Last Updated 1 year by Lukas
We have all probably heard of this amazing, coherent and focused source of light called a laser. Some of us may remember watching the movie ‘Star Wars’ where we enjoyed many scenes with lasers or lightsabers. As time passed and mankind became curious, many new inventions were created, such as CNC machines, which can mould materials into different shapes. Someone clever had an idea: “What if I put different tools in the head of a CNC machine?
This is how today’s 3D FDM printers or laser engravers/cutters were created. Of course, this is a very simplified explanation. In reality, it was necessary to solve all the specific problems such as vibrations, power control, protection, etc. After going through all these difficulties and solving them. Today we are blessed with the ability to simply buy such tools and be very creative with them.
In this article I’d like to share my experience of buying a laser engraver/cutter from a very beginner’s point of view. It may later prove valuable to other people who are thinking about buying something similar, to avoid many mistakes I may go through.
What is a laser cutter/engraver?
Generally it’s just a piece of metal frame around a central moving part. This part can move in X and Y axis direction at the same time. Surprisingly, there is a laser emitting tool connected to the moving part and together they form the head of the engraver.
The movement of the head is controlled by special coordinates called g-codes. In other words, when you load a description of what to do from your PC into the engraver. It’s translated into g-codes and it tells the head where to move and at what power to send the laser beam onto the object below.
Because the laser is a very focused beam of light, it is highly accurate. In general, the material exposed to the laser light doesn’t melt very much (in the case of metal), but is mainly vaporised (removed). This allows very thin and precise structures to be created in the carved/engraved material.
A word of caution
Laser engravers emit high intensity light which can easily burn the retina of your eye. Be vigilant at all times, wear protective goggles and, ideally, buy a protective case for your new tool. Even if you’ve trained hard and can move like Neo in The Matrix, you can’t escape something moving at the speed of light..
As the material being engraved/cut is generally vaporised and little melted (in the case of metal), high temperatures are generated. This means that there is a possibility of fire. Do not leave your engraver unattended for long periods of time. Also make sure you have a fire extinguisher nearby.
Another reason why you may want to enclose the engraver is to prevent fumes from the material being released into the air. I’m sure you don’t want to inhale the fumes and enjoy the burnt smell. Many enclosures are built with ventilation that can be switched on. The best way to do this is to simply vent to the outside, but if this is not possible you can buy a filter system and run the air through it. However, a good quality filtration system can be as expensive as your engraver.
It’s all about the power and speed
Optical power
With laser cutters/engravers, it’s all about two things: optical laser power and the speed at which the laser head can move. Simply put, the more powerful the laser, the deeper the cut can be in a single pass of the head. Of course, with less powerful lasers we can cut with several passes. The problem is that some materials require a certain minimum power and in this case we won’t be able to compensate even with more passes of the laser head.
Movement speed
On the other hand, with the movement speed we change the exposure time of the material and thus the maximum power that the engraved/cut material takes. For example, if we have a laser that is too powerful, we can compensate by moving the laser head faster. As you can probably see, it’s a combination of power, speed and material.
Hitting the right spot
This may seem quite complex, but we really don’t need to hit exactly the optimum combination, usually it’s just good enough to be within an acceptable range. To find an acceptable range of power and speed for the laser head, we can simply print test patterns on selected material. We can then write down these values for our particular laser and use them again in the future when using the same material.
Commonly used powers for hobby purposes
In the hobby world we will encounter these most common optical powers: 5W, 10W, 20W and 40W. The 5W and 10W are standard hobby laser engravers/cutters with a reasonable price tag. The 20W and 40W lasers are on the premium side of hobby machines and can be two to four times more expensive than those previously described.
What is the available software?
LightBurn
There are many different types of software for laser engravers, but two of the most commonly used are LightBurn and LaserGRBL. The first is professional, paid-for software that gives you lots of knobs to fine tune. On the other hand, it can take some time to fully understand and control. For the hobbyist, it’s very reasonably priced.
LaserGRBL
On the other hand, LaserGRBL is free software and it’s likely to be the first thing you try. It is very simple and intuitive to understand and your learning curve will be much quicker compared to the more complex LightBurn. This software is perfect for simple projects, which is usually more than enough for beginner to intermediate users. When you reach the upper intermediate or expert level, LightBurn can give you the freedom and advanced functionality you need.
Creality Falcon 2 laser cutter/engraver
Looking for the best value for money
I’ve been looking for an affordable laser engraver/cutter with an optical power of around 10W. I took my time, watched YouTube videos, read many reviews and eventually narrowed the list down to a single product called the Creality Falcon. It was a nice looking 10W laser engraver, but I disliked the lack of cable management. This let me into learning there is second interation called Falcon 2.
The Creality Falcon 2 has been improved in every way over the first Falcon iteration. It has a sturdy AL frame, 22W laser, built-in Air-Assist system, several sensors to increase safety and, unfortunately, a correspondingly higher price tag. When I checked local (CZ) dealer prices, it was way over my budget I was willing to spend on it.
Looking for a bargain
It may have been fate, or just plain luck, but around the same time Creality launched the third iteration of the Falcon 2 with a 40W laser. This knocked the 22W Falcon 2 off the premium throne and opened up the opportunity to find a bargain on the previous Falcon 2. I knew that thanks to my experience with buying 3D printers you can find interesting offers.
My hunch was confirmed and it was possible to buy Creality Falcon 2 from ‘GeeksBuying’ site with about 8k discount on local (CZ) prices. And what was even more amazing, I got a free engraving/cutting pad as a gift (there is of course a basic engraving/cutting pad in the standard package).
Waiting for the parcel and unpacking
The parcel delivery
It took three days for all the boxes to arrive. It was the engraver, the extra pad as a gift and I also ordered a protective case as a 22W laser is not a toy. There were no problems with ordering or delivery, it all worked perfectly. The pad and case did take some work to put together but it was quite easy and obvious.
Unpacking and assembling
I left the engraver as the last box to be opened, so that I could enjoy the feeling of anticipation a little longer. In general, it’s pretty well packaged and protected. Inside the box, the AL frame is completely assembled, you just need to tighten the screws. Then you screw in the legs that the frame stands on, and connect the laser head. Finally, you connect the air-assist system to the power source.
The first print
At this point you are all set, just install the software, connect the cable and start printing. It only takes up to 10 minutes to put this engraver/cutter together. The supplied accessories include a card reader with an SD card and a USB cable. You can either print directly from the SD card or simply connect your PC/laptop and print. You also get three pieces of wood to test it out. It even comes with pre-loaded test files.
Final words
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the product. It lives up to all its promises (at least those I’ve been able to find in reviews and YouTube videos). The first print is possible within 10 minutes of taking the Falcon 2 out of the box. Since it can be used with an SD card or directly with a PC, it’s no problem to take the machine out of the garage, prepare the g-codes on the PC and upload them to the SD card.
I was probably lucky as Creality launched the new Falcon 2 with 40W laser and so they offered the current one with a big discount. All in all, I paid a similar price to the previous version with additional air-assist. Of course, as I’ve only had the Falcon 2 for a week, it’s too early to give it a complex rating. I’ll be more than happy to share my experiences when I’m able to use it to its full potential and gain more experience.