Laser / CNC Opinions or experiences with WeCreate laser?

[Back_at_it]

Looking at buying a laser as I'm to a point where I'm doing enough custom stuff that I want to be able to easily cut my own fins, rings, tubes etc. at home. I've looked at the normal "go-to" brands like Muse and GlowForge but frankly I don't want to spend $4K and up for my first laser.

Does anyone have any experience with the WeCreate 20W laser system?

https://wecreat.com/products/wecrea...KagnDhuIbSme3lAUsZg82Wb3P12AXvuBoCo8gQAvD_BwE

 

[frogglicker]

I don't have any experience with Laser systems, but I have been eyeballing them as well. YouTube has been pimping this brand pretty hard and I did watch a couple reviews. I also saw that TwoTrees has Laser "Engravers" that will cut through 1/2-in plywood and the prices seem reasonable. That got my attention for CRs, bulk plates, and fins. I'd love to hear others thoughts on this.

 

[NTP2]

“family friendly” do all the other laser cutters play R rated movies on the screen or something?

 

[DragonRocketry]

If you are looking to go cheap on a laser then do not even waste your time. Out of all the low-priced lasers this is the only one I would consider. https://omtechlaser.com/products/om...r-engraver-with-rotary?variant=40714320117825
I have seen polar in action, and it is a good little unit. I am considering one for just doing small stuff so I can free up my large laser to do large jobs.

When the cheap ones say they will cut 1/2" material that is multi passes to get it to do it and will char the crap out of the material. I had a glowforge and it was the biggest piece of junk. After 6 weeks of fighting with it, I sent it back. I also played around with a couple diode lasers; they are great for engraving but lagged when it came to cutting anything over 1/8" material.

I have an omtech 80w and can do up to 1/2" birch single pass.

 

[Lotronex]

I bought a diode laser with similar power power 3 months ago (xTool 20W D1 Pro), and for LPR/MPR sized projects it is perfect. I get clean cuts on the 2mm and 3mm plywood I got from Amazon. Using the rotary is a learning experience, LPR tubes are not easy to hold straight, so plan to make some jigs to keep everything in place for those. I have some ideas on improvement for my rotary, but I'd like to get a better enclosure first. Larger tubes have generally been easier to cut. Engraving tubes to mark them has been difficult, etching deep enough to leave a mark usually weakens the tube.

I have no experience cutting anything thicker than 1/8" yet, but I can theoretically do 10mm in a single pass. My initial plan for thicker pieces was just to cut out 1/8" templates and route the pieces, but I've since learned a local library has a maker space with a 80W CO2 laser, so I'd probably use that instead.

If you're looking for a smaller laser, consider getting one with an open frame like the D1. When cutting longer tubes, I can remove the enclosure and allow the parts of it to extend outside of the laser's frame. You can also set the laser directly on what you want to cut/engrave, no matter how big it is. The trade off with an open frame laser it it handles ventilation poorly. I have the folding xTool enclosure and while it protects your eyes, smoke still gets out. I plan to build a solid enclosure for it eventually with better exhaust.

As far as diode vs CO2, CO2 is far more powerful, but requires more maintenance. I wanted something I could just turn on and use, and the diode laser has been fantastic in that regard. Once I finish creating my cut files in Lightburn, I go to the laser, pull up the file there, turn it on, position the material, focus, then hit cut, it takes 2 minutes. While it's largely the same with CO2 lasers, you also have to deal with focusing the mirrors and cooling the tube. I plan on moving my laser out the garage, which if you do a CO2 laser you have to worry about keeping it heated or running antifreeze in you coolant lines. The diode laser just has a little fan on it.

 

[Sandy H.]

Looking at buying a laser as I'm to a point where I'm doing enough custom stuff that I want to be able to easily cut my own fins, rings, tubes etc. at home. I've looked at the normal "go-to" brands like Muse and GlowForge but frankly I don't want to spend $4K and up for my first laser.

Does anyone have any experience with the WeCreate 20W laser system?

https://wecreat.com/products/wecrea...KagnDhuIbSme3lAUsZg82Wb3P12AXvuBoCo8gQAvD_BwE

You asked a specific question and this is TRF, so we're going to respond to every possible question you DIDN'T ask! (Haha, just poking fun at us.)

Having said that, I have zero experience with the WeCreate 20W system. I have a Trotec 80W CO2 and it is awesome, but if I had it to do over again, I would do something different.

I've watched Scott's posts for a while and based on quality and experience, I would take his opinions with high regard. Never met the guy in person, but talked on the forum and via email and I'm pretty sure he has things dialed in as well as anyone I've seen. I'll have to ping him when I get back in town doing 1/2" ply with his 80W, as I can't do it to my satisfaction with my machine, but based on what I've seen, cutting anything that thick with a 20W might be a bridge too far.

My opinion only. You're mileage might vary. A 10% gratuity will be added to parties of 6 or more etc. . .

 

[Back_at_it]

Thanks for the responses. I'm looking into the Polar 350 as an option. For my needs I'll never cut anything thicker than 1/4" so those machines with a 10mm rating will work well.

This is strictly for home use as I have no time or interest in turning my hobby into a business.

 

[Back_at_it]

I pulled the trigger on the WeCreate after visiting a few people that owned various machines and doing a lot of research on other brands. Some of that research was downright scary with relation to service and repairs. I've had the machine up and running for a few days and I'm happy with everything I've tried to do with it so far. The setup was simple and getting started in the software only took a few minutes. From unboxing to my first cut was about 45 mins.

I'm relearning Light Burn which is also fairly simply to use. I've cut a few things so far and have a ton of ideas for various rocket related items.

First Cut.



Couple of centering rings while I learned the settings.



Set of baffle plates for an upcoming build. These were about the 6th or 7th item I cut and I was getting pretty comfortable with the settings by this point.