Laser Engraver

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dhellew2
Vectric Wizard
Posts: 1322
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 10:14 pm
Model of CNC Machine: Legacy Artisan 72 and AVID CNC Rotary
Location: Royal City Washington

Laser Engraver

Post by dhellew2 »

I am in the market to buy a laser engraver. If you have one I would to know what you have, how you like it, and any hardware suggestion you may have. Thanks in advance. Dale

PS I already have vector software available, corel and adobe illustrator
You will get old if you live long enough!
Young = time, no money
Old = money, no time
Dale

GaryR6
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Posts: 401
Joined: Sat May 23, 2009 6:28 pm
Location: AZ

Re: Laser Engraver

Post by GaryR6 »

Go to the creek......http://www.sawmillcreek.org/forum.php
The creek has hundreds of post on machines types etc (engraving sub group).
I own both china and western..... learned on the cheaper china group and now use western equipment.
If you are engraving on wood, a laser is hard to beat..... very fast clean etc.

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mikeacg
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Model of CNC Machine: Camaster Stinger, Sidewinder, SB 4x4
Location: Newberry, MI
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Re: Laser Engraver

Post by mikeacg »

Dale,

I bought my Epilog back in May of 2000 and it has served me well. I highly recommend the rotary attachment as well. I had to replace the laser once (after about 9 years of use it finally started to wear out) but that was only about $1800 and took about 30 minutes. Their service people are top-notch and they are centrally located in the US so replacement parts would not be an issue. My only complaint now is that I wish I had more power (mine is only a 25w which limits me to about 1/4" cutting depth) but it is still working so great so I hate to replace it. I also have a purger on it to clear away the smells (I blow it out into my porch so it slowly dissipates and doesn't annoy the neighbors with the smell or the noise - rubber stamps stink and this really helps!).

Mike

nicksilva
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Model of CNC Machine: ULS M300, Rockler 60th Ann. Shark
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Re: Laser Engraver

Post by nicksilva »

I have a vintage ULS M-300 45 watts model. (in 2001 only 50 watts were available. Now you can go to 100 w).
It is a workhorse. Running time on it is at least 6 hours/day without fail.
My choice was between the Epilog and ULS and in the end the reason I chose ULS boiled down to
the rotary fixture.
The Epilog uses two rollers which works well on items that are round. The ULS one uses basically
a lathe setup which I like for wood turnings, and it allows me to make small fixtures to hold odd
shaped items. The support has also been top notch. There have been changes in the last 12 years
but mostly on the software/driver side. Both machines are very sound, american made machines.

You hear a lot more about Epilog because they are smart and market a LOT to the hobby side.
ULS seems to market more to the industrial side of the business. I will say however, I see a lot
more messages on SMC about Epilog machine problems than I read about ULS problems.
Myself, I've only had 1 issue in 12 years which was a door sensor.

Good luck in your search.
"Out of my mind. Back in 5 Minutes."

momojito
Posts: 23
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:44 pm
Model of CNC Machine: Shark pro
Location: SW FLORIDA

Re: Laser Engraver

Post by momojito »

Hi
I just bought a used Epilog Helix 50 Watt with Rotary attachment 3 Weeks ago. Mfg date was Nov 2011. Bed size 24" X 18". It came from a company in Mexico that was bought out by an American company that did not want it. I had a few issues with the machine mostly because it was not maintained correctly in Mexico. I contacted Epilog and I have to say they are an outstanding company. They replaced parts for me and spent hours on the phone and did not rush me. They talked me through the repairs. Overnighted parts to me. I am so thankful that I bought an American Made Machine. I can not find words to say how great Epilog customer support is. Check out on Facebook the Epilog Laser Fans site. The help their is just like the Vectric and CNC shark Forums (A Group of Great People Helping One Another)
BRUCE

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dhellew2
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Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 10:14 pm
Model of CNC Machine: Legacy Artisan 72 and AVID CNC Rotary
Location: Royal City Washington

Re: Laser Engraver

Post by dhellew2 »

Thanks to everyone for the information. Dale
You will get old if you live long enough!
Young = time, no money
Old = money, no time
Dale

garylmast
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Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 4:03 pm
Location: Sandy, Utah

Re: Laser Engraver

Post by garylmast »

I bought my Laser Engraver with Rotary attachment from Signwarehouse.com about about 10-years ago. It's been a good machine, however it is only 20-watt which engraves great, but the cutting capacity is very limited. I wished it was 60-watt or better, I would like it a lot better. Another problem, the drivers will only install on Windows XP, so when the computer dies, so will the engraver.

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