r/lasercutting

For context I have a Creality Falcon 5W, and I am currently engraving on the bare concrete in my garage. I would like to create/buy something that goes between the floor and the engraver.

I was also wondering if anyone would share how they center the work piece to where the machine will engrave.

for the past 4 years I've had a Sculpfun S9, still working and going well. It's just a little slow cutting unfortunately.

I'm wanting to upgrade but dont have a huge of money to spare and as I live in Japan I cannot get omtech. I was thinking of getting a Co2 laser from Alibaba and was wondering if anyone has ordered one from there and had a good experience.

Thanks in advance.

I’ve been going down the laser engraver rabbit hole lately, and the more I read, the more I realize specs don’t tell the full story.
Power, enclosure, air assist, fumes, software, materials… it feels like the beginner mistakes are usually not the obvious ones.

For those who already own one:
What’s the one thing you wish you knew before getting your first machine?

Could be about:

• safety
• materials
• maintenance
• software
• noise/smell
• setup space
• hidden costs

Would love to learn from real users before I make the wrong decision.

I purchased an omtech polar lite, and only experienced issue after issue with the machine. After months of troubleshooting and tech support, I finally had enough and asked for a refund. They are providing me a refund but said I do not need to send the machine back. The issue is I don’t really want the machine, it’s water tank is leaking, it seems to only catch wood on fire when i cut it even tho i replaced the air pump, and the lense is also messed up from all the flare ups. Are there places that would want this machine??? I don’t really feel like messing with it anymore and would honestly rather just get a different brand.

Just started playing with acrylics. I heard about Houston acrylic somewhere...looked them up and they seem to cost a bit more than Amazon. Is there product better (trying to figure out why I saw people recommending them)?

Is there another good US source for acrylics for laser?

For those of you with this laser or similar lasers, how often do you clean the first level mirror?

The maintenance guidelines say to clean off the mirrors after every 2-4 hours of cutting

The second and third level mirrors would be no problem, they are directly accessible from the front of the machine

But the first level mirror is buried inside the back of the machine, which means I need to move my laser away from the wall and remove 11 screws on the outside and inside to remove the back panel before I can get to the mirror to clean it, that’s a lot of work to do every couple hours!

Does the same 2-4 hour rule apply to this first level mirror? Or does it get more leeway because it’s more sheltered from dust and residue?

If I do need to clean it that often do you think it’s safe for me to just leave the screws out, that way I can more easily remove the back panel? Or could that cause some issues

I have just purchased the omtech 100w laser, and they are out of stock (uk) of the chillers, what would be the best chiller sub £500 to buy?