I am gathering information about laser engraving/cutting. Would like to buy a machine setup? but looking to find the right one as I see they are not cheap. I live in an apartment now so probably looking at a very small one. Any help, hints, advice is appreciated.
Keep in mind that you will need to keep a machine well vented with an exhaust blower which is usually pretty darn loud - small apartments aren’t usually a good place for things like this. I doubt your neighbors will like the noise. See, you don’t want to have the particulate matter that’s being burned off of anything you’re engraving floating in the air you’re breathing, so you’ll need the exhaust blower to suck all that outside. Lasers are really nice but they don’t make good roommates.
You may also want to consider the Epilog Mini, 12×18″ engraving area, smaller footprint, desktop size. Your local epilog rep should have a source for “internal” filter system for the Mini that doesn’t require outside venting.
Thanks for the info, there is actually an Epilog dealer very close here in So Cal. Went there today and the gentleman was very informative but not pushy at all — THAT I like. I hope I am not opening a can of worms, but which machines do folks like around here? any caveats? any super pluses? I do like the idea of the dealer being local, but this is still the info gathering period for me. I liked the 12 x 24 model, not too big for the space I have, and it comes in several power versions up to 45 watts — but what is the real difference in the wattages?
Epilog would be a great choice and if you have any problems they are there for you. I would suggest that you make a trip to Las Vegas the first week in March and attend the big Engraving show. I believe it’s called the ARA show (I’ll check on that for you). Anyway, you will be able to see all the machines that are made today and you can get show prices. You will also get a chance to meet all the suppliers and vendors in the business. Depending on what you will be engraving a 45 watt machine with a 24 x 12 table would be a good start. Remember the higher the wattage the faster you can produce your product and the deeper you can cut. In the meantime you should download Corel 12 from the web and start playing with it. Corel allows you to do that for 30 days. That’s the program Epilog uses as well as many other laser companies. Hope this helps.
Yes it is the ARA show. If you are going to buy a laser this would be a great show to attend. Join the ARA and you can attend for free. every laser maker there is will be there. If you have an idea what type of items you would like to make take some samples and have the dealers engrave on them for you. I bought my laser after attending the ARA show in Chicago. I know the show in Vegas is the largest show ARA has. If you would like more info on the show check out ARA’s web page at www.ara.org it has show info and times.
By the way I went with a trotec speedy two 35 wt. and I love it I would say they are the best you can get a little on the high end for price but well worth it. They also now have a desk top unit, and they are very fast.
I would tell anyone looking to buy a laser to go to an ARA show first you can see them all up close and at the same time it’s the best way to shop the market.
That would be nice, but with my job, I can’t schedule that far ahead — my work changes from week to week (on purpose, not from being unemployable, hehe). I see I just missed one down in southern California, ah, well, it’s more a hobby than business for now, looking to get one that does about 12x 24 or so, but just wondering if the smaller ones are fast enough to produce enough if I did decide to do more as a business.