Hello. Hopping someone can answer this question. I currently have the 7 watt jtech and I’m thinking of buying the 24 watt. So here is my question i cut and engrave around 50-50 the 7watt good for engraving but slow, cutting forget it. Does the 24 watt do a good job engraving? If it doesn’t im in the same boat but in reverse. Just need some feed back before i purchase.
Thanks
1 Like
Steve,
I started a separate thread when i first got my 24W. it can be found here
There are a bunch of photos from my trials with the 24w, as well as a final product from a project I was commissioned to make.
In my humble opinion, yes, the 24w engraves better than the 7w. I get consistent engraved depth across an entire design where as the 7w merely etched the surface. As far as cutting goes, I have only messed around with .25 in maple plywood, but i can get through it in a single pass and the kerf is very even and clean.
Hope this helps,
Erik
2 Likes
Yes, it is much faster. When I run the 24 watt laser at 100% power I can engrave at a speed of 100-150 mm per second and get great results. And it has the power to cut.
2 Likes
Hi, Alden. I’m not sure I’ve seen a post from you regarding the software you use. Would you mind sharing your tool setup for the 24w?
I’m having problems getting mine to cut through 1/4 ply. One thing I’ve noticed is the laser seems to back off another 1/4" or so when the job is running. I have tried 5%-100% between 10ips through about 100ips and I dont seem to be getting the same cutting performance I’ve seen out of others who have posted about their experience with the 24w.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Brian
Hi Brian, I use Vetric software but have not done much cutting with it. You do want to keep it at 100% power if you want it to cut, along with a slow speed that doesn’t set your wood on fire. Make sure that the focus is adjusted to its finest dot. One thing I did discover is that the adjustment screw that adjusts your blue dot for positioning can be set higher and will give a lot more power to the laser for cutting. I would set it back again after cutting so the blue dot doesn’t blind you. Also, you will want to set the focus height 1/8th down to the middle of the cut on a 1/4" board.
Alden
Thanks @alden for the detailed response. I’ve got things going pretty good now with engraving and cutting after some trial/error. I appreciate your input. This is very helpful.
No comparison. The only downside of the 24w is its noisy, which is a nonissue to me.
The 24w is very usable as a cutting tool and engraves several times faster than the 7. It is a big investment but not only is it faster, it is far more capable.
2 Likes