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View Full Version : Where can i find a good Laser Cutter??



jess
08-09-2009, 06:44 PM
I have designed some intricate flat pieces and have started to cut a few out... however much i enjoy piercing- i reallly do- its wierd!! Its reallly taking far too long, along with the cleaning up!! Can anyone suggest any good laser cutters? Possibly silver??

caroleallen
08-09-2009, 08:01 PM
I'd say a cheaper option would be to get the pieces photo etched. I can recommend Chempix in Birmingham. Phil Jennings is the contact.

geti-titanium
08-09-2009, 08:30 PM
Hi Jess, welcome to the forum.

My name is Alan and I own GETi. We make Titanium rings and also offer a laser engraving service.

Our machine is also capable of cutting profiles from sheet and although we don't tend to look for that sort of work because we don't have the attachments for long production runs, I may be able to help you.

We can cut Silver sheet no problem up to a maximum of around 0.7mm thick and the machine has a working area of 100mm x 100mm square. If you would like to PM me with further details of what you would like cutting I can see if we can assist.

On a techie note some may be interested to know why the machine can only cut to around 0.7mm thick.

A laser beam used for engraving or cutting is in fact tapered and has its most power at the focal point. The deeper the beam cuts into the metal, the more out of focus it becomes until it gets to such a diameter that it loses power and will not cut any more.

3D engravings with significant depth are possible with an attachment that raises and lowers the workpiece according to the theoretical heights that are mathematically worked out from greyscale jpg images using software such as Rhino. (I've rewritten this a few times - this is the easiest to understand so far) :-O

Laser machines with the addition of different gases (eg. CO2) improve cutting qualities tenfold. An equivalent power CO2 laser should comfortably cut up to 3mm sheet but as a rule doesn't have the resolution for engraving fine detail.

That's it for this session kids - time for break.

Di Sandland
08-09-2009, 08:49 PM
Alan in serious mode - wow!

Actually Alan I genuinely found that interesting - I like to understand the whys and wherefors of things ;)

geti-titanium
08-09-2009, 08:56 PM
Alan in serious mode - wow!

Crazy isn't it? I'm not sure what came over me - not an innuendo in sight! :)

EmmaRose
08-09-2009, 09:39 PM
That was fascinating Alan. I had no idea of the limitations. Is laser cutting more expensive than photo etching?
Em

geti-titanium
08-09-2009, 09:47 PM
Is laser cutting more expensive than photo etching?

Quite probably when you take into account spending 50,000 on the machine to start with. I've no experience of photo etching as to how long it takes and what you can achieve with it - not much by the description.

ps_bond
08-09-2009, 09:54 PM
Swings & roundabouts, Alan. Photoetching is great for materials that respond to it, but has the 2d lithography limitation. You can sort of do multiple masks on the material, but it tends to be diminishing returns - and you've always got the fun of the undercuts on deeper etches.

Then there's the whole noxious chemical handling/disposal too.

caroleallen
09-09-2009, 07:26 AM
But if you just want basic shapes to add your own finishing touches to, it's really good.

I had some acrylic shapes cut out with a water jet cutter and they worked out at about 70p per piece, which I thought was quite expensive, considering I can get etching done on silver for about 5p per piece.

ps_bond
09-09-2009, 08:44 AM
Oh, the fun I could have with a water jet cutter... :D
Less HAZ (er - none) than the alternatives (plasma, laser, arc) and fewer materials problems. Width of cut is usually a bit more wasteful though.

The last one I saw required a fairly deep drop tank, however.

Solunar Silver Studio
09-09-2009, 08:53 AM
I have heard of a water jet cutter before but can't imagine how it works...have you got the techy lowdown on it Peter?:confused:

geti-titanium
09-09-2009, 09:06 AM
Water jet cutters, as the name suggests, use a fine jet of water to cut computer programmed profiles from sheet metal or plastics.

Water on its own isn't enough to cut metal so it is mixed with an abrasive compound which does the actual cutting. The water is more of a delivery method for the abrasive compound.

ps_bond
09-09-2009, 09:09 AM
A very, very high pressure water jet frequently with an abrasive suspended in the stream is blasted at the target. The pressure is in the order of 100x the pressure in a dive cylinder...

Water jet cutter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_jet_cutter)

Didn't post fast enough :)

I do think there's a market for "domestic" (ish) versions of a lot of the industrial tech that's around; RepRap is an interesting thing, but it's only a small step along the way. A small waterjet cutter with a bed size of say 50x50cm would have a lot of applications around the people I know. These things would only really be for short runs, so I can't see them being a significant threat to the proper manufacturers (not that we have many left in the UK).

Solunar Silver Studio
09-09-2009, 09:39 AM
That is really interesting...thank you both!!:Y:

geti-titanium
09-09-2009, 09:44 AM
I can't see them being a significant threat to the proper manufacturers (not that we have many left in the UK)

GETi are holding the fort here in the jewellery quarter :)

Dano
09-09-2009, 01:37 PM
there are plans for homemade CNC mills and laser cutters/etchers and all that sort of thing on Instructables (http://www.instructables.com) if you can be bothered at all, i keep meaning to but they're massive projects.

it's cheaper but time = money i guess

Inanegal
17-10-2012, 07:34 AM
Hi Carole

I’m looking for an affordable method of getting shapes cut out of 0.4mm silver sheet and I came across this very useful discussion from 2009. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about using a photoetching service?

How neat is the cut produced by the photoetching process? Do you have to do much filing and papering to tidy it up, or is the cut fairly neat?

Are the edges of the pieces square, or is there an undercut?

Do you still use Chempix and would you still recommend them? If so, I might give them a try.

Best wishes
Nina
www.ninagale.weebly.com