Monport GA60 Fiber Laser Review
At a first look, the Monport GA60 looks like a solid, no-nonsense fiber laser that is well thought out and should be a good machine to add into your workshop. In this review article we will take a look at its build quality and cool features like autofocus and do some practical tests to see what it is capable of engraving.
In this article I will be testing the 60W JPT MOPA version, but you can also get it in 20W to 100W MOPA and regular Q-switched versions. It really depends on your needs. . With the MOPA version you are able to adjust the pulse width parameter too, allowing you to engrave more delicate materials like plastic more easily, and you also benefit at engraving colors on stainless steel and producing different range of engraving effects. You can also watch my YouTube video review of the Monport GA60 if you prefer video format.
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Its vertical column can be easily folded which is great for storing the machine, I find this collapsible column system very appealing. Setting it up is very quick and only two thumb screws are needed to tighten the vertical column to the base, and you are good to go. Despite being collapsible, the column is one of the strongest and most stable columns I have seen so far.
The machine looks professional and well built. It has an electric Z-axis lifting system and a very good autofocus system which I will test later in the article.
It has another cool feature I didn’t find on any machine so far. By untightening a few bolts, the column can be rotated sideways which is awesome if you want to engrave big objects or use a tall rotary system setup.
Monport GA60 has a very big lens which gives a quality feel. The lens I have here has a working area of 175mm square, but you can upgrade it with other lenses too. Next to the lens, there are two red laser pointers which are used for manual focusing, and next to them, there is the autofocus sensor.
Once again I need to add that this is one of the most mechanically stable galvo lasers I have tested so far. It is rock solid. The base of the tower looks very well thought out. I also like the fact that this machine comes with the pre-calculated lens correction factors, so you don’t need to calibrate the lens yourself. Using these correction factors, the engravings are spot on, the lines are dead straight, and the dimensions are spot on too. This is much better than what I was able to calibrate on my own using other machines that came without these correction factors.
At the rear there is a connection for USB data, the power cord and rotary attachment. I am missing the foot switch connector as the foot switch comes in very handy for bulk engraving. But there is a button on the front panel which helps a bit. You could re-wire it to an external foot switch if that will be necessary at some point when fulfilling very large orders for engraving.
I don’t like the included safety glasses since they are a bit cheap for this kind of machine, and I recommend spending a few more dollars on THESE OD6+ safety glasses which I use and are still very cheap, but offer much more protection. Fiber lasers are very powerful, and you must protect your eyes.
In the package you also get two brackets which come in handy for bulk engraving pencils or similar items.
Currently, you can also get a very good rotary for free with this machine. I am very excited about this rotary and I plan to test it soon.
The JPT M7 MOPA Fiber Laser Source Version Comparison
The Monport GA60 has the newer “E2” version of the JPT M7 MOPA laser source, the same that I have tested with the ComMarker B6 in my previous article.
Let’s see how the Monport GA60 compares to other similar fiber lasers I have tested so far.
The Monport GA60 is larger than the red 60W ComMarker B6 which uses the same “E2” 60W laser source, but on the other side, it is much smaller than the older 60W ComMarker B4. And the 20W dual beam xTool F1 Ultra is there for size reference only, as it falls into a completely different category as far as galvo lasers go (dual beam).
Looking at the mechanical stability, the Monport GA60 has the most stable head. The Monport also uses a much larger lens than the ComMarker machines, but I don’t think that the lens size affects the engraving performance. Monport also has the shortest fiber optic cable going to the head. This could affect freehand operation, but I think freehand operation is too sketchy and dangerous with such a powerful machine.
The Monport GA60 and ComMarker B6 are using the newest “E2” model of the 60W JPT M7 MOPA laser source, and the older ComMarker B4 is using the older “E” version which is a larger unit, and this is why the B4 is much bigger than the other two.
Performance wise, the newer fiber unit should provide similar or better engraving performance. It has higher maximum pulse energy. The waveforms look a bit different, and the cutoff frequencies are a bit lower on the newer unit which should mean that more energy is available at lower frequencies, resulting in deeper engravings.
Focusing the Monport GA60 in Three Different Ways!
You can focus this laser engraving machine in many different ways.
The first way is to use the traditional method using red dots. By pressing the switch on the laser head, you turn on the two laser pointers below, which are projecting two dots on the surface. The third dot is projected through the lens itself. Then, you can use the electric lift to adjust the Z-axis height. The machine is in perfect focus when all three dots are aligned.
The second way is by placing object under the other red dot, located closer to the front, which is used by the autofocus sensor and start the autofocusing procedure by pressing the focus button. The machine then automatically adjusts to the correct focus distance. The autofocus is very good and it works every time on all but highly reflective objects.
The third way of focusing is by measuring the correct focus distance with a ruler and this way I can verify that the autofocus in the previous step has focused the machine with incredible precision. The focus is set spot on. To the tenth of a millimeter.
You can also raise and lower the laser head manually by rotating the Z-axis knob if you want finer adjustment.
Removing Rust with the Monport GA60
Since I have this rusty hammer on hand, I can demonstrate how a MOPA fiber laser can be used for effective rust removal. Using high speed and power together with high frequency and low pulse width produces a cleaning effect that removes the rust, but does not engrave into the metal below.
The result looks incredible. You can use this method for cleaning and removing rust from small intricate parts that can’t be mechanically cleaned.
Engraving on Anodized Aluminum (my favorite thing to do)
As I have shown many times before, fiber lasers are amazing for engraving on anodized aluminum. This applies also to regular, Q-switched, non-MOPA machines.
For a change I decided to engrave a photo, and it came out perfect! An incredible level of detail can be achieved even with a large area lens like the one on this machine.
Anodized aluminum is one of my favorite metals to engrave. You can also take an advantage of the MOPA machine and carefully selecting the settings, you can achieve black, grey and white color, allowing you to make very cool keychains and tags or even engrave metal enclosures, motorcycle parts or tools. But an important thing to know is that this effect doesn’t work on raw aluminum. Engraving dark colors on anodized aluminum is made by heating the surface (not engraving it). Engraving dark on anodized aluminum takes much more time than a white engraving and the final result is completely smooth to the touch. You can’t feel in under the finger.
Can Monport GA60 Cut Metal?
Despite having a large area lens, the Monport GA60 is still a very capable laser cutter. It can cut the 0.3mm thick aluminum business card in less than 10 fast passes, allowing you to make cool tags and custom keychains in minutes! The level of detail is amazing, and the cut edge is nice and smooth.
High-Speed-High-Precision Test
The laser spot size of this machine feels very small.
I went to measure it by engraving my high-speed test pattern and the interval test to see, how well it engraves at high speed and measure the laser spot size.
I engraved it at two different frequencies to show you the effect that can happen at low frequencies. Engraving was done in a split second. Definitely watch the YouTube video to see it in real life as otherwise you will not believe how fast this pattern was engraved. Blink and you will miss it.
Looking under a microscope, we can see that at very high engraving speeds, the lower 30kHz frequency is too low and starts showing the individual pulses. But at the higher, 200kHz setting, the beam engraves a solid line.
The quality of the small text is incredible, even at these lightning high speeds. At 1000mm/s, the text looks flawless. Looking at the interval test, we can see that the laser spot size is approximately 60 microns in diameter, which is almost as much as with the 110mm lens of the ComMarker B4, which measured 50 microns. This means that Monport has very good optics, since it maintains very small spot size even with a large area lens.
3D Engraving in Stone
Then I tried to make a deep 3D engraving in stone as I haven’t done that before. I used the 3D engraving mode in Lightburn which takes a grayscale image for input and the darker the shade, the more passes will be run for that part, making smooth engravings with various depths.
I ran just 32 passes. Despite running a relatively small number of passes, the design was engraved very deeply and the level of detail around the letters is amazing. The image of a motorcycle was not as good, but that image was not a grayscale depth map needed for 3D engraving and because of that, the 3D effect is not very realistic.
I tried again using a normal vector design and it came out incredible. I can’t believe how much detail can be preserved. This is a great way to make custom souvenirs and gifts.
3D Engraving in Metal (brass)
You can make deep engravings in any metal too. Here is an example of the same design etched in brass. I even used the same settings, so results are not ideal. But with metals, it is better to let it run for more passes for deeper etch.
When working with this machine I find that it feels very powerful, despite the larger area lens. I went to test that by trying to make a deep 3D engraving in brass. I already did this exact same test before with the 60W ComMarker B4 that has the same JPT MOPA laser source (older “E” version, instead of the “E2”), but I did it by using the smaller 110mm lens, so we will be able to compare the results.
The engraving process took 25 minutes and the result looks amazing. At first sight, the engraving made with Monport GA60 looks just as deep. There are no major differences. I measured the depth, and it is exactly the same(1.3mm, 0,051″) as it was with ComMarker which is really impressive.
Larger lens has less power density, but the beam remains in focus for longer distance which compensates for it. Looking under a microscope, we can see the individual layers of the 3D surface.
Colored Engraving in Stainless Steel
Like all MOPA fiber lasers, the Monport GA60 is also good at engraving colors on stainless steel. I went to engrave some test patterns and very quickly I was able to start finding some colors.
Engraving colors on stainless steel is a slow process that takes a lot of experimentation. You need to do a lot of test patterns to find more colors like I did with the ComMarker B4 60W MOPA in my previous article , since with different lens and machine combination, the colors will end up different. But once you find them, then you can use them whenever you want.
Engraving Plastic With Monport GA60
Fiber lasers are also very good at engraving plastic. I tried to make an engraving on a computer mouse (most likely its ABS plastic). The engraving was done in a split second and the result looks factory made and is indistinguishable from manufacturers markings. I am very impressed with the engraving quality that can be achieved with this machine.
The settings used: 2000mm/s, 15%, 20kHz, 200ns Q-pulse, Line interval 0.06mm, crosshatch.
Very solid and well thought out Fiber laser!
Monport GA60 - Fast, Precise and Powerful!
At first I was thinking that the Monport GA60 will be just another fiber laser that I am going to test, since they can often get quite similar. But with the GA60, Monport showed that they can make a truly great fiber laser in this price range, that is easy to use, easy to setup, is well built and delivers incredible performance and accuracy.
Another good thing is that Monport has stores in many countries. You can check out the US store, DE store and UK store.
Use discount code "JTMAKESIT" for 10% off as a thank you for reading this article.
Not only that, the Monport GA60 is also very competitively priced as you can get great gifts with a purchase, ranging from a chuck rotary system to a whole CO2 laser cutter, depending on the model and your region!
Get it in the global storeCheck out the DE store
Hello, unfortunately, since October 2024, Monport has no longer been using JPT sources in the GA MOPA series, but rather the cheaper sources from the ‘GME’ series by GZTECH, which apparently are not as powerful as the JPT sources. A comparison of the two variants would probably be very insightful and could potentially alleviate some concerns from Monport customers who received the GZTECH source.