Help and advice with laser cutting

[parttimegamer]

Hi folks

I am seeking a bit of help in choosing a suitable laser cutter/engraver and I am sure that there must be some knowledgeable people on this forum who can provide some guidance, so thanks in advance.

I would like to mostly use the laser cutter to cut 2mm and 3mm MDF sheets, but will probably also do a small amount of engraving. Most manufacturers claim that their machines will easily cut 3mm MDF, but after reading lots of forum posts, it appears as though the manufacturers' claims are not as accurate as the reality!

I'm not looking to go into commercial production, so a hobbyist type of machine in the price range of £300 to £500 seems about right, though I have spent a solid two days researching various laser cutters and am really struggling to find the answer I am looking for.  I don't mind waiting a little bit for the machine to complete the job, but which machine is sufficient for cutting up to 3mm MDF without having to do as many as 20 passes? 

I don't want to run the laser at full power, so probably need something a bit more powerful than the Aufero Laser 1. I do want to use Lightburn and I do want to start with sheet material that is A4-sized (297mm x 210mm), which rules out the OMTech K40, which looked like a reasonable choice otherwise.  I think that I probably need to add air assist to make the cutting more efficient - I already have a compressor.

The models which seem like they might be suitable are:

• Atomstack A5 Pro
• Ortur Laser Master Pro 2
• Neje Master 2S Plus with A40640
• Scuplfun S6 Pro
• Sculpfun S9

Does anyone have one of these models and are you able to confirm its cutting capability?

Many thanks,
PTG

[parttimegamer]

I see that lots of people have viewed this post, but no one has responded, which probably means that no one has a laser cutter!
 For anyone who might be interested in buying and using a laser cutter, I took the plunge a couple of weeks ago.

I've learnt a huge amount about what works and what doesn't and the capabilities of a "hobby" cutter, so if you're interested, please ask questions and I will happily share!  I learnt a lot from other web forums, so it's good to give back.  I've posted lots of details on my blog too.

Here is a photo of the first MDF house that I have designed, laser cut, assembled and am now starting to paint up. Another week and I should be finished.

[Codsticker]

Well done! I have toyed with buying a laser cutter. In fact, I thought about it for so long they have come out with 3D printers now so I now I will spend the next 1o years wondering if I should buy one those.

[Daeothar]

Good on you for taking the plunge; see what it got you already! 

I've also often thought about one, but for the applications I'm after, getting my files off to a professional service with ample cutting space and capacity still proves to be the smarter move.

The house looks great. Is that a Dutch farm house? It certainly looks like one!

Let's see what else you'll be producing

Well done! I have toyed with buying a laser cutter. In fact, I thought about it for so long they have come out with 3D printers now so I now I will spend the next 1o years wondering if I should buy one those.

And by that time, shrink rays will rapidly be becoming household appliances. Ah, but what a golden age that will be for us miniature gamers... 

[parttimegamer]

Shrink rays?  If only! 

It is actually a house from Episode 4 of Band of Brothers, where Easy Company get routed by a Tiger and Jagdpanther in Nuenen, Holland. I'm rebuilding the whole town from that episode; this is the first building I have created.

If you're interested, there's more detail here: https://fortheloveofterrain.blogspot.com/2022/01/band-of-brothers-nuenen-house-3.html  I was going to get a bit further into the project and then start sharing more info on progress in the WWII forum.

[Jay Adan]

You haven't mentioned anything new about the laser since February and I was curious how it was going.