User Posts: Hobby Laser Cutters
We have tested the brand-new rotary system, the xTool RA2 Pro - the WORLD'S FIRST 4-in-1 Rotary for Laser Engraver. This is a very different design to the more ...
Hobby Laser Cutters
In the past year, we have acquired a lot of different laser engravers. On this website, through many posts, we have tested all of them, and we saw that between ...
In this article we will review and test the Comgrow Comgo Z1 laser engraver! This is a very affordable option if you want to dive into the higher powered ...
If you want to make bigger stuff, you need a bigger laser machine. Using this Sculpfun expansion kit, you will be able to make your Sculpfun S6 or S9 laser ...
In this article we will review and test the engraving and cutting performance of the Atomstack A5 M50 Pro laser engraver. This engraver is basically the same ...
If you want to engrave cylindrical objects, then the Sculpfun rotary roller attachment is a tool to choose! It is highly adjustable roller system which fits ...
The Makeblock xTool D1 laser engraver is a high-end, high quality laser engraver. It will not disappoint even the most demanding user. In this article we have ...
In this article we will review and test the engraving and cutting performance of the Atomstack A10 Pro laser engraver. This engraver is basically the same as ...
"Laser engravers are getting more and more capable these days. I know what you're thinking, "I am not a maker, I don't need to be reading this." Okay, but bear ...
In this article we will review and test the engraving and cutting performance of the Neje Master 2S Plus A40640 40W laser engraver with our standardized range ...
Haven’t tried nylon yet, but I think it can cut it if it is dark color.
Thank you for your input! Glad to see you made a good decision!
Thanks! Yeah I remember the early days of 3D printing. I made my first 3D printer 10+ years ago and spent 1k$ for assembly materials and motors and heads… And everybody was looking at my printer as a 8th wonder of the world. Nobody was familiar with 3D printing. I still have it but it prints way worse compared to a 150$ 3D printer now 🙂
Probably they will soon have their own air assist system made for their machines. Possibly you could modify an existing assist for another brand, but I don’t think you really need an air assist for the S9 as it is capable cutter by itself.
There will always be a better machine as this field is developing very quickly as every few months a new and better machine is introduced which features new tech.
We will try to keep up with our reviews as fast as we can 🙂
We will definitely test some powerful lasers when they come out!
Did you check that the connector on the motor that moves that axis did not disconnect by accident?
There is adjustment. It is also stated in the instructions. The bottom wheel has a hex nut on one side, that nut is eccentrically mounted and spinning it, changes the tension by moving the wheel slightly up or down. Use the included spanner/wrench to rotate it until the loose play is gone.
There could be a slight chance that the power supply might be a problem?
Sculpfun does not have an official air assist yet. All of the available are after-market/third party kits. We will test one in the following months.
This is some very fine text. I am not sure it would come out cleanly. I would say 1mm text is the smallest you can go.
I rather use speed around 600mm/min and full power for cutting and then go with multiple passes, rather than going slower and do a single pass. Multiple passes at higher speed leave much cleaner and less charred edge.
You should use Poplar plywood. This cuts the easiest.
Check the technical review, it will help you figure it out a bit
https://hobbylasercutters.com/sculpfun-s9/
try 600mm/min, 100% power and several passes.
Did you check the technical review?
https://hobbylasercutters.com/sculpfun-s9/
Usually all the dual diode modules have larger beam sizes than standard 5W modules. I think it has something to do with the challenges of focusing the two light sources together. It is a flagship because it is very well built and has the most features. The fact that the beam is perfect square is very important. This helps A LOT when cutting wooden boxes with tight fitting joints. Otherwise parts cut vertically and horizontally don’t fit together.
With 10W machines, I engrave the test pattern on anodized aluminium with 50% power so the light output should be about the same as running 5W machine at 100% power.
The absolute limit is 5000mm/min, but the practical limit is around 3000mm/min
Thanks!
Good catch. When I got the machine it was advertised as 15W and somewhere as 10W.
Whoops, I forgot to add it. Its fixed now.
Yes, S9 is safe to look for a short moment without glasses. It has a good light shield.
Hi,
It has much nicer mechanics and an offline controller. I haven’t tried engraving on stainless with it yet.
As for the performance comparison, you should compare it with our Sculpfun S9 review article.
Running at 100% will probably not affect the life span of the laser significantly, unless you use it A LOT.
You can probably engrave most of this things with only 90%, but you need to go slower. Our power and speed settings are not ideal and can be improved significantly with some more experimenting.
This is strange. On what layer does this happen? You can correct the values by hand to the correct one by even looking at the test file text next to the pattern.
It is measured in the interval test within anodized aluminium test pattern. Its 0.15mm times 0.15mm square
I haven’t tested the A5 Pro+, but I suppose it is a bit better than the A5.
If I would be choosing I would choose the Sculpfun S9, because it is truly a very good machine. And I like their light shielding around the module much better. With Atomstack it is very difficult to see where it will start engraving and it is impossible to lower the module a few milimeters lower than optimal(due to the design of the heatsink, which sits very low above the working surface) when you want to cut thicker stuff. I find this very useful to do with the S9.
We also have a fresh discount coupon for the S9 at the end of the article (price with coupon is 299$). We would appreciate if you buy by clicking through the link in the article, this way you help us to run the website, get more machines for testing and pay our web hosting at no extra cost to you.
Both should be OK.
You can get it through the links at the end of the post. If you order at Banggood, there will be no import costs as the Banggood sends it with taxes and customs already pre-paid. You only pay the list price and shipping. No extra costs at your border.
But I would recommend you getting the much more capable Sculpfun S9, I have a great coupon code for it(till the end of the month), and you can get it for only 299$ if you use my code at the end of the article:
https://hobbylasercutters.com/sculpfun-s9/
https://www.festi.info/boxes.py/
Just click to the drop-downs – boxes, boxes with flex and choose your variant.
https://hobbylasercutters.com/download-test-files/
Yes, The Sculpfun will release their own roller system in just a few days. We are already testing it and will publish an article when we finish.
Indeed, vinyl is bad for you and your machine!
Can’t say about the Comgrow as we haven’t tested it, but I know that the S9 is the currently best machine we have tested in the price range up to 450$.
Aluminium does not engrave directly but anodized aluminium works great.
You need to wait a couple of days so that the roller system becomes available. I will post link when it does.
Great tip!
Banggood ships from China, although they have some products in US stock aswell.
But I never had problems with them. The import taxes are handled by Banggood.
You can also buy from Amazon if you want to get it from US:
https://amzn.to/3HmVFAv
Cool!
Does your laser module have 3 pin connector?
Check the wires to the Y axis motor. It could be that the connector has a bad contact.
You should try to contact Sculpfun support. It could be that the tension of the belts or the rollers is too high but it can also be an electrical issue.
Try to remove the belt. If movement is still stiff, adjust the eccentric nut under one of the rollers and release some tension.
I will test the Atomstack m50 soon, so I will have all three tested and we will see which one is the best.
Anodized aluminium at 600mm/min, stainless at 100mm/min. Both at full power.
Cool!
I use full power for all cutting jobs.
Hi,
I am planning to test the xtool soon, so we will see how good it is 🙂
I am having some problems with the email system. I sent you the files via email.
For this laser I didn’t make the full video featuring all the tests, but I made a video featuring some cool projects I made with the S9. It is also on this website under the tab Projects and Ideas.
If you want to buy, you have the purchase link at the end of this post.
On this website you can also find an article of the Ortur Laser Master 2 Pro. You can directly compare the results:
https://hobbylasercutters.com/ortur-laser-master-2-pro/
Hi, In this extended article you will be able to download the .dxf file for my drill bit box:
https://www.instructables.com/Laser-Cut-Drill-Bit-Organizer-With-CNC-Routed-Dril/
But if it still comes out too small, you probably have the units wrong in the software. Maybe try metric units.
You should check the belt tension and adjust the rollers.
Lightburn is completely user friendly program. You don’t need to know gcode.
It should work, but I can’t be 100% because I haven’t tried it.
The S9 does not have limit switches currently. But it might soon get updated and get them.
I don’t use air assist, but I am planning to make it.
Thanks!
I really haven’t tried MDF yet, but it should cut it without problems. I have seen many people cut MDF with weaker lasers.
https://www.banggood.com/custlink/m3KRNhuYw7
Sure! Just buy the separate S9 laser head.
Thank you!
We plan to test rotary accessories soon!
Sculpfun S9
Cutting leather should not be a problem. Although, the edge would most probably be black.
Thanks! Air assist will be tested soon!
Diode lasers work differently than CO2 lasers. Diode laser emits visible light. So anything that looks transparent to you or very white in color will not be ready to cut because light reflects of white surfaces and passes through transparent materials. CO2 lasers work in IR spectrum which is basically heat. This is why it is absorbed by almost any material.
Blue acrylic does not work because it is the same color as laser light – it reflects blue light.
You can cut yellow, red and green and similar colors. But the lighter the color, more passes are needed. Yellow takes twice as many passes as black.
Never tried opaque.
The cutting performance depends on the wood type. The best wood for laser cutting is Poplar wood which is soft and cuts well. 95% of things you see laser cut is made from this wood.
No, sadly it needs USB. Anything via wireless would be unreliable. You can try with active USB extension cable (5m, 10m length), but not having a computer nearby will make the machine very difficult to use. You need a screen and keyboard next to the machine so you can see what you are doing.
No. None of these machines can cut transparent or blue acrylic. They can cut black, yellow, red, green.. but lighter the color, more passes it needs to cut through.
Thanks! you can add yourself by filling the form below the homepage.
This tutorial will help you to setup the machine in Lightburn (or LaserGRBL – here is tutorial for both programs):
https://gzhls.at/blob/ldb/f/b/e/c/5c238a8e46a7541a755e8ab8326381fef7dd.pdf
The tutorial is for Atomstack, but it is the same setup for Sculpfun.
This tutorial will help you to setup the machine in Lightburn (or LaserGRBL – here is tutorial for both programs):
https://gzhls.at/blob/ldb/f/b/e/c/5c238a8e46a7541a755e8ab8326381fef7dd.pdf
The tutorial is for Atomstack, but it is the same setup for Sculpfun.
No, it is the standard controller, very similar to the Atomstack. But it works just fine.
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Thanks!
Maybe I will make it. I need to figure out how to measure the performance difference between them. I use better OD6+ goggles which protect eyes way more than the included ones. I posted a link to that goggles in each review.
Ventilation is highly recommended. At least have some desk fan blowing air out of the window. Especially when cutting acrylic a lot of smell is produced.
Cool! I will make a video with roller setup as soon the Sculpfun releases it.
Thank you!
Thanks for visiting the site! You can expect the video most probably in December.
Hi, Thanks for watching!
The X7 pro will be tested soon 🙂 Subscribe to get notified!
Are they wavy just at 60% power? This is strange.
If they are always wavy, you should check the tension of the belts on both axis and the tension of the rollers (eccentric nut). Check the manual for the appropriate setup.
Hi, check https://hobbylasercutters.com/download-test-files/ for downloading the test file.
Hi,
Thanks for visiting my site.
You can download the file here:
https://hobbylasercutters.com/download-test-files/
Hi, I have added a form, so everyone can download the file:
https://hobbylasercutters.com/download-test-files/
Check your email!
Hi,
I have sent you the test file.
But it is not compatible with LaserGRBL as the Lightburn uses some parameters to set the power scale to specific shapes.
You can try it with free trial though.
Hi,
I have sent you the test file.
But it is not compatible with LaserGRBL as the Lightburn uses some parameters to set the power scale to specific shapes.
You can try it with free trial though.
Some “soot” is normal to accumulate on the inside. But you can wipe it off. You also should clean the lens with a cotton swab every now and then. It will improve the performance.
I sent you the lightburn file via email.
I will send it to you via email, as I can not attach it here.