I got the 44w. I haven’t installed it yet, as I’m trying to do more reading about what is involved. All I can say is that I’m extremely frustrated, and trending to straight up mad that there is ZERO helpful information on the Onefinity site about how to actually use this thing. The Lightburn library doesn’t exist. Onefinity needs a project manager who knows how to handle and coordinate product rollouts. This has been a terrible experience and I’m about ready to return the damn thing.
I think you are being rather unfair with regards the 44W
What’s wrong with creating your own library? In my experience if you buy a stand alone laser you don’t get any speeds and power settings supplied, and with there being so many variables involved I would always use work through my own anyway.
There are loads or laser test downloads on both YouTube and on the web in general most are customisable as they work on power percentage rather than laser output.
Earlier in the year I upgraded the head on my Ortur, I already had a set or recipes for both engraving and cutting which were my starting point within around 4 hours including the install and using some scraps of wood I had everything running well with great results and interestingly double the laser power doesn’t mean double the feed speed!!! Sometimes the best recipe for one engraving on a certain wood does not always fit well with a different engrave on the same wood. Over the 3 years i have been lasering the learning has been steep but I now feel happy looking at a project or a text piece and from what i see being able to make alterations to the recipe to achieve a good result.
I would you set out a list of what you are looking to do and work through it logically to achieve the best results it will be worth the time spent
Enjoy
I’m not the least bit familiar with these low-power diode laser products but have done some development work with fiber lasers. Perhaps I can add some perspective on the main concern here.
In industry, a “library” of cutting parameters is commonly called a Cut Chart. Such a chart is usually in electronic form read by the machine and it specifies laser power, feed rate, cutting nozzle size, gas pressures, laser focus depth, etc. for cutting a particular material/thickness/surface finish.
The main point is this. Developing cut charts for commercial laser cutting is a costly, time-consuming process that produces valuable, guarded IP. Even if you have good cut charts the reality is a certain amount of operator expertise is required to overcome the variables that inevitably occur. As an example, an operator might need to adjust parameter(s) to address differences in something that might seem innocuous such as material finish even if the material composition and thickness is exactly the same.
Having looked at both the Onefinity site and JTech site apart from one picture there is no mention of recipes.
The majority of work that leaves my workshop is made on the Onefinity CNC cutting British Oak. It has taken me many many months to get a set of feeds and speeds, yes cutter manufactures offer figures but they are for guidance and a starting point everything is a compromise with regards to cutter wear product finish and cycle time.
Most people will offer a steer on recipes but wont give you verbatim as rscamp states its guarded IP
As for the money you have layed out you could have spent a lot more on a bigger machine and still not get any recipes.
Are you being fair to Onefinity & Jtech they offer value for money and have to balance development coast against product price?
Be ready to have your wallet wide open for that Glowforge. Looks like $4,500 for 11" x 20" cutting area. Ouch. You could get one from OMTech for half the price with more features. I have one of their 40W CO2 lasers, but there’s still a learning curve. I know when I got mine I had to figure out the settings for every different material I used for both cutting and engraving. IMO 3D printers, lasers, CNCs all end up being a learning process. Not one of them was I able to hook it up and go. I had to learn how to use them specifically, how to create models for them and how to maintain them.
I talked to the owner of Jtech this AM. We got the problem resolved. I’m just going to end with saying that Onefinity could do a lot more to make the transition from hardware install to engraving/cutting more smooth.
Thanks for tagging me so I can be pulled into this convo.
First, Merry Christmas, what a festive thread!
You came in really hot and heavy. This thread is kind of like walking into a restaurant, spitting in the face of the host as they asked ‘how many’, punching evey server in the face as you walked by, and making fun of the chef’s mom. Then expecting them to not spit in your food or ‘accidently’ spill your drink on you.
The better way to approach this would to come on here and say, “Hey guys, just got a 44w laser and having a hard time figuring out how to use it. Can anyone guide me through the process? Also, is there a library available?”
I’ll address some things, since you specifically tagged me.
I’m a beta tester. I don’t get paid for that. I get stuff early, for free, so I can give my opinions so you end up with a better product.
I wasn’t provided a laser until 1 week before they shipped to customers.
I have a job and family, So i haven’t had time to play with it much other than an initial trial.
Pretty sure Jtech makes the lasers and Onefinity is essentially a reseller.
The biggest point I’d take away is this: NO laser I have ever bought (and I’ll list them here)
Omtech 60w at $3500
Aeon Laser 90w at $13000
Monport 150w at $9000
Omtech k40 at $350
Various other small diodes
have ever come with a library. In fact, that’s why I sell them on etsy. And to that point, every laser is ‘slightly’ different and every material, even if it’s the ‘same’ is also slightly different. So my library will not work exactly the same as your library. It’s just a starting point. As for the 44w, I simply have not had time with it to create a library I’d sell on my etsy.
Did you check out the LASER section of the FAQs?
Did you watch the Onefinity Youtube videos?
Some of those aren’t 44w specific, but they are just as applicable.
Again, and I agree I may have been a bit short fused this AM, my point is that Onefinity makes a basic product that is extremely consumer friendly. The laser extensions to it fall short of that. I’m not asking them to, analogously, make install base Unix like like using an IPhone. I would like it to be less like installing base Unix and using Windows.
Ben, sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you were part of this problem. That Onefinity’s network of influencers didn’t have a decent amount of time to review and use a product seems like another fail on their part. 1F likes to use Thanksgiving week to announce new products, ala Apple, but the timing makes it very difficult to get everything out and develop support materials AND provide sample products to influencers in time for holiday sales. I’m not a product manager (I’m an econometrician) but we do roll out new products at my company regularly, and there is a lot of lead time to ensure that all the secondary pieces are in place. I want to end this thread with advising 1F to move their new product announcements to early in the Fall and fully develop support materials before shipping.
I don’t believe that the title of threads should be permitted to be altered once others have commented, or posts deleted.
People make comments on a thread that they have interest in or useful information to add. The editing of the title along with the deleting of comments that have been responded to can give a very distorted and biased view and can mean that someone who has commented in good faith can be made to be seen as the rebel or aggravator.
Nonsense. A laser that fits a gantry mill is highly practical for low volume users who want them to work alongside their cnc. The entire purpose of the onefinity lineup is a prosumer cnc for someone who can’t justify a $20000 4x8 setup in their garage. Playing gatekeepers over an even more niche product like lasers is silly.
The cost, size, and life of a co2 laser is problematic for someone who isn’t intending to use it heavily. If you are not intending to do extensive cutting, the diode is very effective. I have a 60w fiber and the 24w jtech. I do not want to deal with a huge co2 machine that i will use infrequently, and which will cost 3 times what the jtech did. The only projects i find my lasers wanting for are glass cutting, which I only very rarely have a use for. If you spend time frequently cutting wood with a laser and doing nothing but, then good for you, buy a co2. It is superior in most ways, but the drawbacks are severe limitations for the hobbyist. And being able to just pop my jtech off and throw it in a drawer rather than dedicating massive amounts of floorspace to a co2 machine is a huge benefit.
As for safety, wear your glasses and restrict entry to your shop in use. CNC machines are dangerous on a good day to the uninitiated. Lasers possibly even more so.
For the OP, lightburn has a tool to help you make your own library. Go to the “Laser Tools” menu and then “material test generator”. It has a simple utility to generate test grids. With the 44, you’re probably not going to need 100% power for marking in wood at the speeds the onefinity can handle, which are less than a co2 machine. The utility will spit out test grids lickety split and you can make your own library. It is important that you test on your own as with lasers, everyone’s results vary a bit. You will mostly be interested in speed against power. You can make “filled” squares and you can test lines to see cutting potential.
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Aiph5u
(Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))
29
Hey Echd,
I understand the costs factor in relation to a low use of the laser. But I also believe that regarding safety, a stand-alone laser with an enclosure will better deal with smoke and the danger for fire, if the laser is selected carefully.
An enclosure gives additional protection from being harmed by the beam (still wear the protection glasses). A model/brand should be selected whose enclosure cannot burn.
The fume collector that really catches all fumes will better protect your lungs.
Lasers are directly harmful to humans if they come into contact with a person’s skin or eyes. The blink reflex is too slow to block a laser’s energy before it damages the retina. The laser essentially burns a hole in the macula and causes bleeding of the retina. Depending on the laser’s wavelength, it can also affect the lens and cornea. These will all permanently affect a person’s sight.
Lasers can also burn the skin. Depending on the wavelength of the laser, they can either cause thermal burns (by heat) or photochemical burns (similar to sunburn through UV exposure). Both will cause reddening and blistering of the skin.
Then use a fan or inline blower and open a window, or build an enclosure if you want. There is nothing stopping anyone from building an enclosure on their onefinity if that is what they desire, even one that folds up and can be easily stored. I doubt anyone using the jtech lasers is using them 24/7/365, they are a compromise option from the beginning.
I don’t personally care; I wear safety glasses and don’t use my laser in an area where other people would be. I can open my garage door and turn a fan on; if any third party manages to blind themselves at that point they were trespassing anyway.
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Aiph5u
(Aiph5u (not affiliated with Onefinity))
31
Hey Echd,
I said:
That means I understand that for such people, attaching a laser to their CNC router is a solution for them, for the reasons and in the way you explained it.
Also you should consider that at 55th parallel North, opening a window is a rather bad idea.
Having an enclosure around a CNC machine should not be a matter of desire, but is a strict requirement in my opinion. I would not put such a machine into service without an enclosure.