TOP 10 LASER MATERIALS // Part 1 - Simple Laser Material

Рет қаралды 56,281

3 жыл бұрын

What are the top 10 laser materials you will want to use? In this video we look at the 5 most simple laser materials that everyone with a laser should understand. These materials tend to be very predictable and easy to use, but there are a few tips and trick that will make things less challenging. Together we can take a look and understand where they are most useful along with some of the typical settings you will need to understand in order to achieve success.
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Пікірлер: 78

@Cambium29 2 жыл бұрын

Steve, your videos are always informative and enjoyable to watch. Thanks.

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them!

@sigh_of_the_times 5 ай бұрын

as always steve another useful video.thank you.

@SteveMakesEverything 5 ай бұрын

Very welcome

@herbertbrowning6753 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the great videos.

@SteveMakesEverything Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@JeffMarhenke 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting this info. Really helpful to someone like me who is looking into getting a laser.

@SteveMakesEverything 3 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful. If there are things you'd like to see covered in videos, just shoot me an email.

@yesicali9113 2 жыл бұрын

Great helpful videos

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@sunbluedesigns3619 2 жыл бұрын

Steve, thanks so much for these helpful videos. They've been a life saver. I've just gotten some pre-cut cork with plans to engrave... do you recommend masking cork for an engraving?

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

Glad to help. You shouldn't really need to mask cork since you aren't cutting it. It takes very light power to do a nice engraving job on cork.

@mymagicsigns Жыл бұрын

Nice video about top 10 materials that shows the top 5 materials, that are actually 3 materials :))

@SteveMakesEverything Жыл бұрын

Well there is a part 2 😁

@crystaljacob5231 2 жыл бұрын

Love your videos, gonna purchase one soon. Is the titan better than the 3D?

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

As the name suggests, the Titan is certainly bigger. Which one to buy depends on what you intend to do. The Titan takes a lot of space so if that a consideration then the Muse 3d is a reasonable fit. The Muse is also quite a bit cheaper, but in the end the Titan has more power and a larger workspace, which is always better - especially if you aren't sure what you're going to build in the long term.

@greenwithNV 4 ай бұрын

What settings do you use for cork? I have a 10W Diode, and cant seem to find the write cocktail. Thanks! Great video by the way!

@SteveMakesEverything 4 ай бұрын

Cork is notoriously hard to cut, but engrave settings should be pretty straightforward if you run an engrave test. If you are engraving images you will probably need to dither them because I don’t think you’ll be decent grayscale on cork.

@rdy4trvl 3 ай бұрын

I've seen a few of your videos - great content on lasers! On this video, I had hoped you'd touch on metal. I'd like to make some medical ID bracelets (silicon band with metal band on top) for a nonprofit and I'm guessing the medical info on the metal bands is engraved with a laser. Any guess on the laser specs for something like this? I've also seen some silicon bands that look like the silicon was engraved directly (no metal band) - could that be possible?

@SteveMakesEverything 3 ай бұрын

The materials here were done with a CO2 laser, and they are generally not good for metals. If you are using a diode laser to engrave stainless steel, then use 100% power and go pretty slow to get the best results. I have engraved hundreds of silicone watchbands on my CO2 but not with a diode laser, so maybe I should do a video for a project like this. The settings are impossible to guess without knowing you laser, but on a 90W CO2 I typically use about 30% power and 400mm/min. So low power and relatively high speed.

@FreelancerAlpha1-1 11 ай бұрын

Hey Steve, I’m struggling with knowing how to place my engraving material so that I can reproduce consistent engraving. I’m currently doing small anodized aluminum rectangles.

@SteveMakesEverything 11 ай бұрын

Look in my video list. I did a video a year or more ago about building jigs to make alignment easy and fast

@xselcer 2 жыл бұрын

Steve, I’ve recently found your channel and have really enjoyed your videos. One question I had was about acrylic… I have tried several times to cut clear acrylic using different techniques but have been unsuccessful. The laser just goes right through. What could I be doing wrong?

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

You don't say what kind of laser you have BUT if you have a blue diode laser and you are trying to cut clear acrylic you are out of luck. Diode lasers can only work with non-clear acrylic. Black is best.

@xselcer 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Steve… I do have a blue diode but will be upgrading in the near future with the help of your recommendation videos.

@christopherditlow5595 2 жыл бұрын

Did you ever try liquid soap or another fluid to shield clear acrylic rather than a tape type mask?

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

Yes liquid dish soap works well and I covered this in my edge-lit sign video a while back. You can also raise the acrylic off the work space a bit with either spike or a knife edge workspace or just leave the protective film on the surface until after cutting. But the best option to start with is to get your power/speed setting correct

@SugareeDances 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Steve. I have a new Pro36. I can’t seem to find your video on the materials test. What’s the name or in what playlists? :-}

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

It will be in the laser project playlist but here it is: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jM2ofrqprdSyeGw.html

@billiniowa9123 Жыл бұрын

Hey steve, I decided on a fox alien 20 watt diode laser. They claim they have a priority design of beam technology. The true optical power is between 5-7 watts. The only difference that it makes is the settings if other lasers mught be a bit too much power, otherwise you jyst blow and go. It comes with the rotary and i use the Cornwell enclosure. Air assist is also available. They also make a 40 watt laser module and a cnc with laset combo. Just throwing it out there for anyone thinking if buying their first laser. Oh yes, a friend bought one and a smoke remover with 2 fans. Actually made for solder smoke. Its still smoke from resin lol.. anyways, he put it in a styrofoam enclosure and works great. I try to follow you but uts getting in the busy season

@SteveMakesEverything Жыл бұрын

Nice. Sounds like you have a great setup.

@stacyvanassche8436 2 жыл бұрын

Steve, We have a muse. Wondering what settings you use for 1/8 in. Utility panels?

@stacyvanassche8436 2 жыл бұрын

Actually sorry, 1/4 plywood

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

1/4” hardware store plywood is a stretch for any 40-45W laser because of the glue they typically use between layers. You will definitely need 100% power/current and then it’s just a case of how slow you need to go to cut through it. You could try one pass at 5-7% and assuming it cuts through, the. Start adding speed to reduce charring as much as possible. You could also try 10% speed and do two passes

@stacyvanassche8436 2 жыл бұрын

@@SteveMakesEverything thank you will give it a try!!

@kenanklovitch8117 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Steve - how do you darken the wood letters and images?

@SteveMakesEverything Жыл бұрын

Well you could use borax or baking soda or simply use more power and less speed

@SteveMakesEverything Жыл бұрын

I did a couple of video on using borax

@kenanklovitch8117 Жыл бұрын

@@SteveMakesEverything Thank you.

@zachofalltrades6116 2 жыл бұрын

do you have a video to make templates for making the same thing over and over i want to do dog tags for my pets.

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

yes! I did a video back in November about creating jigs to make multiple copies off things

@spydie 2 жыл бұрын

I never mask wood when engraving. I use an air-assist nozzle and I never get any burned edges. It's clean as can be.

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

If your setting are correct you generally don't need masking with air assist, though this gets much harder if you are cutting more dense materials that require lots of power. I try to avoid masking when I can, but you can't always do that without marring the surface in some way. It's not just about avoiding dust sticking to the surface.

@busbyfinefurniture 2 жыл бұрын

@@SteveMakesEverything You can always sand off any smoke / burn residue

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

@@busbyfinefurniture Except on clear acrylic, which can permanently haze, especially when cutting. For cuts, I usually just leave the protective film on and remove it after the cut

@busbyfinefurniture 2 жыл бұрын

@@SteveMakesEverything Well true, but I replied about wood, of course sanding plastics is a bad idea 👍

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

@@busbyfinefurniture 😀 I wasn't trying to shame you. I just generally work to get the settings correct for wood so no masking or sanding is required. It depends on the type and thickness of wood of course - sometimes it's unavoidable to get smoking on the surface. Then it's a masking or sanding job.

@CookieP42 2 жыл бұрын

Wet the leather. It keeps the smell and smoke down

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent tip. I've previously put some leather conditioner on it before cutting and that seems to help a bit too.

@michaelw2643 7 ай бұрын

Can the S1 laser cut 1mm copper sheet?

@SteveMakesEverything 7 ай бұрын

1mm copper would be a hard no. Most diode laser can cut only very thin stainless steel

@TALISHAMON 3 жыл бұрын

Did you cut the leather pieces or just etch them? Do you get the terrible smell with etching as well as cutting leather?

@SteveMakesEverything 3 жыл бұрын

@TALISHAMON anytime you touch leather with a laser you get some level of smell. It's not really noticeable while your laser is running because you presumably have it vented well outside, but after your laser stops let the fan run for a couple minutes before opening the lid to make sure it has time to exhaust out the insides of the laser. After the cutting is finished apply some leather finish to the surfaces and lightly sanded edges and not only will it look fantastic, it will smell like any other great leather product. On its own the smell goes away after a couple days. Remember when working with leather to mask it off (at least where you are going to cut) to avoid having to do a cleaning job due to the smoke.

@woosier1 3 жыл бұрын

I got some strips of leather from a guy that prepares his own and uses it to make wallets and stuff. The smell was so bad it took everything I had to keep running engraving and cutting tests without throwing up. The smell was unbelievably strong, even with my significant exhaust system. All other leather and faux leather pieces I've done have not had any smell at all. I don't know what makes the difference but I'll never do that again if I can help it.

@SteveMakesEverything 3 жыл бұрын

@@woosier1 😀 Yes, cutting and engraving leather is not for those with sensitive noses, but it really depends how it was tanned. Leather done with vegetable tanning seems to be bearable if you've got good ventilation. If you have someone tanning their own leather then who knows what you'll experience.

@mariavioleta666 6 ай бұрын

Some real leather have a chemical coat that is toxic

@shoxdanger Жыл бұрын

can i ask wat the speed is on the test parts you do ?

@SteveMakesEverything Жыл бұрын

Hmm this was more than a year ago so I can’t recall. However it’s probably not that useful anyway since the setting would be specific to each laser.

@shoxdanger Жыл бұрын

@@SteveMakesEverything np mate and you are right about that. I will try some stuff out anyway thanks for the reply

@SteveMakesEverything Жыл бұрын

@@shoxdanger Sometimes you need to experiment - that's part of the fun 😉

@jessetutterrow4320 2 жыл бұрын

I came across your video from KZfaq's suggestions. It would have been helpful if you had told us what power and type of laser you had at the _beginning_ of the video. I finally figured out you were using a mid-sized CO2 laser which means none of the information is applicable to my laser. Not everyone who is watching this video is familiar with your channel!

@SteveMakesEverything 2 жыл бұрын

Sorry for the confusion. However you should be able to scale any settings up or down to suit your laser and at least get pretty close.

@bcurtis1612 3 жыл бұрын

How can I upload your material settings?

@SteveMakesEverything 3 жыл бұрын

Watch kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jM2ofrqprdSyeGw.html starting as 12:50

@bcurtis1612 3 жыл бұрын

@@SteveMakesEverything thank you. I have watched that video. Was hoping to upload your material list as a starting point. However, I don’t have the upload and download buttons that I see you have for custom materials. Hmmmm?

@SteveMakesEverything 3 жыл бұрын

@@bcurtis1612 Got to the materials dialog and select the "Vector" tab at the top. Beside the word "Material" in that panel there should be two icons that look like a rectangle with and arrow entering or exiting. It's those buttons that you need to use. You're saying those aren't there? Do you have a Muse 3d?

@bcurtis1612 3 жыл бұрын

@@SteveMakesEverything I see them on your screen in the video but I don’t have the. Yes, I have the Muse 3D.

@SteveMakesEverything 3 жыл бұрын

@@bcurtis1612 Maybe you want to try doing a factory reset (and then reconnect the laser to your network).

@waynekuhn8876 Жыл бұрын

No pvc

@SteveMakesEverything Жыл бұрын

Pvc is not something you should ever cut with a laser. The C stands for chlorine and it tends to off-gas when hit with a laser. Hard on equipment and potentially deadly for you.