Attaching the new YoraHome 96W (20W Optical) Laser Module Kitto my 6550-Pro CNC Laser Engraver was reasonably straightforward, and it was much easier when I turned the instructions manual to the same orientation I was looking at on my machine.
Having just completed the testing for the Average Laser Engraving and Cutting Settings documents, the time had come to see what this new piece of kit was capable of.
As I always say, the settings are just a guide to start from. Every piece of wood will be different and may need the settings to be tweaked to get your desired effect.
But, having tried out a range of materials, I was excited to see the new laser working for real.
1. Cutting A Spiral Basket
Having seen spiral baskets at craft fairs, on various websites, and so on, I’d always wanted to try one myself.
However, my famous patience levels have always got the better of me, as I find it very hard to wait for numerous passes to cut through materials.
Ok I’ll be honest. If it doesn’t cut in one pass, it is doubtful I would do it. So now was my chance to cut the bowl.
Knowing that I’d need to account for “kerf” cutting plywood — the thickness of the cut made by the laser, for the elements to fit together correctly, my first stop was www.boxes.py.
This website has boxes, boxes with flex, drawer inserts, shelves, and test files.
I adjusted the thickness to 4 mm and the x value to 50 mm to make the test squares smaller. Pressing the generate button produces the required test.
I saved the file as an SVG and opened Lightburn.
Opening the SVG to get ready to run the test, from the testing, I knew the cut setting I needed should be approximately 300 mm/min and 85% power.
This new laser has a unique height tool to ensure correct focus.
Having run the test, I produced four squares with the burn values so it is possible to judge what is the best fit.
In my example, it was 0.120 mm or 0.130 mm.
Next, I opened the file I acquired from Etsy. In LightBurn, I set the speed, power, and kerf offset.
With the 4 mm plywood in place and held down with the acrylic honeycomb pins on the YoraHome Honeycomb Platform 6550/6550-Pro, my spiral basket was ready to cut.
I finished the cut, and it was just a case of slotting together the two base pieces, then positioning the spiral into the base, and wow.
So much better than I imagined, and it only took 25 minutes.
Now that’s my kind of project!
Originally published at https://yorahome.com on June 5, 2023.
