Laser Upgrades
Most of the laser machines come with all of the accessories that are needed to get up and running. That being said there are several upgrades that will help you to get the most out of your machine. This video will go over most if not all the upgrades here and how I have utilized them on my 60 watt machine. This page has affiliate links to the products mentioned. Most of these products can also be found in my Amazon Affiliate Store.
Software |
| The OMTech machines come with RDworks but there are alternatives that are very feature rich and more user friendly. Lightburn has quickly become the software of choice for laser work regardless of the machine that you use. It is very easy to use, has many powerful features, and is priced very competitively. Best yet you can try it for free before you buy for 30 days. Download your trial here. Lightburn |
Inline Fan |
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The OMTech machines come with an on board exhaust fan but it leaves much to be desired. The golden standard to improve the exhaust performance is an inline fan and there are a couple options that will fit the bill. Most us a 6" fan but you can also go with an 8" that will increase your CFM but will require some additional parts to make the jump from the 6" port to an 8" fan. |
Water Chiller |
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The purpose of a water chiller is to give you a hands off approach to managing the laser tubes water temperature. You are able to set the chiller for the desired temperature or use the intelligent features to manage the optimal temperature for humid areas. There are a couple of options on the market and the first this to say about the lineup is that a CW-3000 is not a true water chiller. To truly meet your needs you will want to purchase a CW-5000 or better. The CW-3000 only circulates the water chilling the water with a fan where the CW-5000+ is similar to a small refrigerator using freon to actively cool the water to the desired temperatures. Chillers on Amazon |
Air Assist |
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The stock air assist the comes installed on the machine is a small air pump that does not provide enough air flow to add any real efficiency to the lasers ability to cut materials and improve cut cleanliness. Below is a image of before (left) and after (right) an air assist upgrade.
Option 1 - a larger air pump Option 2 - A full air compressor setup as outlined in the video below. All parts are listed in the video description and also in my Amazon Affiliate Store. |
