I have an interest to use lasers combined with my woodworking. I do not however, want to buy another CNC machine, I have one already.
How would I go about connecting a laser head to my Shapeoko Pro XXL.
What all would I need?
Any assistance with this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Yep, JTech is the one. Just find your price point. I have one that I use mostly for engraving text, and very little “cutting.”
My vote is for JTech also. Their kits are complete and top notch support if needed.
This would be a solution but I can make Lincoln cry on a penny.
Looking for a skin flint solution.
A laser is not a place to cheap out — things going wrong with one can result in blindness — there’s a reason why we don’t support them on our older machines, and why they will only be supported on the SO5 Pro once we work with a laser manufacturer to have a kit made which won’t void the warranty.
I would suggest getting a machine specific to laser usage — it’ll manage the problems of ventilation and so forth better, and should be enclosed so that it’s safer, and ought to include a mechanism either for venting or filtering the air.
Just purchased an Atomstack X30 Pro and so far I love it. Still learning the ins and outs of laser engraving.
Please please please protect your eyes and lungs.
And if you have pets, children, partners you really really need to enclose the machine to protect people from seeing the beam.
Even I know that is a possibility of blindness if a laser is used improperly. Like with the CNC I use the proper PPE when using the Machine.
I follow safety guidelines with all my power tools. As with all power tools there is still a possibility of accidents if one becomes complacent.
As I see the comment regarding only opting to support lasers on the SO5 is a decision to force the purchase of a machine at a higher price. There truly is no safety advantage going with SO5 over another machine adding a laser module.
In my humble opinion…
I put the JTECH 7watt Laser on my SO3 xxl. Works pretty good. I use LightBurn as my controller.
I also had to build the enclosure to trap and remove smoke and contain reflected laser light.
Making Lincoln cry?
$750 for the Laser, $80 for vent fan, $30 for 4 inch vent tubing, $140 for material for the enclosure, $80 for newly needed lighting, $60 for lightburn licenses, around $90 for laser safety glasses and panes.
Pay heed to the advice of EYE Protection and Smoke Removal.
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
