Electronics > Mechanical & Automation Engineering

The K40 laser cutter/engraver - My journey into the laser world.

(1/3) > >>

Brumby:
Well, I finally succumbed to getting my feet wet with primary credit to Bean the enabler, Mnem in a supporting role and the rest of the EEVblog membership in the cheer squad.

This is a second hand unit that (according to the seller) has only been used for making two signs.  It has had the milliampmeter mod - which is something I regard as essential - and came with a box of all the pieces that were associated with it.

So here is what I bought:
1. The K40 unit

with a photo of the laser tube label:

Date of manufacture looks like 2019-12-02, so not too old.

2. Box of extra bits which includes fan, filter and ducting as well as water reservoir (lidded bucket), pumps and other pieces.
  and this 

All this for $300 .... and a 2 hour drive each way to pick it up.  (This wasn't all that bad as I had borrowed SWMBO's wagon to transport it and with her along for the ride, we stopped in on some old friends we hadn't seen for ages who lived up that way.  That made the trip an easy sell.)

beanflying:
So have you made your S/O's 500 piece Purchase Peace Jigsaw yet  ;D

Unless you are doing any serious production runs then 3-5L of water storage will be fine for a container too. Given mine lives in more or less a Tin Shed anything over 30C ambient I avoid using it and I have never seen a rise in water temp on mine that is of any concern for my 'normal' use.

Also worth lifting the Electronics side lid and double checking it is well earthed and connected. Some of the K40's simply were not  :scared:

Brumby:
While I was there, the seller and I started chatting about a few things and he informed me he was moving and was shedding a lot of things.  He offered me a filtration system which could produce all the pure water I could want for the cooling system of the laser.  When I asked how much he said $50, so I thought - why not.

This is what I got for my $50....
   
While I don't know much about such systems, I think I got more than my $50 worth.

Brumby:

--- Quote from: beanflying on May 20, 2021, 05:06:25 am ---So have you made your S/O's 500 piece Purchase Peace Jigsaw yet  ;D
--- End quote ---
Funny b****r .... No - but Mnem has thrown me a couple of links (in another thread) to aid in that.  (You enablers are such a giving bunch!)


--- Quote ---
Unless you are doing any serious production runs then 3-5L of water storage will be fine for a container too. Given mine lives in more or less a Tin Shed anything over 30C ambient I avoid using it and I have never seen a rise in water temp on mine that is of any concern for my 'normal' use.
--- End quote ---
I will be keeping an eye on temperatures.  Heat is an enemy.


--- Quote ---Also worth lifting the Electronics side lid and double checking it is well earthed and connected. Some of the K40's simply were not  :scared:

--- End quote ---
There will be a review of the entire unit's wiring - mains, low voltage and EHT - with the prevention of "unfortunate incidents" in mind.  I'll be looking at this as a creature that will be trying to kill me .... and I plan to entirely thwart its efforts.

Jackster:
Check out https://www.scorchworks.com/K40whisperer/k40whisperer.html
Great bit of free software that takes the k40 potato into an actually usable machine.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page