@Team_Laser @michaelb I saw the sign on the big Thunder and was wondering what we need to do to get that to full cutting capacity? I’ve got some larger projects coming up, and on 3/4" plywood, so I’m hoping there’s a way I can help get this up to speed.
3/4"? Sounds like multicam not laser?
Don’t know how to use the multicam yet. No classes going on to teach me. Making do with what I have, or almost have.
Even fully tuned in the laser won’t cut 3/4" plywood. At least not well and not for long.
Donner is about as good as any of them will get, it can cut 1/2" for a test but doing so for long periods will likely shorten the life of the tube so it’s not recommended.
None of the lasers will cut 3/4" plywood. I mean you could power your way through with many, many passes but your edges will be as charred as campfire wood when you’re done.
It took multiple passes today on 5mm plywood to cut thru.
I’ve cut 3/4 walnut in 2 passes before, but it takes some tuning of your settings and adjusting the focal length to be in the middle of the cut, not the top.
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Definitely need to be using the long throw lens setup to cut any thing thicker then 3/8 thickness especially ply.
Please do not cut 3/4 ply on the lasers
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I took an attempt at cleaning the lens today to try and get this up and running, because it was very dirty. Sadly it looks like some of that dirt has baked itself on and won’t be coming out easily. The laser still didn’t cut properly after the cleaning.
The mirror on the far part of the swing arm is also pretty dirty and is scattering more light than it reflects. It also isn’t cleaning up particularly easily.
There’s some rumors that the tube might be going out, but it might also be those two bits of the optics needing to be replaced. While I can clean them, I’m not qualified to make an actual diagnosis and someone really should come up who knows what they’re doing and make judgement on it.
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Haha, no cutting 3/4" on the lasers. Got it.
To @cvrana’s point, the big laser has always underperformed Blitzen and Donner and long as I’ve tried using them. So, maybe there’s something to the possibility of the tube going out?
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In my experience Blitzen and Donner has always been inferior to big thunder in terms of cutting, which should be the case since the wattage is higher on big thunder. Most I’ve been able to cut on B/D is 1/2". BT used to be able to get through some 3/4" hardwood no problem. Or used to be able to. I’m fairly certain it can get 3/4" ply in two 5 mm/s passes as well. Have definitely cut it on that before with little trouble. Didn’t know we weren’t supposed to.
They’ve all got the same size tubes in them, that’s actually why Blitzen and Donner have those extensions on the end that you don’t see on thunders website, so they can hold a larger 120W tube. Makes it easier for us to stock a spare, in theory.
Big Thunder is often worse because it’s more difficult to maintain alignment in such a large machine. I took a power measurement today and got about 50W out of the tube, so I believe we’re well on the way out with it. We have a spare so we’ll need to schedule ~4 hours to get the new tube in and aligned.
You might’ve had luck with big thunder in the past because it was the newest laser and in good shape for a few months during the summer last year. Strictly speaking it’s easier to maintain the smaller ones.
I would strongly advice against thick plywood, but if that’s what the people want we can adapt to make it happen. Just afaik will result in more frequent tube replacements. Looks like we got 15 months of use out of big thunder’s first tube.
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My suggestion would be to:
- Cut a pattern in 6mm plywood on the laser.
- Trace pattern on to 3/4" plywood. (eg with pencil)
- Trim close to line with bandsaws/jigsaws.
- Place 6mm ply pattern on 3/4" plywood with something like double sided adhesive carpet tape (a little goes a long ways)
- Trim piece to exact pattern with router using a pattern bit.
This can be extended to pieces several inches thick.
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I would leave it for what it’s meant for. Temporarily, I’ll just use the laser to engrave the path I need on 3/4” plywood and use my jigsaw to finish the cutout at home.
I really need the multicam classes to get going again, but I haven’t made any progress getting someone to set that up.
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@rlisbona, there’s a tube replacement and alignment on the horizon.
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Hey, Brian, do you know if this has been done yet? Planning on coming down tonight, just need to make sure I cut the plywood to the right length first.
My ignorance on the matter is rock solid.
Someone from @Team_Laser may be able to help.