Thread: Laser manufacturing

Woodworking Nurd!

Originally Posted by DPB

Woodworking Nurd!

I know where you're coming from Don, but this is where woodworking is going to.

As I understand it, laser cutting is only good for small depth, notice the demo worked on less than about 1cm thick stock.

And the laser can't cut spherical shapes and the like!

So we are still infront!

Glue probably wouldn't stick to the burned edges either, so even the box he made is liaible to fall apart.

I made some wooden dinosaurs, insects, etc. with my son whose pieces had been cut out of a thin sheet of ply with a technique that didn't leave a burned residue behind: some kind of stamping process perhaps.

Extreme high pressure water jets are used in some processes too. Whatever the technology, CAD/CAM is here to stay.

CRAP.

2 dollar shop s#*t.

Originally Posted by gazaly

CRAP.

2 dollar shop s#*t.

In case this is aimed at my statement about it being here to stay, the F22 Fighter is initially carved out of a block of solid titanium by CAD/CAM. Cutting up wood is nowhere near as difficult except for orientation of the grain. Once the technology is established it will be commonplace. It's just too expensive at the moment.

Originally Posted by Groggy

Who are you talking to?

Sorry Groggy, I mean I think the box in the video is crap. No offense meant to you or anyone else.

Please accept my most humble apologies.

I agree with you WRT the fact that CAD/CAM is at the forefront, I just don't think it has the personal touch, regardless of how much the programmer puts into the code.

MHO

Cheers

Originally Posted by gazaly

Sorry Groggy, I mean I think the box in the video is crap. No offense meant to you or anyone else.

Please accept my most humble apologies.

I agree with you WRT the fact that CAD/CAM is at the forefront, I just don't think it has the personal touch, regardless of how much the programmer puts into the code.

MHO

Cheers

Yep, I'm with you. The cutters are just the tool of the future, like the plane, spokeshave, lathe, bandsaw and Domino (!) were. It will always require a skilled artisan to 'make' or 'break' the piece. At least until they insert AI into the programming of the machines . . .

Originally Posted by gazaly

CRAP.

2 dollar shop s#*t.

Absolutely nothing wrong with $2 shops, sport.

12 pieces of #400 or #600 or #800 W&D for $2 from our local 200 RMB emporium. Quality same as Bunnies for $2 a sheet.

We musn't be so prejudiced.

Winston Churchill once said "even fools are correct, sometimes"

I can see that sort of thing having a place in high precision/high cost/low component count jobs, eg. military production, but for more mundane things like making wooden boxes? Nar... I doubt it'll happen on anything above a geek-toy scale.

As Zenwood said, there's already existing processes for cutting thin sheets into what are basically jig-saws, stamping mills among 'em. They have production times measured in tens or hundreds of units per minute, whle that laser-cut box took 50 seconds for one unit. And as there's still plenty of life left in the existing stamping mills, I can't see it being economically viable for 'em to switch methods. [shrug]

enough has already been said. This will have it's place for awhile in the small scale trinket area,

but people really know the difference between handcrafted vs. this laser'd type of box. You've all seen these laser'd spoons, kitchen utensils and the like and they have their place, but put the guy next door to them who has carved these items and you can see the quality. Making a gazillion look alike boxes at $9.95 each is not what I'm in it for.

Hey if you want that "attactive burnt egde" look, I find if you used a worn out belt on the belt sander and push the wood down really hard you can get the same effect. A blunt saw can do the burnt edge finger joints for you as well.

Originally Posted by Groggy

Yep, At least until they insert AI into the programming of the machines . . .

But I already have that as a substitute for whatever grey matter I may once have had It certainly seems artificial at times anyway (and I'm hoping that the "I" represented "intelligence" not "insemination" :eek