Below is an e-mail conversation that I though might be interesting for other people as well 🙂
Hey Michael,
Holy shit. Since 2011? Time moves fast! Other than the problems outlined in the blogposts, I’ve been surprised by the little machine. YMMV 😉
No mayor break-downs, however I have noticed a lower laser power lately (can still cut through PMMA and wood with quite some speed though), and I’ve changed the control to LAOS-laser, which has really simplified my workflow. In stead of having:
– Illustrator (mac)
– Corel draw (win)
– Moshi draw (win, cannot be virtual machine)
I now have:
– Illustrator (mac)
– Visicut (mac)
… and am able to do engraving (with quite some resolution) and cutting in one go. So that’s a nice upgrade.
Also be advised that the machine comes with a really crappy exhaust fan which burned out after an hour with me. Since most cutting operations create quite some fumes, you’ll want to have a powerful suction system before you start using the system for production. Also these machines come without a usable water cooling system, air assist and cutting bed/surface. So you’ll have to tinker something for this as well.
Bottom line: I’ve worked with lasers worth 10-20x this machine (Epilog 24, some other German brands) which also had problems. The results (parts) are the same. The original tube, lenses, mirrors, control, motors and mechanics are still going strong. Between my mill, 3D-printer and the laser, this is the machine I use most often, by far. Very little start-up time, no trouble fixing your workpiece etc.
As for bang/buck this is awesome, but only if you have some experience with electrical engineering / laser cutting / mechanical design / laser safety etc. If you don’t feel comfy around a machine that just keeps going when you open the door and stick in your hands, don’t go with this 🙂
Best regards,
Gregor van Egdom
On 8 nov 2013, at 17:04, Michael Martinez wrote:
Hey! Hello, Hola! You are fast!
I really want a laser cutter, but the brand name ones are out of my price range. I’ve been looking at the Chinese versions on Ebay for months, but I am leery of spending $800 on a broken box.
I read your blog, and saw that you had one since 2011. Does it still work? have you had any major problems?
I appreciate your time!
Update 16-4-2018: I came across this software that might be interesting for people running the normal hardware: http://www.scorchworks.com/K40whisperer/k40whisperer.html
And yes, it’s still working!
Like this? You might be interested in my latest project. It's a desk light made completely from a single sheet of printed circuit board. Check it out:
