S2 E36 Atomstack X24 Pro Test and Review
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- Опубліковано 28 бер 2024
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Hi everyone,
I've laser engraver/cutter test. This time I'm testing the Atomstack X24 Pro machine, and it's proven itself to be a capable performer.
I especially like the very fine point size, which gives clean cutting to tight tolerances. This machine is also very capable when it comes to engraving as well.
Atomstack have provided this machine for me to test out, (I haven't paid for it), but they haven't scripted the video. My thoughts are my own.
Most folks watching my videos are into model making, for which I would have no hesitation in recommending the machine. Any user would find it very capable indeed. It is so much less hassle to operate then my CO2 laser.
Remember, always use eye protection when operating a machine such as this, and consider fume extraction too.
Finally, there has been a break in my uploads recently. Thank you to everyone who has reached-out to check that I'm OK. I'm absolutely fine, but have been taking some time to develop various projects for the channel. There's plenty more to come which I look forward the sharing very soon. :)
Thanks for watching and best wishes,
James - Розваги
Hi James - That does seems a very good machine producing very clean cut . Laser cutters and 3D printing has really been brilliant for the model rail world.
Cheers Kev
Hi Kev, nice to hear from you. Hope all is well.
Best wishes,
James
Hi James, Great tutorial, really excited by the fact that this machine can give textural (uneven) surfaces. I've seen something similar produced by the Manchester group that was published in MRJ, but that appeared to be a very complicated method. Could you tell us how that image was produced. Also, how long will the laser lens last before needing to be replaced - any info on that would really help.
Many thanks and good to see you back.
Thank you Mike,
I've still developing my 'recipe' for engraving stonework. I'm trying to develop a simple method, when I think I've properly cracked it I'll make a video and show what I've done. But in essence, I take a photograph of the texture I wish to recreate, and manipulate it on the computer to make it seamless. From there, it can be simply lasered, and the lightburn software will do all the heavy lifting and produce a good result simply burning the image.
However, in the example in the video I wanted to 'dress' the edges of the arch stones and pier quoins, to do which I created an overlay in CAD to engrave those particular areas differently and to a consistent depth to create the additional relief. Additionally, the arch stones have been created separately as these were not in the original photograph.
Once I've perfected this, I'll dab some watered-down filler across some of the stones to raise their surface above that of the base material to make the effect of relief better across the whole arch, which (fingers-crossed) should look quite effective. For anyone who thinks lasering these arches is cheating, I've spent longer playing around trying to perfect the technique than I would have spent scribing stones into some DAS clay. :)
I'm trying to perfect this for my Scalefour Society Jubilee Challenge entry.
As for how long will the laser last, I've no idea and it really depends upon how hard it is used. For example cutting at 100% power will reduce the lifespan compared with mostly engraving at a lower power. I would expect years of trouble free use, and suspect that most users would probably upgrade before the laser 'runs-out' to keep up with other technological progress. A little bit like 3d printer users upgrade over time. Replacement diode laser units are significantly cheaper that replacement CO2 laser tubes, another consideration to keep in mind.
Thanks for watching,
James
For my testing a new machine, I cut a square piece of Basswood that I "engraved/filled" the nominal 86mm x 54mm size of the cards and at each corner also engraved a small circle to facilitate the removal of the cards after burning. At the top and bottom of my jig I engraved a couple of crosshairs exactly 120 mm in distance with the center point of engraving at 60 mm. When I want to engrave a business card I position the laser head somewhere in the middle, align the top crosshair, then "hit move" down 120 mm, recenter that crosshair, then back to the top. When all is square, I move down 60 mm to the center of the recessed area, place a card, burn, then remove. I initially made my jig for one card, but, duplicate the recessed area for as many you need and burn several at once. The only real way to ensure a centered burn is by a two point crosshair alignment like I mentioned. One question, did the belts come pre-tensioned? Or did you check?? Thanks for your review..
Thank you @ainttakenanyshit, some useful advice there which I am sure will help others too. As for my machine, yes the belts did come pre-tensioned. I ran a check for squareness and parallelism, all was great straight out of the box.
Thanks for watching,
James
Hi James,
Another great video, I especially like the Templot generated B8 timbers,
could you please tell me was that 3 MM plywood you used? or a bit thinner?
Cheers
Phil,
Ps would I be right in assuming going of the shape of the kerfs, that it was generated using version 2.43A of Templot? only asking as 2.44A now has kerf shape adjustment added.
Hi Phil,
Yes, I used 3mm plywood, and the the file was produced in 2.43a.
Best,
James
Hi James. Absolutely fascinating. Far too technical for my old brain, but extremely interesting nevertheless. Pete.
Hi James
Your ending project looks like something a few miles down the coast from me, beech access maybe ?
Two other things, how do you find the little LED laser compares to your CO2 one ?
Typically air assist is I believe not recommended for etching or etch at a much lower pressure, but is suggested for cutting
Hi David,
There's no doubt about it a diode laser is much less hassle to use. Less maintenance etc, and the lower power gives a very narrow 'kerf' width. The downside is that it is considerably slower than than my C02 laser, especially when cutting. I think that for model making purposes the diode laser is the more useful option.
Thanks for watching,
James
Looks like a nice piece of kit... How does it compare to the Creality machine you reviewed late last year?
That's a tricky question, both work really well. The Creality machine has a slightly larger working envelope, whereas the Atomstack machine has a marginally finer cut (Kerf), the laser cross hair and a more powerful air assist.
Both work really well and there really is no noticeable difference between the two. The wifi app control of the Atomstack is also nice feature.
I'd be happy with either machine and would find it difficult to place one above the other. Either way, both are significantly easier to use and more repeatable than my CO2 machine. I am definitely sold on diode technology.
James
New project at the end; might be a inclined lift for "Navigation Sidings" connecting the levels of the lines or to move materials up for fabrication(?/!)
:) Spot on!!
the new project looks like the East Hill lift at Hastings.
Very similar, but not quite. ;)
All will be revealed soon.
Thanks for watching,
James
I was thinking the same thing but it seems I'm wrong too.
How to clean the laserlens?
A soft cloth and some IPA works well.
Thanks for watching,
James
Do i need to disassemble the laser head?
So many toys
...and so little space. :)
@@BexhillWest & time
Title (24X) does not match product name (X24)...
Well spotted, thanks. :)