Laser cutter Vs Engraver

General Forum Stuff...Introduce yourself

Laser cutter Vs Engraver

Postby neuman5022 » Tue Jun 02, 2015 11:47 am

Hello Folks,

Sorry if it may sound a bit silly, (OK - as a newbie I am entitled for few I guess) but is there any difference between an engraver and cutter ?

In some places I see "cutter" and in some "engraver" and also "cutter/engraver" - but it looks to me they are the same - are they ?

I understand that the main issue is power of the beam, but apart from that - is there any mechanical/electronic difference here ?

My goal is to have them both in the same machine, but I would like to know if this is possible and whether I need to change something in order to achieve this.

Many thanks

Isaac
neuman5022
 
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu May 28, 2015 1:23 am

Re: Laser cutter Vs Engraver

Postby Techgraphix » Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:22 pm

Let's say it this way: almost every engraver can cut. But not every cutter can engrave: the problem is the controller and software. Some try to control the laser with a controller that's meant to be used for routers etc.. Mach3 is an example, although there are some people that managed to get it making engravings and quite good too..
For engraving you need not too much power, let's say 20-80W. for cutting, you need more power: 30 Watts can cut 3mm acryllic sheet quite well but if you want to cut thicker material you need more power.. 60-80W is good for both applications. (CO2 lasers)
And then the lenses: for cutting you need longer focal lengths then for engraving.. in fact: for cutting, longer is better and for engraving shorter is better. 50mm is a focal length that is widely used for both cutting and engraving.
Kees
Techgraphix
 
Posts: 122
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:37 pm
Location: Appelscha, NL

Re: Laser cutter Vs Engraver

Postby r691175002 » Wed Jun 03, 2015 1:13 am

Sometimes a laser engraver also refers to low power hobbyist builds (diode based) that can only engrave and not cut.
r691175002
 
Posts: 242
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 5:05 pm

Re: Laser cutter Vs Engraver

Postby neuman5022 » Wed Jun 03, 2015 5:29 am

Thanks guys,

This makes things clearer for me.

Still heaps to learn :-)

Cheers

Isaac
neuman5022
 
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu May 28, 2015 1:23 am


Return to General Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 34 guests

cron