Considering the JTech 24w or an XTool F1. I mostly just want to batch out some engraving. Probably not a lot of cutting. I know the footprint of the F1 is small but it is fast and portable. It would be cool to use one machine to do both but that may also be a hindrance. For engraving would the JTech be fast enough to batch engravings out. Or too slow?
Scott,
The speed will not necessarily be limited by the Jtech, but rather the 1F. I love my 24w laser, and have been very hapy with it. In fact, over the last few weeks I batched out 400 Christmas ornaments on 1/4 birch. Engraved and cut out using the 1F and 24w Jtech.
However, the F1 is going to be significantly faster. On the xTool site they advertise 4000 mm/s engraving speeds with the 10w diode laser. That is WAY faster than what you will get on the 1F. I do everything in inches/min in lightburn, but doing the conversion, even at my highest speed settings I am running at only ~100 mm/s. So if the material you want to use will get good results at full speed of the F1, you could see engraving speeds 40 times faster on the F1.
The other thing to consider is size of engraving. The F1 has a small footprint, which is great for shop space, but it does limit what you can do with your laser.
I have not used the F1, but have considered it in the past. Ultimately I was willing to put up with the slower engraving times at the tradeoff of being able to laser engrave anything that will fit on the bed of my journeyman.
It really comes down to personal preference and how much you want to spend.
Erik
-edit to add: I was looking at the bundle pricing on the xTool site. Looks like the 24w and the F1 are about evenly priced, so that is not really a factor
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If you want to cut the F1 is essentially out of the discussion. For material around 3/8" or less the jtech will do a good job cutting.
The 2w fiber diode in those little cheap galvos is a cool tool. Marking metal is handy. My standalone galvo is a 60W and is a whole nother beast, but if you want to mark some metal business cards, its a cool party trick. But i doubt you’ll get much actual depth to a metal engraving.
Now, for marking things, like signatures, or non sheet or cutout jobs on wood, the xtool would be a good contender. If you’re the sort that wants to go to craft shows or church events or whatever and personalize items on the spot, the xtool will really shine there. There is some money in that if you do that kind of thing. But a 10w laser from a galvo is definitely not going to get the depth of a gantry style closer focused laser, especially when the jtech has much more power to begin with. And remember your job size is majorly limited unless it falls within the envelope of the galvo, or you can fit it on the roller or (probably expensive) moving bed.
If you want to laser draw a map to hang on your wall, the jtech is your huckleberry. Cutting out christmas ornaments? Jtech. Laser marquetry? Jtech. High accuracy cutting? Jtech. You can still mark up anodized aluminum or coated metal with the jtech, which is most of what a 2w infrared diode is going to be doing anyway. It might be able to get a tiny bit of depth in softer metals that the jtech cannot.
They’re very different tools with very different applications. I dont have the xtool but i do have a full size fiber and I use it a lot, but id probably find the xtool a bit too limited for my needs if i didnt already have a larger “cutting” laser and a metal engraving laser.
I run my jtech 24 at about 250 inch/min, which is a bit over 100mm/s. The onefinity could probably go faster, but its really rocking and rolling at that speed. Cutting I generally drop down to 10-15 ipm (4-7ish mm/s). Engraving with a laser on the 1F really isn’t all that fast, but unless you want to deal with the headaches of a large size cO2 and its costs and tradeoffs, its still a very good value, and people love large engraved panels and tabletops, or pictures.
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Thanks for the great info. I might start with the F1 and if for whatever reason I need to cut larger pieces I will invest in the JTech. I like the idea of doing custom engraving at a show if I decide to. You guys are awesome. Thank you.