Testing out the incredible power of the new FoxAlien 20W laser module! Cuts through 3/4" solid wood! 

So far, it is working phenomenally well! I used my USB microscope and confirmed that the ideal focal point is 30mm away from the bottom of the heatsink, that makes it so easy to focus the laser. I will cut myself a 30mm tall block as my guide soon. I have only had two days to test this module, but I already noticed that it's cut down on my cutting time. I usually do 5 passes at 400mm/min to cut 4mm plywood, now it cuts through after 3 passes. Thank you for the opportunity to test this new technology! It is amazing how quickly it is growing! I'm glad you guys are striving to be ahead of the game.

Thank you so much for the kind words! I strive to provide the best quality and customer experience! I hope my nozzle helps you with your craft!

It's always best to have a dedicated laser CNC machine. Costs just a bit more than just the laser module, and the machine is tuned for laser work. The Reizer has a 32bit control board and allows for much higher feedrates.

@@laserwizard1982 I got the special with the rotary. Just delivered today.

@@MalletCNCWorks I'm sure you'll love it! Be sure to join the FoxAlien Facebook CNC group page for the best support and a loving community!

I'm so happy you enjoyed my video! I think the Reizer Mega would be perfect for cutting airplane parts! You could cut very long parts on it. FoxAlien is just releasing their 40W module, which would bring cutting time down to nearly half. Diodes are slowly catching up to the lowest power CO2 lasers. Still no competition with a 150W CO2 laser, but the diode laser machine can be carried with literally 1 finger and the entire cooling system for the laser is a small fan, you don't need a 500W refrigerated water circulator like for a CO2. For hobby projects, the Reizer would be such a fun and useful tool! I make a bunch of functional 3D stuff for my workshop and house. Collet organizers, wrench holders, I even made a steady rest for my mini lathe with laser cut plywood! If I've helped in any way, you can help me by making your purchase through my affiliate link. It should be in the description. Be sure to join the FoxAlien Facebook CNC group, that is the main hub where the community is and you can see what people make with their machines! I'm in that group also ;)

Thank you so much for the kind words! You can laser cut acrylic with the laser, but only colors that absorb blue light. I've cut black acrylic amazingly well, but clear and white acrylic will not cut through. LaserGRBL and Lightburn both have options for dropping the Z-axis per pass, however, I have personally had the best luck by focusing onto the surface and running all the passes that way. If I am attempting to cut through really thick material, then I'll set the focus about 1-2mm into the material below the surface. If you've got the 4040-XE, then you could cut through with an endmill. Acrylic cuts very well, but you have to find tune the feedrate and spindle RPM in order to not melt the acrylic onto the endmill. Polycarbonate was very difficult for me to cut, but I was able to eventually find a setting that worked. It's very important to use the proper bits. Good luck! Have fun with it! It's incredible the amount of different things you can do with this machine!

@@laserwizard1982 Got it... that makes sense. Thanks for you input! I think maybe I'll try the end mill for this project then... I did pick up an 'O flute' bit that I saw was recommended for plastics. One more question... I just was reading that there are 8-bit and 32-bit controller boards... guess the 4040-XE only has 8-bit controller?... do you know if that's something that can be upgraded? And what will I be missing out on with just 8-bit... certain types of high resolution cutting, I guess? Maybe 8-bit is fine for my needs... I probably should have spent more time researching before pulling the trigger, but it seemed like this machine is pretty good for hobby use.

I haven't measured to see what kind of backpressure builds up behind my nozzle. I use a 32W aquarium air pump. I'm sure it's less than 5psi. My latest video compares a few different compressors and I learned it's more important to have the ideal nozzle.

Go with xtool… fox alien sucks

Great question! I did some research and it appears as though they are completely flat out lying to their customers. If you look at the specifications and even on the label of the laser module, it clearly states 5.5W output power. I watched their marketing video, and I noticed two things: they aren't doing anything at all that I haven't already been doing with my 20W FoxAlien module, and they make absolutely zero mention about what feedrate and number of passes they used to cut through all those materials. I could do all that they've done with my old "5W" module, it's just a question of how long it'll take. Most diode laser companies list their 5.5W optical output modules as "20W" modules. There are a few manufacturers that have "40W" modules which have 2 diodes inside which have their beam combined in a prism. You have to be careful with those, because unless those beams are perfectly in line, it won't perform much better than a single diode module. If you look at the price of the sculpfun, it doesn't reflect what the cost should be if it truly were some sort of 90W module. Look at the photos of their laser module, it states 12V and 3A, that's 36W (half of which is going to the cooling fan). Where did they get 90W from?? Someone must've hit the wrong button on their calculator over there, or else they have zero shame about what they are doing. Another dead giveaway about the quality of a machine, is the type of rails and carriages they use. The sculpfun uses 2020 extrusions on their axis, each cartridge only has 3 v-wheels, and the Y-axis only has one stepper motor. This machine is not giving you the best of the best, it's trying to maximize its profit by giving you the bare minimum. Good luck!

My current board (and the one powering my machine in the video) is an STM32 based motion controller running GRBL32. I have a few LPC based boards I'm hoping to test out. 32bit is definitely the way to go to fully utilize the higher power diodes. I raster engrave at 6700mm/min.

1. I'm using a condenser from a junked refrigerated centrifuge. My previous bed was an evaporator core from an old fridge. Both have cut me many times, but both leave the undersides of my cuts absolutely clean. I've ordered a proper steel honeycomb bed for my other laser machine. That might be a wiser route to go. This current condenser I'm using is packed too densely and tiny pieces get stuck in it instead of falling through. The one I ordered cost $150 shipped, current one was $free.99. 2. I use Columbia Forest Products PureBond Maple veneer plywood for most of my cutting and engraving. The Maple veneer engraves very nicely and the core ply in this is almost completely homogeneous. It is like an MDF core. So once you've honed your cutting parameters, it should be very consistent. As I've mentioned in the video, whatever I find to be the ideal amount of passes at a given speed, I give it one extra pass for good luck. I still have to cut some parts on the backside from time to time, but nothing has been a failure for me in a long while. I have installed limit switches and glued down a piece of plywood which I've cut out along the 0, 0 lines. I was able to successfully put back a sheet to run another pass and it actually lined up perfect! The spot size is 0.1mm, so you can't be off by even 0.05mm! Hard to do, but I was able to. Haven't had to try that again though. 3. Air assist is absolutely essential, 100%. That's like welding without Argon, soldering without flux, drilling metal without lube, sure you can get away with it for a short bit with mediocre results, but that should be one of the top priorities. I fabricated this nozzle myself and do hope to offer it soon since it is not something I see readily available. The air compressor is a 32W aquarium pump. It is plenty strong for this setup. It is extremely important that the nozzle orifice size is as small as possible to create the strongest jet of air. Ideally the air stream should flow exactly along the beam path. 4. 1/8" thick 2422 transparent amber cast acrylic sheets from Ebay. 1/8" should provide about maybe OD+3 protection at 445nm. You can get 1/4" sheets to be extra safe.

Should be the same as for X ($100). I believe it should be set to 80.

I'm using a condenser from a refrigerator centrifuge. You can purchase steel honeycomb beds online. FoxAlien sells one that fits the 40cm x 40cm machines well. The steel honeycomb bed allows using magnetic hold downs for warped materials.

Go to a auto scrape yard and get an A/C condenser for just a few dollars don't make any difference what make of auto just tell them you want their cheaps A/C condenser.

There are several people in the FoxAlien Facebook group which do layered mandalas. You can cut through 3-5mm plywood very consistently. A CO2 laser machine can definitely do it much faster, but these diode lasers are getting more and more powerful and you can get by with a diode laser just fine for a hobby. We used ours to sell a bunch of ornaments last winter!

I use purebond plywood. It is the most consistent wood to cut, that I have tried.

This video is for the 20W module when it first came out a year ago. I do have the 40W module and plan to do a similar video very soon!

@@laserwizard1982 guess I didn't read the title. Lol I just received my 40w. Haven't had a chance to install it and give it a try as of yet.

There are a few important factors involved for successful laser cutting of wood. First and foremost, it is very important to have a good performance air assist. I personally produce brass air assist nozzles which work very well. Please watch my air assist video to see the differences! Secondly, the type of wood makes a big difference in laserability. I have been using purebond plywood and it cuts very easily and consistently. Regular plywood has glue which is not very penetrable with the laser, and the inner core plies will be riddled with hard patches. Thirdly, be sure you are focused well. If you have been lasering without an air assist like mine, then you might have soot and resin buildup on your lens. Be sure to check it and clean it with lens cleaning solvent. Fourthly, I try to cut through material in about 4 passes. For me, that is a good sweet spot. It's better to do 4 passes at 400mm/min, rather than 1 pass at 100mm/min. This list could go on and on, but if you follow the above rules, you should be well on your way. Watch the air assist video.

Thank you very much for answering! I've seen the air assisting video as you advised. As I told you before, I'm a beginner and I still have so many doubts. Could you tell which air pump should I buy for my 20w laser? And something else: where can I get that metal mesh you have in the bottom? Sorry if I'm being bothering, and forgive my English, I'm still learning it... 😎👍🏻

Good eye! I flipped the Y carriages upside down, but the X axis is still right side up, but hangs below the Y axis instead of above it. I also extended the X axis with a 700mm long 2040 v-rail extrusion, I have about 55cm of travel in the X axis now. It's extremely easy and simple to extend the axis, you just need longer extrusions and a roll of GT2 6mm timing belt.

Hi, friend! I use a 32W aquarium pump and pump just air. The key is to have the smallest orifice size possible and the best focused stream of air. I make brass air nozzles that are as best of a design as I can think. Puts the laser machine into a whole other class!

You can buy an air assist nozzle from our etsy page! www.etsy.com/listing/952903198/ultimate-air-assist-brass-nozzle-for?ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1&crt=1

@@laserwizard1982 Thank you friend!!..

It is a condenser from a refrigerated centrifuge.

Yup, it should fit just fine on any CNC machine. Not sure how ortur mounts their lasers.

Condenser ;)

I've been using it at 100% duty cycle for over a year with no power loss. The "power" is set via a potentiometer on the laser driver board which sets the current going to the diode. That is where you do not want to be at "100%". The power setting in LaserGRBL and Lightburn just sets the duty cycle of the PWM signal going to the diode. You should not be afraid to run a diode laser at 100% duty cycle unless you have a very cheap generic Chinese laser module which usually have their currents overdriven in order to temporarily appear as a more powerful laser to the consumer until the power quickly degrades. FoxAlien's laser modules apparently go through a 20 hour burn in test cycle at 100% in order to ensure there is no power degradation.

I'm using an old condenser, but I recommend investing into a steel honeycomb cutting bed. You can buy the perfect size one on FoxAlien or you can find them in various sizes on Amazon and Ebay. A cutting bed is essential for clean cuts. For under the honeycomb bed, the best thing is distance to spread the laser energy over a bigger area. 2 or 3 inches and the laser should not cause damage. If you lay something underneath the honeycomb, the best thing would be a sheet of aluminum about ⅛" thick that has been spray painted with black high temperature BBQ or engine paint. This will absorb the beam energy without reflecting it, and the aluminum will dissipate the heat quick enough to keep the paint from burning.

@@laserwizard1982 thank you for the reply! I found the large honeycomb bed so I am purchasing that and will go to home depot to see about getting an aluminum sheet. I'm going from a cricut to a laser so I have no idea what I'm doing. Am I able to set this up in my craft room to use on a regular table in my house with the things you recommended? I haven't out my machine together yet but wondering if I can use this in a small room or if I need to be outside. I can't find many videos on how to use it in the house. Thank you

@@tamilyn718 I use mine in my basement workshop. You can absolutely use it in your craft room, but you will immediately need to have strong ventilation set up in the room to blow the smoke and fumes out. You will also want to build yourself an enclosure. Those will make the machine barely noticeably, instead of a hazard.

@@tamilyn718 make sure you join the FoxAlien Facebook CNC Group page! You will get all the help you need there.

@@laserwizard1982 OMG build an enclosure?? Can I cut one out with my new laser?? lol. Do you have build plans you sell too? I have an air purifier hopefully that will work. Otherwise I will need to find a new setup if the fumes and smoke is overpowering.

It's best to buy it from FoxAlien's website. It would help me out if you did so through my special affiliate link! www.foxalien.com?sca_ref=623182.lQ5arml1Zr

If you've got any questions at all, you let me know!

I have it always set to 100% in software. That means when the beam is on, it is on full duty cycle. Laser diode current is set via a potentiometer on the laser driver board. I'm assuming that FoxAlien is not redlining these diodes and the current set on the driver is not overdriving them. Who's to say what 100% power truly is? It's a proportion between current draw and laser diode life. The warranty the laser modules for 1 year, so I'm confident they are making sure they will last.

I use photoshop to create my jpeg images, then run them through Lightburn. It takes a lot of practice and patience but it's so worth it!

@@laserwizard1982 thank you brother where did you purchase your cnc and new laser module on the fox alien site they are all sold out I can order the cnc and get it late February but can’t do the same for the module

@@s_m-b_l-z_m7941 Yeah, FoxAlien's laser modules seem to sell out within a day or two of restocking them. I bought my first two LE-4040s back before FoxAlien became so popular. The 15W module was not released for a few months when I was using the 5W module. I ordered their 15W module within an hour of them announcing its release. That 15W module (7W optical output power) has been serving me very well the last few months (and making me some money!). The new 15W module which is featured in this video has a lower output power (5-5.5W) due to the corrective beam optics, but actually cuts way better. I know that they may be sold out at the moment, but they restock their inventory often, so keep checking, it's worth the investment!

@@laserwizard1982 ok perfect so which laser module would you recommend me getting?

@@s_m-b_l-z_m7941 The old version of the 15W module as well as this latest version are both great modules and I highly recommend them. I ran my old one at 100% power for hours every day. This new version is very nice because it already comes with great optics and is fixed at the ideal focal length. So you don't have to pursue purchasing an aftermarket lens and focusing it yourself.

I have not tried to directly engrave bare aluminum yet. However, it works amazing on anodized aluminum!

It cuts black acrylic extremely well! I cut 1/4" black acrylic already. You won't be able to cut clear acrylic, although there are easy tricks to be able to engrave it.

Maybe the thinnest of foils, but definitely no sheetmetal.

My machine is fully enclosed with OD6 shielding panels in front. Safety first always!

FoxAlien is not the company which started the trend of listing input power vs optical output power. Unfortunately, they have to follow along in order not to appear underpowered compared to their competitors. FoxAlien is honest about their product and they list their actual output power as well.

He actually said what you said in the video.