Epilog Lasers

The machine really runs best using Corel Software. You can use other software programs but the manual is written with reference to Corel. I did not know Corel from Photoshop so I did not care, I needed to learn either one. Learning the program is where 90% of your time will go. I am not a creative guru and learning Corel is a never ending process. I more or less stumbled along. When you buy a Epilog Laser, you get some free live training with it. This you HAVE to do since it really helps you understand how the machine works. I loaded my software up and got the machine connected in my shop and then went to training. Of course I could not resist trying out a test job on my own without reading the manual much, and you guessed it, it came out horrible.

The only other "gotcha" was the requirement that no one tells you about until you read it in the manual. You have to be able to operate the machine in an environment that is less than 90 degrees. For most people that is ok, but I live in Florida and 90 is like standard operating temperture all the time. I was going to put the machine in my garage but it is always over 90 in there and I ended up moving it into my office. The machine has to be vented to the outside with a blower to suck out the fumes. I have a pretty cool set up and my blower is out side so I don't have to hear it. When I turn it on, I have to turn my room Air conditioner off or it blows a fuse. The blower is so effective that it basically sucks all that nice cool air out of my office through the machine along with the fumes, so its something I just deal with and run the air a lot after I am done.

1. When your done training do you know everything to get started? The answer is no, you have to figure out your own settings and tweak your designs. I learned that you need to use practice materials instead of burning up a bunch of wood or plastic. Cardboard works pretty good.

2. What is the handiest tool to keep near by? I keep my tape measure. I make a lot of plaques and signs and always have a blank one on hand to make sure my measurements are correct and centered.

3. Do the pre recommended speeds and power settings work well? Yes but you have to test out those settings for yourself. I use a lot of wood and different species render differently on the laser. I do end up ruining a lot of stock, but I try to keep a really good set of notes and use the test pieces over and over again.

4. Where do you find materials to buy to laser onto? Don't worry, they give you a ton of resources and catalogs to order from, you will have more than you ever need to order from.

5. How did you figure out what size machine to order? Mine was a factor of cash and projects that I thought I would do. I would have loved to have the big unit, but I could not afford it.

6. What is a quick way to get a product done so that you can start earning some cash back? I hired an artist to make an design that I had in my head. This worked great since all I had to do was load up the project and start lasering. This works well for me and I found my guy on Craigslist.

Technical Specifications

Engraving Area 24" x 12"
(610 x 305 mm)
Maximum Material Thickness 5.5" (140 mm)

Maximum Material Thickness with Table Removed 8" (203 mm)
23.5" x 11.75" (597 x 298 mm) engraving area.
Laser Wattage 30, 40, 50, or 60 watts
Laser Source State-of-the-art, digitally controlled, air-cooled CO2 laser tubes are fully modular, permanently aligned and field replaceable.
Intelligent Memory Buffer Store unlimited files up to 64 MB. Rolling buffer allows files of any size to be engraved.
Permanent Job Save at the Laser Store up to 10 jobs at the laser, each up to 2 MB in size.
Air Assist Attach an air compressor to our included Air Assist to remove heat and combustible gasses from the cutting surface by directing a constant stream of compressed air across the cutting surface.
Laser Dashboard The Laser Dashboard%u2122 controls your Epilog Laser's settings from a wide range of software packages - from design programs to spreadsheet applications to CAD drawing packages
Red Dot Pointer Since the laser beam is invisible, the Red Dot Pointer on Epilog's Laser Systems allows you to have a visual reference for locating where the laser will fire
Relocateable Home When engraving items that are not easily placed at the top corner of the laser, you can set a new home position by hand with the convenient Moveable Home Position feature on the Legend Elite Lasers.
Operating Modes Optimized raster, vector or combined modes with engraving and cutting in one job.
Motion Control System High-speed, continuous-loop, DC servomotors using linear and rotary encoder technology for precise positioning.
X-Axis Bearings Ground and polished stainless steel NeverWear Bearing System.
Belts Advanced B-style Kevlar Belts
Resolution User controlled from 75 to 1200 dpi
Speed and Power Control Computer or manually control speed and power in 1% increments to 100%. Vector color mapping links speed, power and focus to any RGB color.
Print Interface 10 Base-T Ethernet or USB Connection. Compatible with Windows® XP/Vista/7
Size (W x D x H) 34.5" x 26" x 16"
(876 x 660 x 406 mm)
Weight 90 lbs. (41 kg)
120 lbs. (55 kg) w/stand
Electrical Requirements Auto-switching power supply accommodates 110 to 240 volts, 50 or 60 Hz, single phase, 15 amp AC.
Super-Silent%u2122 Cooling Fans Normal Sound Level 59 db
Ventilation System External exhaust or internal filtration system is required. There is one output port, 4" in diameter.
Laser System Classification Class 2 Laser Product - 1 mW CW Maximum 600-700 nm.