J Tech laser add on

[godtar (d)]

has anyone added a J Tech laser to their machine?

[CrookedWoodTex (Tex (Don't Mess With My Texas!))]

Yes.

High-Performance Shapeoko Laser Upgrade Kit

James, have you investigated J-Tech Photonics? I’ve been using one of theirs for a couple of years with no problems. You need to buy from somewhere that you can get some support for you particular equipment. I think you’ll save time and money going that route. To answer your question, though, it depends. You need a post-processor that will save your laser specific details to the gcode file during the “saving” process. I use Vectric products with my 3XXL, and I have a post processor that is desi…

[GJM (Gary Morgen)]

I have the 7w laser and love it. JTech is a good company - responsive and reliable. They have since upgraded their line to include more powerful sets - I just haven’t had the need to go there yet.

[Ed.E (Ed)]

Yes. I don’t use mine much but it’s a good add-on. No complaints at all.

[SLCJedi (Josh Tenny)]

I had the 7W on my S3 and S4Pro. It was great for engraving but really couldn’t cut much.

I have a 24W on my S5Pro. It still engraves well, but barely less detail. It does cut a ton better than the 7W for sure though.

[cheu (Charles)]

I use my Jtech 7w pro to “sign” the back of my work. Works good. If I had it to do over again I would just buy a stand alone model and let my CNC do what it does best. I could run them both at the same time.

[MindlessCorpse]

I have the J-tech 7-watt pro. It is my first laser.
If you have the coin for it, go bigger.
My 7-watt does a nice job engraving. After spending some time focusing and setting z distance it cuts 3mm birch ply usually on the second pass so I always set it for 3 passes. When set correctly it engraves a very fine line without overburn. It can engrave as fine a line as a human hair, or I can raise it to around 2 inches and get a nice solid 1/8th inch line.
But if time is of value to you, go stronger. Some boards don’t cut easily and you may find you need to make several passes to cut. Extra passes add considerable time to a path.
When I upgrade I think I will get a stand alone unit. Around 40 watts should do fine for me.

[Brew (Steven Middleton)]

I have the J-Tech 24W hooked up to my SO5Pro and really enjoy using. One thing I’ll add is no matter which wattage or brand you decide to get add the air assist to it. That makes a huge difference in the detail of the burn and helps with cutting as well.

[BML]

Hey all
I have some experience with lasers, Thought I would jot down some of my findings.

I have separate machine. However I do like the J-Tech, Fist they adhere to the proper safety requirements. lets just say that others do not. I have talked to J-Tech and they are great people. They also sell real laser safety glass at a good price if you are doing an enclosure or need a shield. FYI I watched a video where a fellow that built his own laser enclosure just bought orange plexi glass. He said they have orange, he has orange. So no protection He just didn’t know.

Another interesting item is the glasses that came with my machine have ANSII certification written all over them. When I looked them up they where for impact resistance. Not one was for the Optical Density or the frequency range Ouch
And I had to have them replaced as the coating was messed up on them, very blurry. They test them in the beginning and then they start mass-producing them.
My Eyes are worth far more then a good pair of glasses, so I bought a good pair from the US that has an OD of 6 (1/1000000) and a certificate and a frequency graph. and they were so much clear. zero laser light comes through. Most laser machines come with those dark green glasses with an OD of only 4 (1/10000).
In addition a lot of the ones on amazon look the same however they are for cosmetic use which use a far less powerful laser.

I am really surprised that we allow this when it comes to safety equipment. So just beware. your eyes are worth more.

In my investigation I learn a lot about laser beams. It only takes one bounce for the laser light to escape and put a small dot in your eye. My readings say, most eye damage is from a reflected beam. We wear the glasses when looking at the beam but figure that little shield is enough protection and remove the glasses or feel they are far enough away. Normal light dissipates over distance, Welding flash dissipates, Laser beam, not so much. So there is no safe place in my shop for an open or semi covered laser. I lock the door so no one walks in.

Please respect the harm a laser can do to you.

I built an enclosure with double overlapping seams and joints. I have no window. I can open it when wearing glasses.

It is for this reason I did not add a laser to my CNC machine as it would be too difficult for me to contain the laser light. and really I don’t need to burn anything that big.

The stand alone Laser machine also or should have a flame sensors. a CNC addon laser does not.

That said if I was to add a laser to my CNC machine, I would use a J-tech based on all the research I did.

Hope this helps