Thunder Laser Recommendation

Laser
#1

Hi Dallas Makerspace!

I am an educational coordinator at a new makerspace in Oregon.

We are in the process of sourcing a new laser cutter and considering switching from ULS to Thunderlaser. I have been told that your space has used multiple laser cutters including thunder lasers for a while now, and I was wondering if any of you are familiar with maintaining the machines and would be willing to share some of their experience with both the equipment and the company (maintenance/support/safety issues, etc). On paper, the Nova series thunder lasers appear to be a good deal, but it’s hard to know how a company will treat you post-purchase and some first hand accounts would be very helpful.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Francesca

1 Like
#2

Francesca

Thanks for reaching out! I’ll tag @Team_Laser to get their attention. They have a dedicated maintenance day once a month, other than that our lasers are constantly being used 24/7. They can discuss more detailed information.

1 Like
#3

Hey!

We have 4 thunder lasers at the moment, 3 are in service and a large Nova63 is in mothballs, all our machines use 120W tubes. In general, they’re ok machines. They’re definitely a different league from the ULS machines though. As far as usage, our optics tend to get dirty often so test cuts are a good idea if it’s been a few days. Lenses last 2-3 months in our environment, and mirror alignment needs to be done about once a month. We generally wipe the machine interiors at our monthly cleaning and check water levels in the chillers. Otherwise the optics get cleaned weekly and I estimate they’re used about 4 hours a day on average. Every 2 months-ish we have a surprise problem pop up (recently it was a completely clogged exhaust fan, and then a high voltage wire attached to the power supply that burnt up). Our large laser sees the heaviest use and it lasted us approx 2 years before the maintainence requirements got too much and we replaced it (thus the machine currently in mothballs).

I don’t mean to dissuade you, there are tons of people here that like the machines, and they do lots of good work. Just a different level from the ULS cutters. You’ll probably soon discover that our opinions vary.

We buy most of our parts (lenses, lens tubes, etc) from cloudray. I haven’t had to deal with Thunder Laser yet but Im under the impression that Thunder USA is not very responsive.

#4

Keep in mind that DMS has on the order of 2,000 members, and the machines see a LOT of use. Even with multiple machines here, our laser usage could easily be an order of magnitude higher than a typical makerspace.

1 Like
#5

So I would definitely use Lightburn instead of their RDWorks software. I believe it’s $12 for makerspaces. Basically 75% off current prices. Also consider float licenses. https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/maker-space-licensing/3485/2

If you use RDWorks and find you need an administrator to run it. rename the extension of the .manifest file to anything else and it’ll work. Literally just change the extension to .manifest2 for lab enviroments

The only way I’ve been able to talk with them is by enlist help from Mandarin / Chinese speaking members at DMS through whatsapp/skype

#6

In regards to machine quality we have used Epilog, ULS, Thunder and Full Spectrum lasers and the biggest factor is how well they stand up to abuse. Makerspace members can be very hard on machines for a variety of reasons, inexperience, mistakes or just plain do not care. In our experience over time we settled on machines that are not too expensive, not too complicated and that we can readily get parts for. While the higher end machines are fantastic for well trained users, the breakage cost are just too high for constant repairs. And conversely super low end Chinese machines are too fiddly to keep running well.

1 Like
#7

Hi Francesca,

We purchased the Thunders as an alternative to the Full Spectrum Lasers. Those are very much in the same league. I have talked to Thunder Support often. Much easier to work with an FSL. Parts are much cheaper. Some are already in the USA.
We are using a Nove 63, and 2 Nova 35s.

But these machines, and prob all chinese lasers (including the FSLs) require a lot more maintenance than Universal, Epilog, and Tormec. Alignment of the mirrors, gantry, belt adjustments will be a common thing. We decommissioned our first Nova 63 because of all the maintenance issues, yet bought another one.

You gain in buying more bed area and more power for the money. And they run faster.

As to quality of cut - they are very good. People get great results in rastering. We are not able to reliable cut thru material thicker than 1/4", even with 130 watts, using the standard lens tubes. We have not played with the HD lens tube very much, nor the long throw (which should in theory cut thru 3/4". I have seen it cut 5/8" acrylic).

If you are serious about the novas, I would go with the model in between what we have. the 35s are an odd size, not holding material 36"x 24". The Nova 63 requires more maintenance in alignment, as every slight error (and dirt) affect performance the farther out you cut to the right side of the machine.

Good luck in your purchase and with your makerSpace!

3 Likes
#8

Thank you all for the advice! Much appreciated.