Today we’re taking a look at LaserPecker’s new portable and powerful LP5 laser machine, it’s an interesting dual laser engraver that combines a 20W blue diode laser and a 20W 1064 Fiber laser all in one device. This combination allows you to work with a large variety of materials like wood, leather, stone, plastics and most metals.
Key Specs:
- Portable and Powerful Dual-Laser for almost any material
- Easy to operate
- 20w Diode and 20w 1064 Fiber Laser built in
- 120x160mm Work Area
- 160x300mm Work Area with Slider
- Rotary Attachment for Curved objects
- Free included LaserPecker Design Space Software
- 0.08 x 0.1 mm(20W Diode Laser) 0.06 x 0.06 mm(20W Fiber Laser)
- 0.0027mm Precision
- Engrave speeds up to 10,000mm/s
- Emergency Stop Button
Unboxing and Assembly
The LP5 bundle arrives well packaged there’s everything need to get started. Assembling the LP5 is relatively straightforward process, thanks to the clear, step-by-step instructions. It simply involves attaching the base plate to the motorized upright with four screws.
Then attaching the laser unit and tightening the underside knob. There’s a lens protective cover to remove and then the protective shield is installed. This shield is held on with 2 internal thumb screws that are found on the underside. The front protective screen snaps into place and this is held on with magnets. At the back, there are a few cables to connect: one for the exhaust fan, one for the motorized upright, and one for the power supply. Once the assembly is finished, we can put on the included safety glasses, and it’s ready for the first project.
Overview and Tour Around the Laser
So let’s take a quick look around the machine and review some of the key specs. The first thing you’ll notice is the build quality—it features a solid metal construction, and everything looks and feels well made.
The LP5 is equipped with a dual laser system, that combines 2 lasers inside with a 20w 450 nanometer blue diode laser, that’s good for engraving woods, acrylic, glass, leather, stone, paper and rubber, and it is also capable of cutting basswood up to 20mm. There’s also the 20W 1064 fiber laser that is good for engraving metals like Stainless Steel, aluminum, brass, Silver, titanium and Plastics.
At the top we find the handle and 3 physical buttons, the red one in the middle is an emergency stop, and the other two are used for pausing or resuming and framing a job. The pause button is also used to place the machine in standby mode by holding it down for a few seconds.
At the back we find all the connection ports with 3 USB-A for 5V output and a USB-A for a Flash drive. The USB-C for PC connection and there’s the port for the power cable. Another good thing we have is a port for a security key, which allows us to lock the machine from unauthorised use when removed.
We can adjust the height of the laser by raising or lowering it, using the Up/Down buttons on the electric stand or this can be adjusted in the design space Software. The height adjustment is used to focus the laser on the material and when the 2 red dots combine into one it’s in focus.
Connection
For connection the LP5 can be operated using a mobile device either a phone or tablet or from a desktop computer. A mobile devices connects via Wi-Fi while a PC can connect via Wi-Fi or connect directly with the USB cable.
Working Area
The LP5 has an engraving area of 120 mm x 160 mm is a good size for small engraving projects. The LP5 is also able to be used at multiple angles and even with the optional safety enclosure that has a built in camera. It’s a highly modular and expandable device that should be able to cover most small DIY engraving projects.
If you do want to work on something slightly larger the optional Slide Extension accessory expands the workspace to 160 mm x 300 mm.
And there’s the optional rotary extension that’s used for engraving onto round objects like this aluminum bottle
Air Purifier and Web Cam
For the setup I’m also using the air purifier alongside the laser that helps to remove smells, smoke and fumes when engraving on materials.
Another thing I did add to the setup is a simple and cheap web camera, this allows the laser to be to monitored from a screen which means were not looking at directly at the laser while it’s in use, this adds another layer of protection but even with this still always wear the safety glasses when the machine is on.
First Project – USB Test File
For the first test, we’re engraving one of the included test files from the USB drive onto the wooden key ring.
With the machine connected to a PC, over in the Design Space we select the USB icon from the side menu. Then select the key ring test. We can’t modify or adjust setting for these premade test files in the software but we can click on preview, and this will give us the outline preview on the machine.
So next the wooden key ring is setup within the outline, and the lasers focus is adjusted. With everything set we start the job. It took about 2 minutes to complete and the finished result looks good, there was a bit of residue left on the surface but once wiped off with a cloth, it looked nice and clean.
Black Aluminum Cards
For the next test we’re engraving some images onto black coated aluminum cards. Now for these engravings, the images are inverted to a negative image in the software before sending it to the machine. These are engraved with the fiber laser at a 2K resolution with 20% power at a 3% depth.
Each of these images took about 6 -7minutes to complete, and the finished results look really good especially on the batman image with a great contrast and sharp details.
Brass Coins
Next up we have some blank brass coins and we’re engraving onto the surface using the fiber laser at a 4K resolution, 100% power and at a 25% depth.
It took around 6 minutes to complete each side of the coin, and with it finished the coin needs a bit of clean up with some polish, here is a side by side comparison of the coin straight from the laser on the left side and the cleaned up one on the right side.
Slate Coaster
So slate coasters are really easy to engrave and can be engraved with either the diode or fiber laser. For this one were using the fiber laser with a 2k resolution, 50% power and 20% depth.
It took about 5 minutes to complete and gave a good result of the image.
Text Logo on Wood
Next up were engraving a text logo on to a 30cm piece of wood, for longer objects like this we’re using the optional slider extension. Once the wood is aligned under the laser we can check the positioning is correct before starting the job. This is engraved with the 450 diode laser at a 2k resolution, 50% power and a 20% depth. The job took about 1 min and 30 second to complete and the finished result looks good, a nice clean text engraving on the wood, and if you need the text darker or deeper just increase the power and depth settings.
Final Thoughts
Over all the LP5 was easy to setup and use, and the modular design allows it to be setup for different engravings, and it produced some great results that I was happy with. Both the slider and the rotary attachments complement the laser and expand the capabilities of the machine.
As with most lasers it does produces a bit of smoke and fumes when in use, while the fan on the protective cover removes most of it out the back, I’d recommend getting and connecting the air purifier if you’re planning on using it indoors. The compact design of the LP5, featuring two different lasers in one device, does a great job at fine engraving across a wide range of materials and projects. The increased power and speed compared to the smaller LP4 allows for faster and more efficient job processing. If you’re looking for a versatile, powerful and portable machine mainly for engraving, the LP5 is worth checking out.
Product Links
Additional Laser Safety Information
https://www.lasersafetyfacts.com/
https://cpl.org/wp-content/uploads/NEVER-CUT-THESE-MATERIALS.pdf
Watch the full detailed video review here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjlgc4fE73I
Copyright © AMSTUDIO | All rights reserved | https://amstudioprojects.com
This page contains affiliate links, purchases made through some links may provide a commission to Amstudio at no extra cost to you