Lightobject.com Support Forum

HI Marco,
I have this question, maybe a dumb question but I decided to ask since I don't know much about them. Do you know if some one has used a laser diode in a engraver cutter machine? if so, what would be the pros and cons? also I have read that YAG lasers are mostly used for medical equipment and a few marking devices. Obviously CO2 laser tubes are the most popular for etching ,engraving and cutting for most common materials but I would like to know what you know about the diodes and if it would be worth experimenting with them. Thank you!

Edgar

I know a little about the YAG, not much.

Here is the basic I know about the YAG:

Pro:
- Power supply: DC32V switching PS. No high voltage PS like the CO2 required
- Air cooled, no water cooling is required
- Capable of engraving stainless steel or other metal but not very good on non-metal
- No harm when touch by hand. Won't get burn as a CO2 laser.
- Very precise and fine laser and outcome is awesome. It widely used to do labeling like bar code or serial number engraving on stainless steel object.
- High speed engraving as it use gyro mirror + servo
- 10W power is more or less equivalent to a 30W CO2 laser machine.
- Long life. Most YAG can last 10,000 hrs.
- Ideal for jewelry engraving so the pricey 'gold' won't get lost as much as done by a router


Cons:
Very expensive. You wont' see too many YAG machine selling below $15,000 in the market. Very common that the price tag you found on a YAG machine will over $20,000

Working area is very limited. 200mm x 200mm is very popular in the market. It is because that it is running on a gyros, not XY stages

Controller card is expensive and not too many offer in the market.

You need a YAG if you have a lot of work of metal engraving. Cutting?? I don't think so. You may do multiple and be able to cut say 0.05mm metal. Right, not much.

Correct me if I'm wrong as I don't have much experience with YAG. I only been to a shop for seeing demo for a couple times


Marco

See the video taken when I was visiting a shop in China:
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=359

Marco