Orion Motor Tech 40W Co2 Laser Engraving Cutting Machine, 12 x 8 Inches K40 Desktop DIY Wood Laser Engraver Cutter (40W (Latest Version))

if you're looking for plug and play, these machines are not it. Do your research first to get an understanding of what to expect from these machines.With that said, I am almost two weeks into mine. Out of the box it would have run fine, but I did my research and found that improvements were necessary to enhance my experience for what I wanted to do with it. I immediately ordered an exhaust fan with higher flow, I also ordered an exhaust boot that fit into the stock fan mount, foam tape, a 390gph water pump with a 6 ft lift, a water spinner to indicate flow, some 4" zip ties... when the parts arrived, I went to work... keep in mind this is my first laser machine, and I did my homework.I used foam tape around the vent port and carefully slid the new boot into place, it was a snug fit. I used the stock exhaust tube from the machine to the fan, mounted and connected the fan, and ran dryer duct from the fan to the outside. Here's where I made my own judgement call. I had been reassured that if there were a leak in any part of the cooling, that the water flow sensor would have cut the power.... I noticed the water flow sensor was connected BEFORE the laser tube, which meant ( in my mind at least ) that water flow to the sensor would allow power to be supplied to the tube even in the event that the water tubing, after the sensor, developed a leak. I rerouted the water supply tubes to connect the flow sensor after the laser tube. in the event of loss of water pressure to the tube, power would be cut.I also upgraded the water pump, as I discovered that the stock pump will supply the flow on a level plane, but, I on the otherhand have a 3.5 foot rise from my water supply to the machine. the stock pump is rated for 300 GPH, but at the 3 foot rise, it was barely a trickle, so I opted for a 390GPH with rated ability to pump to a 6 foot rise. research, be careful of too much flow that will prevent the heat exchange from taking place, or blow the ends of the laser tube off, rendering the laser tube useless not to mention water leakage that may cause serious damage or injury. I went to the local petco and purchased an aquarium thermometer and used double sided tape to attach it to the control area of my machine. I can now see the water supply temperature and monitor when I need to take a break and let things cool off for a bit. I read about a lot of issues with the chinese software, and when I looked at the price of Coreldraw.... swear words muted and not included here.After looking into options to get Coreldraw on the cheap... older version $125.00 + newest update $199.00, or just purchase outright for $400.00 I found an open source solution provided by a fellow enthusiast on the web which works with another open sourced draw program. the instructions were easy to follow, although the draw application takes some getting accustomed to, as with any complex piece of software. after all the upgrades made to this machine, I must say I am quite pleased with the results so far. Better exhaust, Better cooling, and a NOT $400 Drawing option.... First engrave was a rather intricate dragonfly image, which some of the detail was lost in the translation between applications, But, I also realize that I had shrunk the image to raster into 1/4 of the original size. so at this point I have been able to engrave on wood, plastic, and even quartz rock. And yes the Draw application is capable of creating or translating into Vector graphics.The mirrors could use some more fine tuning for perfect alignment,but I will also at some point, be removing the gantry to get to the exhaust vent, so it can be cut back a couple inches to allow for more bed space and remove the fumes without sucking out the flame that happens with wood. While the scorching will wipe/sand off easily enough, I worry about any sap buildup that may occur in the vent pipe and would rather not set it on fire. as I write this, another idea occurs... remounting the exhaust vent to be removable from the outside of the machine for cleaning of previously stated saps/resins I also intend to add a honeycomb bed to this machine, but I will need to figure out how to lock materials down for engraving and cutting. The current lock is adequate but not preferred.With all this said, keep in mind that this hobby laser is a hobby in itself. if you are not willing to put the effort into this hobby, I would suggest the local machine shop with a laser service to address your lasering needs!apologies for the wall, I hope this helps.

Update: I love my machine so much!!! Great little machine, highly customizable. Highly recommend adding air assist to laser head to reduce flame, I did and now it works wonders. I would recommend a high power air pump for the air assist, like a strong aquarium air pump. I'm cutting acrylic mostly, 1/8 inch, but I'm also cutting some leather, which is working alright. for the acrylic, I recommend putting some tape on both sides for a spotless cut! I prefer clear contact paper, the brand is Con-tact, and it's transparent matte. It's the one that leaves the least sticky residue in my experience. I would also HIGHLY recommend downloading k40whisperer! I've been using it to make jewelry for months now and I love It! If you like creating in programs like rhino or Adobe illustrator, you can save the vector as an SVG file and k40 will accept them! Let me know you if you have any questions about that! I have tons of tips if anyone has any questions about their machine!

With all the available 3rd party upgrades from companies like Light Object, this machine is amazing. Every youtube video feels they need to make the point how "cheap" this machine is. The tube is not a true 40w and don't overdrive the tube, but for cutting thin veneer or paper this machine can be tuned to produce exceptional results. Very soon companies charging $15K for similar size machines are in for a wakeup call. I have a $4000 true 40w from Light object and while it is a much better machine, the these K40 machines can be converted to a DSP controller for $500, and all the parts can easily be replaced. At a minimum plan on spending a $120 to get the upgrade board from Cohesion3D, this allows to upgrade to better software. The K40 software is not as good.

I was able to fire up the laser cutter and do a first design in about 30 minutes. It works reasonably well using K40 Whisperer and Inkscape. So, I'm just going to throw the proprietary software that came with it away. Frankly, after reading many reviews and blogs, I didn't expect the cutter to be that turnkey - I expected to need to immediately replace the controller board. At this point I probably won't replace the controller unless I run into serious limitations during usage.The product was packed very well and arrived in good condition. The laser cutter itself seems reasonable - so far running at the lowest possible setting does a good job of etching 1/4" birch plywood. The air ventilation fan and ducting are sketchy and I will probably need to replace at least the ducting.The instruction booklet is limited and the software comes on a CD (who ones a CD reader these days any way??). I've been watching youtube videos for instructions. There are many videos around - a bunch seem sketchy and seem to lack the respect I'd expect given the power of the laser in the box. But there are a few videos that address maintance and safety. I expect that will be a learning experience on proper usage and maintance.I'm also moderatly concerned about the lack of an interlocks to turn off the laser if the unit is opened during usage. I will probably make that modification soon since I have a teenager using the cutter and would prefer to reduce the possiblity of accidental injury.Other than that, it seems like a really good value and would recommend it to suppliment a workshop.

Reiterating what other users have said, it takes a little bit of work to get everything lined up and cutting correctly out of the box, but my gosh, what a fun little product!! It comes with everything you need to get going and you can replace items like the blower if you want, but it isn't really necessary.The only reason this product isn't a 5 star product is because the power supply went out on me 2 weeks into using it. That would have brought it down to a 1 star, but this seller is outstanding and sent me a new power supply after doing some online diagnostics. After the positive experience with them, I wouldn't recommend buying this product from anyone else!