Is this the right forum?

[Mike Wingate]

Is this the right forum for CNC Lasers?

[Mark]

Mmm good question, I'd say so.

[Mike Wingate]

Has anyone tried to design pieces based on Gregg Fleishman's designs. They are classic! Router, CNC, Laser here we come.

[Mike]

Mike, since the controls and components are the same on many laser and router table CNC's this is the right place. I think you have won the award for being the first to ask about the lasers.

[harrysin]

Mike/s, I would have thought that laser machines were more suited to electronics/computing forums as those are the technologies involved rather than woodworking skills.

[Mike]

Harry, many of the machine router tables use identical CNC controllers and drives to those on industrial laser tables. This really is the commercial side of routing, but this is the correct forum to discuss it.

[harrysin]

If you say so Mike!

[Mike Wingate]

We are a design and tech dept in an 11-18 boys Grammar school in the U.K. I have taught all the trad stuff over the last 36 years, CAD CAM is commonplace, but cutter offsets can cause students problems as do setups. We have been looking at Laser cutter/engravers. They use the same CAD packages that we use and more, Prodesktop/engineer, 2D Techsoft, Modolo, Adobe Illustrator for instance. 30 watt laser with a 3 x 2 foot table will do us nicely. We have had 3 demos in school by companies and we have tested and evaluated the models, programs,sizes and extraction capabilities. Great for boxes, draw the net/development, add detail, cut and raster, fold and the job is done, in card or plastic. Wood can be ct to about 9mm without burning or loss of quality. I have been thinking of cutting fingerboards for guitars, fret slots and detailed inlay work. Plastics are cut with ridiculous ease. Photo quality engraving in 9 grey scales is outstanding. Quality and speed are excellent. I thought the router was excellent some 30 years ago. For jigs and templates, as well as manufacture in quantity, Lasers have some potential in a school.