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In: Laser Cutters & Engravers

Your laser just showed up and the manual assumes you already know what you’re doing. Why This Matters I’ve unboxed four Monport lasers at this point. Two CO2 machines and two fiber units. Every single one arrived with at least three things the manual skipped or buried in bad translation. The manual tells you to “install the machine” and “check all connections.” That’s not helpful when you’re staring at 200 pounds of equipment in your driveway and you’ve never owned a laser before. This is what I wish someone told me before I fired up my first Monport. These are the things that will saveKEEP READING →

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In: Laser Cutters & Engravers

You can ruin an expensive sheet in 30 seconds if you treat all materials the same. I keep a reference card taped inside my laser cabinet because I got tired of remembering which acrylic melts and which one cuts clean. Same with wood. MDF cuts different than plywood, and if you don’t know why, you’ll waste time and money figuring it out the hard way. This is not a complete guide. It’s a quick reference for the materials I use most in my shop. I’m focusing on what actually matters when you’re standing at the machine trying to decide on settings. Wood Reference Plywood (HardwoodKEEP READING →

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In: Laser Cutters & Engravers

If your edges look burned and your lens keeps getting dirty, your air assist is probably garbage… Why Air Assist Actually Matters Air assist does two things. It blows away smoke and debris while you cut, and it cools the material so you get cleaner edges. Most stock air pumps that come with budget CO2 lasers push maybe 0.3 CFM at 5 PSI. That’s not enough to clear smoke on anything thicker than 3mm. The result is brown edges on wood, melted acrylic, and a lens that gets coated in residue every few cuts. You end up stopping to clean optics constantly or running theKEEP READING →

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In: Laser Cutters & Engravers

Working Through the Heat It starts in the workshop. In June. When the thermometer reads 92° and your shirt is already sticking to your back before you’ve even turned on the laser. Being a maker in the summer means pushing through the heat. It means figuring out how to get orders out and keep stock moving while your workspace feels more like a sauna than a shop. If you’re working in a garage or shed with no climate control, you already know: fans help, but they don’t solve it. You adapt:– Early mornings become your friend.– Late nights too.– You try to finish sanding orKEEP READING →