DIY CNC Engraver Kits Wood Carving Engraving Cutting Machine Desktop Printer Logo Picture Marking, 40x50cm,2 Axis (500MW)

I'm not an artist so I like using programs that help make pictures look better. When I saw that I could use a laser to make pictures on wood... I was interested... But I thought it would be too complicated because if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. I decided to take the leap after seeing a few vendors displaying stuff that they engraved... (labeling it "woodburning done by hand" and sold for outrageous prices!) I'm retired military and looking for a cool hobby that can help make keepsakes for my buddies, family and friends. I am not making any money off this hobby other than what donations are made for supplies, so I looked at a few YouTube videos and hoped this would all work out and not be a waste of money. Once I got my engraver I immediately noticed how well packed it was and the care taken to keep the items safe during shipping. That's a big plus in my book as our packages always seem to get rough handled. I watched the assembly video and marked the pieces so I could assemble it right the first time. The assembly was pretty quick and super easy as long as you pay attention to which side you are attaching things to the plexiglass as the holes are in different spots for a reason. I paused the video several times to make sure I got it all right and the Only tools I needed was 2 harbor freight screwdrivers... (Because I can use the bit holder to hold the nut while tightning the screws for the bearings) and I also needed a pair of scissors and a small pliers to hold the nuts for the laser mount. Once I got it all together I loaded up the software from the website. I was a little nervous but after a few fails and many successes I was confident to show off my projects. Bachin tech support was a lifesaver! They turned my fails into teaching moments and are real quick to respond even though they are in a different timezone. Like I said before, if this were easy, everyone would be doing it... But I can safely say... These guys got it right and it is easy if you just flush it out of your head that it's hard. Here's the simple breakdown. There are 2 programs that you can download, get both! Each does a great job but you can do different things with them. Engraver master is my go to program... Its got alot of control and power to make things simple. Plus side, it's fast and easy to use... Downside is that pictures (also known as "raster" take a very long time) If you do line art (also known as "vector") those projects are alot faster. My fastest 8x8 inch round vector project took 2 hours, it was a dragon and tiger with real good detail and the longest raster project has taken 80 hours. You can make vectors out of rasters with simple online converters for free but it's like turning a picture into a drawing. Ive come to love vectors very much! The results are quick and outstanding. Bachin draw is the other program and is great for vectors. I'd love to upload pictures and videos but my videos are too big and long to upload (till I figure out how to shrink them) I'll upload pictures if Amazon will accept them. This product is well worth the money! I've got both the 500mw and 2500mw version now. The 500mw can do great engravings once you get the setting down. Keep a notepad by your engraver for different materials as different woods have a different effect. The 2500mw can actually cut 1/8" basswood! Again, you have to get the settings right. I have used the 2500mw to cut wood, vinyl, felt, paper and amazingly enough, with the right settings for each material, you get outstanding results! See pictures for examples of what I've already created. This laser engraver is awesome, but you'll have to see it for yourself. Believe me, you won't be disappointed!

Overall it took me some time to put the machine together, at first it was a pretty good product and it was working well, I had to constantly tighten the belts and I had a problem with the laser making a humming sound, I would have to top it with a screwdriver so it would stop making the sound. Tried to contact customer support and it was a pain in the butt to get videos and pictures to them, they sent me a new laser. But after I kept using the new laser for about a week it started making the same noise

We had this in a box for a year before putting it together because we lacked space in our old house.The instructions are poor, but there are videos both online and on the memory stick that comes with the machine to set it up initially. Only negative we found was that the X stepper got installed upside down because the video directed it to be that way. It was too much hassle to take apart once we discovered the problem. This was a lot like building a hobby 3D printer. The total build time was a little over an hour taking our time.Make sure to follow the instructions and update the firmware when setting up the machine for the first time. There are a couple of settings not configured by default that make printing slower if you don't do this.Make sure you learn about GBRL language - at least enough to configure the "Laser Mode" in the firmware. This will require you to use the console view and enter $32=1 in order to enable that mode. Failure to do that will make the machine pause with every power change, which will certainly shorten the life of the laser and machine as it is a herky-jerky motion if you allow it to happen. With this setting enabled properly, engraving images is MUCH quicker as well.Many YouTubers use LightBurn software, and that will work on this machine - at least in Windows. So far I've found that engraving settings on mine require speeds about 1/3 the amount seen on the more common ORTUR 20W - (5500mW luminosity) machines in a lot of videos because the 2500mW laser is about 1/3 as strong.You can definitely enjoy a new hobby with this gadget!

I purchased the 500 mw laser in March of 2020 and I don't regret it one bit! The set up of the machine was a bit tricky, due to both my lack of attention to detail and some cuts in the video. My advice is to pay attention to the orientation of each piece as you put it together, or you'll have to take it apart to flip one piece around lol.The software itself is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. The best way I have found to import an image in to be engraved is to use a stencil converter online, then import the "stencil" into the program. It's how I did the self portrait and managed to get details like the wrinkles in my shirt to come out clean. Anything that I don't like, I usually just edit in Paint by erasing or adding in lines where needed. I've heard other people use other laser programs, but this is my first go and I'm happy with what this program does.My laser actually burned out after about two months worth of use, but to be fair, I had been running it quite frequently and for long periods of time, so I wasn't completely surprised. Bachin was very quick about contacting me and sorting out the issue. I received my replacement laser within a week and a half and just need to hook it up.Overall I am very pleased with the product, customer service, and of course, the things that I am able to create, as I'm horrible at drawing or anything art related really. I'm definitely looking at a bigger, more powerful laser in the future to increase creative possibilities.All of the images above are on about 12"x12" pieces of wood. They have ranged anywhere from 2 to 8 hours of runtime. It's nice to start right before I go to bed and let it run while I sleep. I was pretty skeptical and a little nervous about not monitoring it while it was engraving, but I've had no issues. I keep it right next to a window and keep the window cracked to vent out the smoke and fumes.

Everything is as I expected. But, to be fair, I plan to modify the machine for a specific purpose. And I've been building CNC machines for over 26 years...and laser-equipped machines for 12 years.

Was impressed with the packaging and overall kit considering the price. It came well packaged with adhesive plastic tape protecting the aluminum for example. The edges of the extruded aluminum are cut perfectly with minimal bur and square. threads neat and clean. very nice. The container of parts came separated in a clamshell style plastic case. Each part divided. comes with a checklist. The screws all had well formed threads and the bearings all smoothly roll. This model doesn't use the plastic wheels like you see on a 3d printer, but the bearings ride inside the tack along a rubber strip of belt. seems to work right out of the box and assembled. There's a link to the assembly video on their website. otherwise the documentation is lacking obviously. Runs on an arduino nano board with 3 stepper drivers to control.

This thing is a great DIY kit. It took some time to assemble, and the assembly video had the motors installed upside down (wires were connected on the bottom). I purchased the 2.5w laser and it works well. The cat on the coaster took about an hour (3"X5"). The software it came with is simple but effective. It worked perfect for a few hours then developed a glitch where the test outline would hang for 30 seconds instead of work immediately. It did this in windows 10 on 2 computers and windows XP. I strongly recommend LightBurn for software. It's well worth the 50$. The controller is built on an Arduino board, and after I installed the Arduino drivers I was able to get this laser to work great using Linux Mint 20 (LightBurn is available for Linux but doesn't include the GRBL Arduino driver). The factory software does run in WINE but I couldn't get the drivers to communicate. There are many spare parts available through Amazon if anything breaks or wears out. This has been a great addition to the woodshop.

The media could not be loaded.  When I first got it, after putting it together, which was harder then expected, I was impressed with the power. At the beginning I had to turn the power down to almost nothing so it wouldn't burn through everything. But the more I used it the weaker the laser became. Now I have used it maybe a 100 hours and even after cleaning and resetting all settings the laser can't even make a dent in thin plain wood with the highest setting. Very disappointed, even more so because I contacted Bachin twice now and never heard back.

Bought this piece of crap about a year ago. the board screwed up. contacted the supplier. They gave me no help. Bought a new board myse;f. This screwed up after a few times use. This thing is garbage for the money. Don't waist your time.