printers, and a small diode laser. (1.2 watt) I make some very small item and enjoy 3D printing. Keep up the great videos.
Jim thank you for your service! Sadly this giveaway has ended but I am giving away a 5W laser on my last video if you want to join in. ruclips.net/video/fCnQL3DcaC4/видео.htmlsi=UoPxbQP0AATHyXnb
Coconut flavored drinks are all the craze, but what I could make with a 20W diode laser would be sure to amaze. Congrats on all your trials.
Thanks for watching Larry!
Hi when you have been testing the 70watt laser cutter have you had any trouble with Lightburn with the laser cutter itself can you control it with lightbulb totally and control the power and speed thanks mark
Hey Mark I had no issues with Lightburn and this machine. I believe LB even has a macro for the auto height adjustment if you don’t want to use the physical button on the machine.
@@ChadsCustomCreations thank so much for getting back to me
coconut - I'm still having a lot of fun with the laser I picked up and have recently learned that I can engrave on leather. maybe one of these days I'll actually settle on something and start actually producing something to sell lol
Glad to hear it Bill lasers are great on leather!
Coconut. I am a disabled maker working hard to help others through my creations. I appreciated your video, have wondered for a while about whether I could cut metal, you've answered my questions. 😊
Iris I am so happy to hear this was helpful for you and love to hear you are helping others too! Wishing you the best.
Have you tried to use Argon gas for improve the aspect of the cut??
I have not yet, I’ve used oxygen and the results were definitely a hotter burn but I didn’t have enough pressure out of the valve I had.
@@ChadsCustomCreations yep, I know, in DIY world the problem with gas assist is the real thing. With tecnichal gas, such as O2, Co2, Ar or mix Ar/H2, Co2/Ar you may have better results but is hard to find and not even legal to detain at home a container of pressurized gas without permission.
Crazy to get 70 watts from diodes. Have you thought about trying to engrave or even carve into stone? I think fiber lasers ablate it away on 50 watts models
Chris it is pretty incredible how they can pack so many diodes in there. Actually yes my last video I used a 20w fiber to carve into slate the results are awesome!
@@ChadsCustomCreations Just gave it a watch, those are pretty good results. Have you tested how deep either the 70 or 20 watt lasers can engrave the stone?
Coconut! I would love to start on craft projects with my wife including paper crafts, wood clocks, wood boxes, etc... The Xtool would be a FANTASTIC addition to my small selection of crafting tools. I like using a scroll saw but the laser would do a much cleaner job. I hope to hear from you soon!
Norman thanks for watching!
Coconut. I have some materials I would really want to test on the K1 and would be willing to ship some if you would test them.
Are we talking gold?