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Deal Details
auferolaser.net is offering 60% Off Select Aufero Products when you apply discount code 6FVIPS at checkout. Shipping is free.
Thanks to staff member the-press-box for finding this deal.
Available (prices after discount code 6FVIPS):
Thanks to staff member the-press-box for finding this deal.
Available (prices after discount code 6FVIPS):
- Aufero 2.0 with 1.6W Laser Engraver $140
- Aufero 1.0 with 5.5W Long Focus and Short Focus Laser Engraver $159.99
- Aufero Laser 2.0 LU2-4-LF (Long Focus) $200
- Aufero Laser 2.0 LU2-4-SF (Short Focus) $200
Editor's Notes
Written by qwikwit | Staff- See forum thread for additional deal discussion.
- Information about Aufero Laser's return policy here.
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
auferolaser.net is offering 60% Off Select Aufero Products when you apply discount code 6FVIPS at checkout. Shipping is free.
Thanks to staff member the-press-box for finding this deal.
Available (prices after discount code 6FVIPS):
Thanks to staff member the-press-box for finding this deal.
Available (prices after discount code 6FVIPS):
- Aufero 2.0 with 1.6W Laser Engraver $140
- Aufero 1.0 with 5.5W Long Focus and Short Focus Laser Engraver $159.99
- Aufero Laser 2.0 LU2-4-LF (Long Focus) $200
- Aufero Laser 2.0 LU2-4-SF (Short Focus) $200
Editor's Notes
Written by qwikwit | Staff- See forum thread for additional deal discussion.
- Information about Aufero Laser's return policy here.
Community Voting
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Top Comments
Diode (blue light) are cheap, easy to set up + run, can engrave most materials, cut opaque plastics and wood. Laser heads are easily swappable (within a brand) and they are the easiest to modify (ex a larger work area). An enclosure is highly recommended and air assist is a MUST to get clean images They can engrave (more like mark) transparent materials (acrylic and glass) if you put a layer of something over it (dish soap works well on glass). When purchasing, note that consumed power and optical power are VERY different. <5W optical power is really just for engraving, 5-10W is capable of cutting, 10+ makes short work of cutting (shorter you laser it, the cleaner the edge). Prices range from ~200-1500usd.
CO2 lasers are similar to Diode in engraving capability but usually have a larger dot, so less clean of final image. They have the advantage of being able to cut through transparent plastics. Downside is they take a lot of space, are heavy, and should really be cooled properly which means larger ones require external water tanks (sold separately). Not as easy to modify / upgrade but possible. Prices range from ~500-6k usd, but the <1.4k machines have a tiny work area.
Fiber doesn't really cut, and can't touch clear materials, but has a small dot size, work really quickly, and do really well with metal. Best for engraving. These usually come as fancy small towers that sit over a small object. They all look like finished products with no exposed parts. Expensive and I haven't really kept track of prices as I've been able to get similar results with a nice diode laser and prep work.
As a learning tool, a sub $300 diode is great. You'll learn the do's and don'ts and can familiarize yourself with software. I've used AUFERO lasers, they're a great starting place that can be given away to a friend or family if you decide to upgrade.
Edit: The Glowforge to cheaper brand comparison is like comparing a Mac to a cheap Lenovo. The quality on the other brands is perfectly fine. They don't look as clean, but can do the same work, if not better, for way cheaper.
- The laser class of these is class IV: It can burn skin. More importantly even indirect light, like looking at the reflection of a spot can leave permanent damage to your eyes wich means permanent blind spots or even complete blindness let alone looking directly into the laser. If you still must, my recommendation is to buy an additional enclosure that fits this system with an automatic shut off when it is opened. I have seen reusable enclosures starting at $200.
- The engraving and cutting will cause toxic fumes that need to be exhausted or filtered. Fume filters are roughly $500 for a low cost system and an exhaust <$100
To put things in perspective Class IV classification start with lasers that are >5mW. so this 5.5 W laser is more than 1000 times as powerful.
In my opinion this kind if lasers should only be operated by trained professionals out in the open like this. Operating this in a place of business would be a clear OSHA violation.
This is just from someone who has been working with lasers and laser safety all his life.
With the cheap lasers, and to learn, it'd be better to make a design in free software and then import it into something like LaserGRBL (free and works with most lasers). I've moved on to Lightburn (definitely worth it), but that's $60 for the license, so only get it if you're actually using the laser. It does however include a lot of the tools you'd use from other software (can be used for the preprocessing in place of inkscape and tinkercad).
I don't have a single Apple device, so couldn't comment on the OS X side of software sorry.
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121 Comments
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The hardest thing about engraving is making sure your job lines up, any help would be appreciated. I use lightburn
These are mainly for engraving and won't cut much of anything and what they can do will be slow..
Edit: The Glowforge to cheaper brand comparison is like comparing a Mac to a cheap Lenovo. The quality on the other brands is perfectly fine. They don't look as clean, but can do the same work, if not better, for way cheaper.
Anyway go enjoy the further discount by searching on Walmart guys, that is the best I can do
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The hardest thing about engraving is making sure your job lines up, any help would be appreciated. I use lightburn
Personally, I also like to have some marking at the center, for use when centering an object in the workspace. I also have 3d printed an "L" angle that drops into my workspace, for front left alignment.
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- Diode (blue light) are cheap, easy to set up + run, can engrave most materials, cut opaque plastics and wood. Laser heads are easily swappable (within a brand) and they are the easiest to modify (ex a larger work area). An enclosure is highly recommended and air assist is a MUST to get clean images They can engrave (more like mark) transparent materials (acrylic and glass) if you put a layer of something over it (dish soap works well on glass). When purchasing, note that consumed power and optical power are VERY different. <5W optical power is really just for engraving, 5-10W is capable of cutting, 10+ makes short work of cutting (shorter you laser it, the cleaner the edge). Prices range from ~200-1500usd.
- CO2 lasers are similar to Diode in engraving capability but usually have a larger dot, so less clean of final image. They have the advantage of being able to cut through transparent plastics. Downside is they take a lot of space, are heavy, and should really be cooled properly which means larger ones require external water tanks (sold separately). Not as easy to modify / upgrade but possible. Prices range from ~500-6k usd, but the <1.4k machines have a tiny work area.
- Fiber doesn't really cut, and can't touch clear materials, but has a small dot size, work really quickly, and do really well with metal. Best for engraving. These usually come as fancy small towers that sit over a small object. They all look like finished products with no exposed parts. Expensive and I haven't really kept track of prices as I've been able to get similar results with a nice diode laser and prep work.
As a learning tool, a sub $300 diode is great. You'll learn the do's and don'ts and can familiarize yourself with software. I've used AUFERO lasers, they're a great starting place that can be given away to a friend or family if you decide to upgrade.Edit: The Glowforge to cheaper brand comparison is like comparing a Mac to a cheap Lenovo. The quality on the other brands is perfectly fine. They don't look as clean, but can do the same work, if not better, for way cheaper.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank
- The laser class of these is class IV: It can burn skin. More importantly even indirect light, like looking at the reflection of a spot can leave permanent damage to your eyes wich means permanent blind spots or even complete blindness let alone looking directly into the laser. If you still must, my recommendation is to buy an additional enclosure that fits this system with an automatic shut off when it is opened. I have seen reusable enclosures starting at $200.
- The engraving and cutting will cause toxic fumes that need to be exhausted or filtered. Fume filters are roughly $500 for a low cost system and an exhaust <$100
To put things in perspective Class IV classification start with lasers that are >5mW. so this 5.5 W laser is more than 1000 times as powerful.
In my opinion this kind if lasers should only be operated by trained professionals out in the open like this. Operating this in a place of business would be a clear OSHA violation.
This is just from someone who has been working with lasers and laser safety all his life.
Standard now is 10w,... 20w has already hit the market.
all lasers are dangerous. need the proper protection.
I have an atomstack portable 10w to get teh taste of it. its great with lightburn, a bit of a learning curve. for eg, the 10w that comes with it will cut 5mm poplar at 100% in 4 passes @ 800mm speed.
use that as a benchmark before being frustrated by a 5.5w.
If all you're going to do is etch/burn designs, i guess its ok... but to do something like Christmas ornaments from wood from the home depot for example. pine etc @ 5mm. you're better off with a 10w.
And forget ply, i dont even do ply with the 10w... the glue makes things horrible. most all youtube videos misrepresent the capabilities. all shills.
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