K40 Laser - Entry 6: Computer to Drive Laser
When purchasing this K40 laser cutter, it became apparent that I would need a computer to drive it since really don't have an extra laying around. We're more of a Mac family and the unit is PC only out of the box. There are some modifications to make one Mac friendly but they sounded too complicated for me at this time. After some research, it was apparent that it might actually be easier to set up an older machine. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to look for a
K40 - Entry 5: Cheap Stock Mirrors
7 years of bad luck? A broken mirror., Rather a heat-shattered mirror Lesson 2 in quality control, stock K40 units ship with notoriously cheap mirrors. This one cracked the first time I set the power up above 20%. I think I had it up around 60% as I was attempting one of my first real cuts. I heard a pop and thought it might be the tube. Fortunately it was just an inexpensive mirror. I got onto eBay and Amazon and after a little research, I found these from CNCOLETECH. Th
K40 Laser - Entry 4: Mirror Alignment
There are 3 mirrors each situated at approximately 45 degrees to one another that reflect the beam from the laser tube to the lens and then to the material to be cut or engraved. It is necessary to align or "focus" them. I had hoped that my unit was aligned well enough to use right out of the box, as I've heard that many are focused upon delivery, but sadly I was disappointed and needed to learn to do it myself. Focusing involves putting a piece of masking tape or similar
K40 Laser - Entry 3: Quality Control Part 1
Did I say quality control? I ran into my next nuance with the K40 - While trying to peel the paper protective tape on the window. I needed to remove the plexiglass from the 4 screw posts that hold it into place inside the cover. Well, the holes were drilled so off center that it cracked when trying to remove it. I temporarily superglued it back together until I could replace it. If cracking it was the bad news, the good news was when I contacted the seller they refunded me
K40 Laser - Entry 2: Unpacking
I have initially placed the laser on my cluttered painting/work table. This will have to do until I find/build a cart/table that will work better. It is close to a window for easy access for the exhaust plumbing. One reason for waiting so long to purchase a K40 was the upgrade to digital controls. Older systems have a dials instead of the digital controller. I figured this might last longer. Here's everything packed inside. The exhaust fan on the top, the blue tubing on the
K40 Laser - Entry 1: A New Direction
After some life changes recently it is time to get back to working on art. A laser cutter/engraver has been a valuable tool in the creating of my work. I purchased an infamous K40 laser on eBay a few weeks ago. Just unpacking it here. The good news is that is that it did arrive in good condition. Nothing broken or damaged. This version of a laser cutter has been around for probably 8-10 years in one form or another. Early units had notoriously poor quality control, and
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