Video showing how I installed the 2.8W Laser by JTech Photonics!

Laser Cutting
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Here is a link to the video where I install the 2.8W Laser and driver by JTech Photonics. Adding a Laser Engraver to my X-Carve

4 Likes
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Great, I haven’t even received a shipping notice for my X-Carve and already have a long list of upgrades and add ons I want.

Thanks for the informative video. So what are your impressions of the laser after more use?

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that looks great

what version of gbrl will you be using

the inventables default
or the gbrl g for doing bmp pictures

hope to see more videos

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@RickGunz I have been having that issues since I first purchased the Shapeoko 2 and it hasn’t stopped since. So far the laser seems more than powerful enough for any engraving. I haven’t tried cutting yet and am told that depending on the material you would just have to do multiple passes.

@drphobus Thanks, I am using the Inventables default gbrl setup since I want to be able to switch between the two. I have tried a photo and it seems to work fine. This of course is a new set of things I need to learn as far as finding out which power settings and feed speeds are best depending on the task. I will post some project videos as I go.

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Hi MikeMerzke. What software You use to engrave or create g-code?

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I have been playing around with a couple of them. The first is Laser Etch and the other is PicLaser.

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hi mike great job is just what I want, can you tell me where you bought the laser and the characteristics of … ( I do not speak very well English , sorry ) greetings …

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Mario the kit was provided by JTech Photonics and all of the characteristics can be found at their website. http://jtechphotonics.com/

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Hi Mike, could you use this to cut cardboard? Say something the thickness of an old 12" vinyl record sleeve?

If not, any tips on cutting cardboard and getting a nice smooth edge?

Thanks!

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mike thank you very much

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I’m not sure… I would think it would. It is all about finding that sweet spot on intensity of the laser and the feed rate that it moves. If it will cut wood then it will cut cardboard. You just might have to play around with the settings to get it right without starting your project on fire.

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Your very welcome!

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Maf,

I’ve cut that kind of card with the 2.8w JTECH. Several passes, high power with fast feed rates cuts fine and minimises charing. Material colour affects the cut, glossy white card can take a few more passes than matte black.

Cheers

Ian

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Question. When I was reading instructions, it said laser had to be 1.2 inches away from surface. At that depth, the router is in the way. How did u set it up.

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Chad,

I believe it all depends on how the laser is focused. I focused mine so it sits about 2.5" above the work piece. Jtech Photonics has some articles on their blog on different methods of focusing the laser. I’m sure I could tweak it a little more but stopped at good enough.

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Needs to be a starter video to show how to setup to start laser engraving. I have seen the one on installation, but haven’t had any luck with my laser yet.

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I would love to see that. I plan on buying one of the kits to add to my x-carve in a couple of month.

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@MikeMerzke. Any plans on making a video for setting up the Gcode changes and importing gcode for the laser? Maybe some set up tips and tweaks? Great video by the way, I feel pretty confident ordering and installing the laser because of it, just need a little more instruction on the software tweaks and getting started.

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I am hoping to get a video out on more details about using the laser. This whole day job is killing me! There are a few options for all of that and I am still working out what works best for me. Hopefully here soon I’ll have some time to put something together.

1 Like