This was well before my time, but I understand that the Hive’s current laser cutter was member funded through pre-sale of half-price laser minutes. These minutes were then simply used, or later resold as new members joined the space.
While the large format laser cutters Jon mentioned might be unreasonably expensive for the hive to purchase outright, splitting the cost between a hive match and a similar member funding drive could be well within reach. I will broach this topic at the weekly meeting tomorrow. In the meantime, does anyone have thoughts on this idea? If the result is a 3x4 or 4x5 foot laser cutter becoming available in the space, is there interest in purchasing minutes in this way?
My opinion on this is that a large format, 150W laser cutter would be a huge step up for the hive. I think the fact of being able to cut 1/2 of standard 8x4 sheets at a reasonable power would put us in a place that we could draw more attention for actually having some sort of production capability at the space. It’s kind of like the table saw, it was expensive, but there’s no reason we’ll need to upgrade any time soon.
A larger bed for laser cutting is something I would support. 24” square at a minimum but larger is okay! And more power is always a good thing (as with Tim the Toolman Taylor).
But, I wonder how one decides if something should be cut on the Laser Cutter vs. the large CNC that is being worked…
Is it reasonable that any piece would be cut with a laser that is more than 48” square? Or, does the large format just allow more repetition (thus “production”)?
I do a lot of commercial for profit stuff at the hive, mostly electronics. Then again, I’m mostly using tools that I bought+donated/permanent loaned to the hive so others could make use of the gear on the 27 days of the month when I don’t really need it. I don’t think that there is any prohibition for doing commercial stuff at the hive as long as you give other people a fair chance to use equipment too. My understanding was that the idea was to be a good citizen and play nicely with others regardless of whether you were working on a personal project or something you were going to sell. If I’m wrong, let me know.
-D
While there is certainly some overlap, they’re very different machines. Generally application and material selection will render one the obviously superior choice.
The laser is fast, precise, and simple to operate. However, it functions with a limited range of material, a limited cutting depth, and only in two dimensions.
The big CNC, much like the currently operating Shapeoko and Roland mills, will provide interchangeable bits for contour cuts and significant vertical travel for 3D sculpting. The tradeoffs are that it’s louder, more complicated, far less forgiving of error, and dramatically slower. Think of job times in terms of the Gigabot rather than the laser cutter.
IMO, the 4’x5’ laser we’ve seen is at the extreme upper limit of reasonable single tool purchases for the Hive’s current budget. There’s probably a strong argument to be made for scaling down to the 3’x4’ machine as well, but I admit to having a soft spot for being able to work 1Mx1M pieces.
As for workpiece size, I think it’s like memory or hard drive space. Usage rapidly expands to fit available capacity.
Well, I am known at the hive as the CNC guy so obviously my vision is not impartial. Laser cutter are fast and easy to use. However, as Ryan said, it’s only a 2D machine instead of a 2.5 D for a CNC.
Moreover, the results with this two kind of machine are very different. When, you cut wood on a Laser cutter, the edges are burned although it could be a wanted finish. When you cut plastic with a laser cutter, the edge are slightly melted. None of this occurs on a milling machine that also could cut metals. On the other hand, engraving with a CNC milling machine is a little bit touchy and will require more time than a laser cutter. The only field where a laser cutter is unbeatable, it is for cutting very soft or very thin material (rubber, leather,paper).
About the machining time for the big CNC, I have estimated a acceptable feed rate of 800 mm/min with a depth of cut of about 1.5 mm for hard plastic without any problem. It’s mean that you will be able to cut a 1mx1m square of 10 mm thick in 30 minutes. It is slower than the laser but much faster than a 3D printer.
I don’t think we have to compare the big CNC with a new bigger and more powerful laser. We already have the part for the CNC so we don’t have to make a choice between buying a CNC or a laser. We may have to spend money for the CNC but it will not be as much as buying a new laser.
