Gunsmithing Cnc laser

[Rover31]

Anyone here have a Cnc laser? I have done a ton of research. Getting ready to part with a fair bit of cash.
Will be used for multiple materials, metal, plastics And some soft materials. Going with a fiber laser.
Any hints or suggestions?
Thanks

 

[Nebulous]

I have a cheap 40w CO2 engraver/cutter and have used it on a lot of wood and glass. due to the power and laser wavelength, the one I have cant really engrave metals. Thick plexi is interesting but I haven't messed with it much.
If you are doing this for a business something with premade jigs and accessories with a controllable cutting table will make your life much much easier.
the focal point of the laser cutting head is most limiting factor for these machines since the work always need to be at that exact height.

 

[milehigh14]

I bought/had a Tykma Vereo 50W Fiber laser with 160m and 240m lenses. I operated it for 2 years, then sold it. PM me with any questions, I've got quite a bit of experience.

 

[Vodak]

Not sure what size you're looking at, but I'm going to assume marking/engraving vs industrial parts cutting.
I spent a fair amount of time running an Epilog 30w fiber laser. Great for surface markings on bare metal, and colored nylon. Not capable of cutting at that wattage. Also not as good as a CO2 laser for soft material cutting and engraving, or marking on anodizing. The Epilog's are nice packages, but expensive compared to some of the other units that are available now. Software was fairly easy to work with for doing "art" but wasn't ideal for parts production. We also ran an Epilog CO2 for plastic cutting and it was always a little bit of a struggle to import parts from CAD into what is effectively a "Paint" program and get the dimensions dialed in where we needed them.
If you want to be able to cut wood, leather, cardstock, etc. as well as engrave and mark metal you might want to look into buying either a combo machine, or two separate units if you have the space and workload to justify it.