Making It My Way

  I bought a diode laser and I’m in love…My interest started when I was looking up ideas for new scroll saw projects.  I kept coming across laser cut patterns and naturally I was curious.  So, I looked it up.  I found laser cutting machines that were huge and cost a lot of $$$$.   But they were so cool.  The stuff I could make had me daydreaming.  I dug a little deeper and I found the Creality Falcon 10w diode laser on Amazon. At a fraction of the cost, I had to at least try it.  I had it put together and up and running in less than an hour. Seriously it was that easy.  The longest part was downloading the software the machine runs off of.  

What is a Diode Laser Machine?

The Creality Falcon is a desktop laser. It generates a high-power concentrated beam of light that can cut or engrave certain materials. This diode laser is on the cheaper end of the market, so it was perfect for me since I’m new to this.  It is very important to have the machine in a well-ventilated area due to the smoke that comes off while the machine is running.  The only drawback for me is the machine is not enclosed.  I will be purchasing a case so I don’t have to worry about eye exposure to the laser, and it will limit the smoke. Plus, the glasses are very annoying.

What can a Diode Laser Do?

Now that you know what a diode laser is, let me tell you what it can do.  I can engrave on tons of different materials. Wood is the most common.  I do cutting boards, tons of signs, Christmas ornaments and more.  I can also engrave on slate and some metals. The real fun for me comes from the cuts.  Like I mentioned earlier this machine is on the cheaper end so the wood I am able to cut is around 3mm. I can push it to 6mm, but it takes a lot of passes to make it through.  A diode is also able to cut some acrylic, not all.  For the clear or white colored acrylic, I would need a stronger laser like a Co2 or fiber laser. One day maybe…. The biggest thing to know is if the material you are cutting is safe.  Some types of plastic can omit toxic fumes.  A quick search is all it takes to find out.  Better to be safe than sorry. 

Making Designs

When I say the fun comes from cutting out designs on the laser that includes building the designs.  The software they recommended is Lightburn.  It looked intimidating at first but it’s so easy.  You create or download images into Lightburn then adjust it to your liking size and any add Ons you’d like. Plug in your settings and bam hit the button and watch the magic. It is so much fun to create a design of your choice and watch it come together right in front of you.  I have made tons of different types of projects.  I’ve done coasters out of slate, earrings out of both wood and acrylic, all different holiday crafts.  I’ll add some pics of my creations to the bottom of this post.  

Hopes and Dreams

Like I mentioned earlier, my hopes and dreams are to one day afford a bigger and better laser. Then I can crank out bigger projects at a faster rate.  For now, I am starting to earn some extra cash with my 10W desk top diode laser so let the savings begin.  If you are just learning about laser machines and feel as excited as I did to dig deeper, I’ll include some links to people I like to follow for inspiration.  If you’re a novice and happen to stumble upon my little blurb. I am always open to tips and tricks.  Or just say hi and share a link so I could check you out.  I am learning more and more every day and loving every minute!