hi from szaxe

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Spooky
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Re: hi from szaxe

Post by Spooky »

Especially Acrylic !
Yup, 50 yards in light drifting air isn't unusual. Less if there is no wind, possibly more if the wind is strong.
but did you read my last post above?
I did :)
It appears a good majority of users on all the forums I have read use a quiet inline extractor,
How many of them are using the machine for business purposes?
How many of them are using the lasers in a built up area?
How many of them are using them in a small block of flats?

Acrylic fumes for example are heavier than air by a fractional amount, the soffets of houses and flats are designed to let in circulation air,if that smell gets into there it will settle into any buildings under them.

Dave, Phil and I know of a young lady last year who decided against advice to operate a Business from her Flat using a laser.

It didn't end well :(
Please note I am not employed by HPC, any advice or recomendations I give are based on my own experience and are not necessarily the same as HPC's. First point of contact on any hardware issues should be with HPC
Dave@OpticalPower.co.uk
szaxe
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Re: hi from szaxe

Post by szaxe »

Lightnin wrote:
Seeing one in action would be usefull
Just read your post above your last one, which I missed :) My last answer must have seemed strange :lol:

I am actually on the edge of a village. The block of flats (not city type flats) I live in is the height of a house, four ground floor flats and four 1st floor flats. To the rear is a hall that is virtually never used then fields ... to both the sides and the front I would guestimate (from where I would vent) 100-150 yards (football field or so). Most of the neighborhood are detached bungalows with pretty spread out. Nearest building higher than a house is about half a mile away ... so really my immediate neighbors are my only concern.

To be clear my neighbors are not complainers but I personally don't like to infringe on others if it can be avoided.

I was thinking of also putting something up for wind direction and only use when there is no wind or any wind in the direction back toward our flats?

I'm in Diss, Norfolk.
szaxe
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Re: hi from szaxe

Post by szaxe »

I think everyone is misreading what I write :lol: I don't live in a built up area, I will probably use it a half an hour here and there and probably a damn sight less than most hobbyists probably ... If I decide to produce anything I will be renting a workshop.

I will be mainly using pine :)
szaxe
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Re: hi from szaxe

Post by szaxe »

The reason I am shying away from the bofa idea is that I listened to a couple of videos of lasers with and without an apparently "quiet" fan, getting such a constant buzz down to an acceptable level would be another £1000 on top of the £1600 for the bofa, not taking account the delivery, fitting, filters, etc, its just becoming silly, and I am on the verge of rethinking the whole issue :(
Lightnin
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Re: hi from szaxe

Post by Lightnin »

Pine is a bit tricky with the grain and resin etc.
It cuts and etches/engraves unevenly often.
szaxe
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Re: hi from szaxe

Post by szaxe »

Lightnin wrote:Pine is a bit tricky with the grain and resin etc.
It cuts and etches/engraves unevenly often.
:lol: These lasers seem to be a bit of a minefield once you get passed the glossy brochures :D
Spooky
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Re: hi from szaxe

Post by Spooky »

szaxe wrote:
Lightnin wrote:Pine is a bit tricky with the grain and resin etc.
It cuts and etches/engraves unevenly often.
:lol: These lasers seem to be a bit of a minefield once you get passed the glossy brochures :D
They are machine tools in effect buddy, same with all machinery like them I guess. The literature is accurate but few people consider ancillary requirements when buying. I'm sat next to a 1290 at the moment with a VK150 extractor fan venting outside into a commercial fume control unit. The base noise in here is a reasonable 46dBA at 1m so not at all uncomfortable.

The issue with fumes is one of purpose, I could run this machine and pump out as much smoke as I like (so long as it's not black smoke due to the Clean Air Act) all day every day as a hobby, the worst case scenario is the neighbours 300 yards away may get hacked off but I'd be very unlikely to get into any real trouble.

Do the same thing for business purposes and I'd have any number of letters agencies serving me court papers very quickly.

For business use unless you are going for something like a 2515 or bigger the biggest expense isn't usually the machine, it's the extra stuff you have to have to use it.
Please note I am not employed by HPC, any advice or recomendations I give are based on my own experience and are not necessarily the same as HPC's. First point of contact on any hardware issues should be with HPC
Dave@OpticalPower.co.uk
szaxe
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Re: hi from szaxe

Post by szaxe »

Spooky wrote:

They are machine tools in effect buddy, same with all machinery like them I guess.
I know your right mate, just got a little disheartened. I have actually been rethinking and realized that for prototypes the material /s I use are neither here nor there :) so feeling positive again :D

What I need to do, or at least it appears a possibility from reading thousands of posts across the several forums here and the states, is to isolate all the materials that have little or no fumes and work with them until I rent a workshop.

The point is that it doesn't make such a big difference (mostly) if I use alternative materials than the end product. Plus, even if those materials cost a lot more, it doesn't stop me working out the costs for cheaper or different materials while experimenting.

I have read so much that even though I know that some materials produce little or no fumes I have forgotten what they are :lol:

Please accept my apologies if I have come across as ungrateful for all the great and helpful information every one has kindly offered, it has just been a lot of info to digest in a short period of time :oops:

So if anyone can suggest materials that would be suitable, IE that produce acceptable fume/smell levels I would be most grateful :)
szaxe
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Re: hi from szaxe

Post by szaxe »

Spooky wrote:

The issue with fumes is one of purpose, I could run this machine and pump out as much smoke as I like (so long as it's not black smoke due to the Clean Air Act) all day every day as a hobby, the worst case scenario is the neighbours 300 yards away may get hacked off but I'd be very unlikely to get into any real trouble.
Just to clarify a point, I am and will remain a hobbyist from now and until I actually start a business. The fact that a hobbyist dreams of one of their designs becoming suitable for a future business, doesn't make that business use. I don't sell anything presently and would never do so from home :)
Daven
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Re: hi from szaxe

Post by Daven »

szaxe wrote:
So if anyone can suggest materials that would be suitable, IE that produce acceptable fume/smell levels I would be most grateful :)
I have not come across any material that does not smell when cutting - even card/paper seems worse than if you just burn it in an open container. The laser ablates material - that vapour is either moist gas or dry particulate (even both).

To run an extraction pipe over xx meters would possibly need a powerful fan.

Thin (3mm) solid wood wider than 100mm is almost impossible to get, expensive if available (only source I know is for musical instruments and an A3 size would be about £60+ ).

I think the bottom line is we can see what you are saying but suspect we all can see you are dying to get a machine and fitting it into your needs rather than getting a machine that suits your needs (which a lot of us have done I bet ;)). Obviously (and for good reasons) you can't give much info so from the 'what machine' point of view the answer is to get the materials you want to use and go and find a demo machine (be it laser, router or fretsaw even) and evaluate your needs based on the demo.

From the fume/sound point of view - yep quite a few of use started in the house and the results have been posted here - it's not impossible but you alone can only decide if the risks are worth it and how much you want to spend negating those risks or even how long you can cope with it being in the house from your own point of view.

Too many points of view are not helpful - I would stop reading and go and physically research your ideas ;)

Best
Dave
Using two LS3060's and an ex 3020 user
Please note I am not employed by HPC, any advice or recomendations I give are based on my own experience and are not necessarily the same as HPC's. First point of contact on any hardware issues should be with HPC
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