My 60 Watt Ebay Laser Cutter Engraver

If you are here you probably are thinking about getting a laser engraver and you have seen many on Ebay. I know because I looked and compared.

At first I was going to get one of the sub-400 dollar K40 machines but after watching many YouTube videos I ruled it out because to become a useful laser engraver I would need to spend about $1000 in addition to the $400 initial outlay. So at this point I'm already at $1400. So I started looking at larger machines.

What I finally ended up with was a 60 Watt laser engraver with a working area of 500 x 700 mm's and a movable Z axis that is manually controlled. I bought mine direct from the seller and they deducted some off the total price. It was originally $2300 and I saved $100. If you want to contact them their email is starshopx@gmail.com. The person I have dealt with is Dara and she has been very helpful. If you are in the US this is a good seller because they ship from Oakland or San Leandro California. Free shipping. The truck arrived at my house and rolled it up to the garage door,

What You Need To Know

1. These machines do not cut metal. Laser that cut metal are rated in the kilowatts. You can engrave anodized aluminum or use Cermark to mark metal. The laser melts it into the metal. Some people also use Dry Moly lube that comes in a can. Check the Facebook group below for more info.
2. The Chinese are notorious for over driving laser tubes and this machine is no exception. A true 60 watt laser tube in 1250 mm long. These machines come with a 1000 mm tube (approx 50 watts) and they over drive it with a 60 watt power supply. I knew this going in to the deal so I was not concerned. In the future I plan on installing a true 60 watt tube,
3. The lens in the nozzle is upside down. When you get your machine remove the nozzle by lowering the bed, unscrew the single thumb screw just above the air tube and slide the assembly down and out. Remove the air tube and unscrew the nozzle tip. The lens is held in place by a metal ring. Unscrew the ring and carefully dump out the lens. Wear latex gloves when handling the lens, clean it if it needs it and place it back in with the dome facing up towards the direction of the light path. Put it all back together.
4. Clean the laser out. There will be metal shavings along the X and Y axis'. The Chinese do not think it is worth the labor to clean out the machine so they leave it to the buyer.
5. Check the bed, Be sure it is level.
6. Do a ramp test. 
7. It comes with RD Works 8. Go to www.thunderlaser.com and download the latest version. Check youtube for how to videos. There is a How to file in the Facebook Group files section near the bottom of the list on how to install in conjunction with Corel Draw.
8. It also comes with CorelDraw 12 which is very old and does not run well in Windows 7 or later. If you have Windows 10 you will need Corel Draw X7. You can export directly from Corel to RD Works without losing your dimensions. You can also use Inkscape which is a free program.
9. Get a good chiller. It comes with a submersible pump but if you live in a warmer climate it won't be sufficient to run the machine for more than an hour. Do not get a CW3000 chiller - it is not a real chiller because all it does is cool to ambient temperature. You want either a CW5000 or CW5200 because they are actual refrigeration units.

Here is a great Facebook Group you should join.