Laser cutters and engravers are incredibly diverse machines, able to accomplish a wide variety of tasks and functions. Most people get so much out of their laser cutters right out of the box they never even think of all the must have laser cutter accessories for a CO2 laser that can add value to their machine and their projects.
Must Have Laser Cutter Accessories
Here are five must have laser cutter accessories that could improve your laser cutting experience on a laser machine like the Muse Series or P-Series CO2 laser cutter and engraver.
There are a variety of focus lenses available for laser machines, each specializing in a different cutting thickness or level of engraving detail. These must have laser cutter accessories range from lenses for cutting thick materials, such as foam, to pinpoint lenses for cutting details below a 6pt font.
When it comes to must have laser accessories, a different focus lens can open up a whole new world of creative possibilities with all of the different materials that you are able to cut and engrave on your CO2 laser.
A rotary attachment is a must have laser cutter accessory opening up whole new shapes of material to laser engrave upon. A rotary adds the ability to work with curved objects to the repertoire. Items such as bottles, glasses, rolling pins and more become viable options for laser engraving. The rotary attaches to the “y-drive” of the laser cutter and informs the software to turn the rotary for perfect engraving.
Laser glass etching and tumbler etching are some of the most common uses for this. They work great as gifts, or promotional materials for your new business.
Risers are another must-have laser cutter accessory. They are just what they sound like: creating additional height for the laser machine to be able to work with taller materials. Risers go great with rotaries because engraving things like bottles and glasses require more space in the work bed. Some CO2 lasers like the PS20 have additional Z-height built into the work area so a riser is not needed. However others like the Muse Core laser cutter and engraver do require it.
The newest versions of the Risers come with the passthrough built into the front and the back. This will allow you to engrave and cut much longer materials that wouldn’t fit within the standard 20"x12" desktop laser machine workspace. These are only needed on the Muse Core and Muse 3D, as the P-Series and the Titan already come with them built in. A 5” focus lens will be required to use the pass through on the Muse Core and Muse 3D.
Fume extractors are great for locations with workshops that don’t have easy access to an outside window or a built-in exhaust port. Fume extractors use a HEPA filter system to trap fumes and particles. If you are setting up a laser cutter and engraver in an office without outside access, then a fume extractor is a must have laser cutter accessory.
There is also a particle pre-filter available that is installed on the ducting between your laser engraver and cutter and the fume extractor. This is a very handy tool that will catch all the heavier dust and smoke particles before they reach your fume extractor. Using this along with your fume extractor will extend the lifespan of your filter sets.
All CO2 laser tubes need to be cooled during operation. This can be as simple as a water pump system, however the cooler the water, the better. Water chillers maintain a constant water temperature adding to the life of your laser tube, making it a must have laser cutter accessory.
As an example, the standard radiator water chiller (AKA CW-3000) uses a radiator and fan system that the water passes through to cool down. This is just a larger version of what is installed in the Muse Coolbox.
If you need even more cooling, then something like the refrigerated water chiller is the best option (aka CW-5000). The water passes through the refrigerated water chiller and cools it down via a series of tubes that are cooled with refrigerant. This is the ideal option if you are going to use your laser cutter and engraver for extended periods of time in hotter and more humid climates such as inside a garage without climate control, or a workshop/shed setup.
Laser cutters and engravers are amazing tools with some amazing accessories. Be sure you get the right must have laser cutter accessories for your machine and your needs so you can get the most out of your laser system and maximize your creativity.
If you have any questions, or if you need further clarification, just reach out to us at Full Spectrum Laser any time. We want to make sure you get the most out of your laser and its accessories. Feel free to contact our team at Full Spectrum Laser for any questions or assistance.
If we are to name one thing that has been constant in the manufacturing industry over the years, it would be customers’ need for more sophisticated machining technologies to meet their stringent design and manufacturing requirements. One machining technology that has been helping machinists satisfy these requirements today is the CNC laser cutter.
A CNC laser cutter is a piece of computer numerical control (CNC) equipment that uses a focused, high-powered laser beam to mark, cut, or engrave a material to form custom shapes. Its unique design and operation make it highly accurate, especially when cutting intricate shapes and small holes.
In this article, we will explain the basics of CNC laser cutting. First, we will explain the CNC laser cutting process before discussing its types and advantages over conventional CNC machining.
What is a CNC Laser Cutter, and How Does it Work?Like every other type of CNC machine, a CNC laser cutter relies on computer numerical control and computer instructions (G-code) to perform its sequence of cutting operations.
Learn more: What is CNC Machining?
However, CNC laser cutters differ slightly from conventional CNC machines in their design and method of cutting operation.
CNC laser cutting is a non-contact, thermal-based process. A CNC laser cutter features a laser head containing a laser focusing lens and a nozzle. Through the nozzle, this head and lens assembly focuses a laser beam — a column of very high-intensity light ㅡ on the workpiece, melting and cutting the workpiece to form the desired shape. CNC lasers employ compressed gas (also flowing through the nozzle that ejects the laser beam) to cool the focusing lens and expel the vaporized metal out of the workpiece.
Look at it this way. When you focus a high-powered laser beam at a point on a metallic surface, the heat density at that point becomes high, resulting in rapid heating and partial (or complete) vaporization of that point on the metal. CNC technology then controls the sequence of movements of this laser head and laser beam on the work surface to form the desired custom shapes and features.
What are the Types of CNC Laser Cutting Machines?CNC laser cutters are typically categorized based on the state of the active laser medium (solid, liquid, or gas) and the component of the active laser medium (for example, CO2, Nitrogen, etc.). Here are three of the most commonly used types of lasers today:
The CO2 laser cutter is a type of gas laser that employs carbon dioxide as the active laser medium. They are the most common type of laser cutters primarily because of their high power output capability and efficiency.
CO2 laser cutters generate a power output of up to 15 kW and an efficiency of up to 30% (the highest of all the gas laser cutters). They are ideal for cutting fine features and acute angles, especially in sheet metals or metals with a thickness of less than 10 mm. Higher powered CO2 laser cutters can also deliver good cut quality on thicker metal surfaces.
Learn More: What is CO2 Laser Cutting?
FIber laser cutters are a more recent laser technology that uses a bank of diodes to create the beam, which is focused through a fiber-optic cable. Fiber laser cutters allow you to achieve a faster and cleaner cutting process than CO2 laser cutters, especially in materials with a thickness of less than 5 mm.
Although fiber lasers are compatible with a broad range of materials, you must pay special attention to silver.
Silver retains heat from the laser and starts to warp during cutting operations, making it challenging to achieve the desired machined part. As a result, top-tier machine shops typically use a bracket as a heat sink to transfer heat away from the silver workpiece during fiber laser cutting operations.
Learn More: What is a Fiber Laser Cutter?
CNC crystal laser cutters use beams made from crystals like neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) and neodymium-doped yttrium ortho-vanadate (Nd:YVO).
Crystal laser cutters generally have higher intensity (or laser power) than CO2 laser cutters, meaning you can use them to cut through thicker metals. These cutters also have a broad range of material compatibility, including metals, glass, wood, and plastics.
Related Post: Plastics in CNC Machining: How do You Choose the Right Type?
Advantages of CNC Laser CuttingHere is a list of some of the advantages of the CNC laser cutting process over conventional CNC machining processes:
Without a doubt, the unique design and advantages of CNC laser cutters make them so valuable in the manufacturing industry today.
But just because these machines simplify machining, it doesn’t mean the CNC laser cutting process is any less complex than CNC machining. So if you want to get your product done right the first time, you must work with a top-tier machine shop that has a track record of fabricating parts accurately and precisely using CNC laser cutters.
Learn more about our laser cutting services.