I’d like to say thanks to everyone in this thread for the valuable information and feedback. Your contributions are immensely beneficial, especially for those who are still learning and may not yet know which questions to ask.
I went with Neje e80 (24 watt). 3D printed a mount plate for it that matches the threaded holes for the Sienci laser.
How does the K30 do on engraving? I’ve ordered an Altmill and would like to add a laser. I’m thinking of going with a V2 20 W or K30. With the Altmill, maybe the faster speed capability of the CNC and the auxillary functions of the K30 would be worth the $200+ more to K30? Your thoughts will be appreciated.
Morning Joe, pure speculation here but from what I’ve heard, the Altmill is more solid than the MKII. That being the case, you should be able to up the speed of the engraving but even on the MKII, it far exceeds the capabilities of the 7 watt.
I’d probably still go with the K30 if i had the altmill.
Do you know what the speed of the altmill is limited at?
Just read that the Altmill is capable of 600ipm, so 15,000mm/m. I am engraving at 2500mm/m so if thats the case, 6x faster. Yeah, I’d definitely go with the K30!
Thank you Minidb. Regarding speeds DilbeckHamilton of CNC with Me did a review and comparison of the Onefinity and Altmill. I think he ran both at 400 ipm. For 3d carving, the Altmill finished 40% faster, presumably do to its faster speeds at non-carving movements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6t3FNtgyts
@Minidb based on this thread I went ahead and ordered a laser tree 20w. My 7w sienci laser is having a difficult time engraving on wood requiring multiple passes to get acceptable results. While waiting for the unit to arrive I have been looking at the owners manual. It appears I will have to use the driver board that comes with it and connect from the slb to the new board. As it appears that the unit does not come with connectors do you know what type of connector I need to purchase?
Here’s a list of the connectors used on the slb.
@Spamming_Eddie thanks, but the one I am referencing is the 2 pin connector to plug into the board that will come with the laser.
My bad, you were asking @Minidb
I didn’t noticed that and jumped right in.
Sorry for the intrusion.
No problem any input is appreciated
Sorry about the slow response, tis the season. I’ll take a look at what I used and get back to you. I actually bought a assortment of connectors from Amazon to make sureI had the right one
The connector needed for pin #6 is a jst xh 2.54
I picked up this kit and some stranded wire to run from the drive adapter to the laser.
2.54mm XH Connector Socket Kit… 2.54mm XH Connector Socket Kit with pre-Crimped Cable Wire 2/3/4/5/6/7 Pin Housing JST Adapter Cable Male and Female Compatible with JST-XH Connector (Connector&Socket), Terminals & Kits - Amazon Canada
Thanks @Minidb appreciate the support. Hope you have a joyous Christmas and a happy new year.
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Here is one creator that uses Opt Lasers
It’s on AltMill, but still
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so it’s not possible to share youtube video from Bucky’s customs? :o
@LucasMichael Your posts were flagged for my attention owing to the links in both of them, and the fact that these were your first posts. I don’t know why the flag was not reported to me until now, but the post is up and live now.
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so an update and my review after installing the lasertree 20W verses the seinci 7W. Installation was simple just need a connector to connect the PWM wire from slb to lasertree driver board. I mounted the laser to the mounting plate (just had to drill 2 holes) that came with the seinci laser, I also had the magnetic laser mount from sienci so it is very easy to put laser on and off.
I have the longmill 48 x 30 with slb.
Cutting with the seinci laser is not a viable option whereas the lasertree cuts very well and cleanly. You do need air assist and speed during the cut is essential. I cut 1/8inch birch ply at 6000mm/min in 1 pass, also did 1/4 maple ply in 2 passes at 6000mm/min. So in this category there really is no comparison.
Engraving. Seinci laser engraves quite well. Testing on cherry lumber doing a line engraving and text I get good results on dip 4, 30% @ 1500mm/min with g2 lense. Laser tree gave a better end result @ 6000mm/min and 10% this is probable due to a smaller dot size though I have not checked. The upside apart from better quality engrave is the increase in speed.
Photo engraving for seinci laser I get excellent results with 3e lense, dip 4, 100% power @3500mm/min. Tested atkinson, newsprint, dither, and jarvis all were very sharp between 70 and 100% power with best results @100%. Laser tree was nowhere close with a speed of 6000mm/min and max power of 5%. The issue being color gradient due to having to set the power so low. If speed could be increased more of the range of power of the lasertree could be utilised which would give more color variation.
In conclusion if you want to use a laser to cut go with the lasertree but if engraving especially photos the the seinci wins hands down though I suspect that the lasertree 10W would be a better option for the longmill and the 20W if you have the altmill.
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Hey Michael,
Great review. I am amazed how quick you can cut through material with a diode unit. I need to flag your post to revisit it for when my ship with gold finaly reaches port.
I suspected that the 7W would outdo the 20W unit but was sure it would have to do with the lens system and the large focal point of some of the lenses. You suspecting the 20W would outdo the 7W if you could reach higher sleeds is interesting.
Would it be possible to play with light and contrast to brighten an image before adding the stuci (or which ever one you use) filter thus being able to up the power on the 20W? It seems thats a variable you still have some if not lots of room to slide into?
Eddie, the laser tree has a 40mm focal length which should in theory allow some flexibility in achieving decent color gradation, I just couldn’t get a wide enough range, which I feel was due to being limited by my top speed of 6000mm/min.