RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: software/hardware for laser engraver

Thanks for the warning, but I have been experimenting with CO2 lasers for quite a few years now. I own 8 CO2 lasers of varying power, and two 100 watt YAG lasers (much more dangerous). CO2 lasers are actually one of the safest lasers for their power level because the beam is stopped by ordinary clear plastic or glass. This means ordinary shop safety goggles, which you should be wearing when using the mill anyway, will protect you against the 10,600nm radiation. There is practically zero danger of the goggles melting, because the beam coming out of the galvo head is focused, so any reflections will be highly divergent, and the power density will fall off rapidly the farther you are from the focal point. My mill already has a plexiglass coolant shield (plexiglass will block CO2), so I may just extend this up above eye level.
If this were a YAG laser (which I have protective goggles for also), I would be much more concerned. Actually, I have been into a local laser job shop several times, and they do not use their goggles for their yag or their CO2 laser (crazy in my opinion). Their yag is a q-switched marker, putting out tens of kilowatts peak power pulses in the infrared.
If you have not worked with lasers much, then I agree it is better to let some other job shop do it for you. But don't think that just because they are a "laser job shop", that they automatically practice safe operation principles.
Thanks again for the concern,
Richard
"Do not stare at laser with remaining good eye"

Tim Goldstein wrote:Please be careful with this. A 25 watt C02 laser that is not contained
in a safety cabinet is truly a dangerous thing. One wrong bounce and out
goes an eye. Use proper glasses that block the IR wavelength specific to
CO2 lasers. Also make sure the area is secure so an unsuspecting person
can not just walk in while the laser is blasting.

I was hot to get my own CO2 laser. Ended up sending the jobs I needed
out to a shop that specializes in CO2 cutting and engraving. Their price
is so cheap that spending my money on the equipment just does not make
sense. You may want to consider looking into going this route. I know it
is not as sexy as owning your own laser, but it sure is cost effective.
I used the money to buy more tooling and a Sherline lathe and mill. Just
finished converting the lathe to CNC and the mill is next. I will get
far more use out of the tooling and the Sherline set-up than a laser and
I can still have all the parts lasered that I want.

Tim
[Denver, CO]

> -----Original Message-----
> Oh, er, I guess I thought it would be an easy hack at first
> to control the galvos with step and direction. My mill is
> set up with Gecko G340 step/direction servo drives running
> straight from the parallel port. I am not sure I want to try
> and modify EMC to ouput both steppermod and servomod (or
> whatever the analog servo amps use in EMC) at the same time.
> I figured I could just hook the x and y of the galvos up to
> the 4th and 5th axis in EMC with this step/direction to
> analog signal converter. It seemed like and easy starting
> point at least. And cheap.
>
> Richard

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