I have an M60 JPT M7 MOPA and it works great, it’s from Cloudray. They aren’t the only ones putting these together, as there is only a few pieces such as control board, laser source and power supplies.
Contact any of them and they will probably cut you a break on price or at least an offer.
You need an F420mm lens for 300x300 coverage and a tall 800mm column to accompany that long of a lens. This is especially true if you put a rotatory in there with a long lens.
I have an F254mm that gives me about 175mm square coverage that I use most of the time.
These lenses are F type for flat focus.
Currently Lightburn only supports EZCad2 compatible boards, so if you find something different, you may have to consult with the Lightburn people about it being compatible.
These are engravers, so cutting metal isn’t really their forte, so to speak. However if you engrave deep enough it will cut, just how long it takes will depend on the metal you’re attempting to cut.
You can also heat the metal to a point where it discolors or warps. I did these to mark the column for quickly getting it close to the proper focus point. You can see they have to be cleaned up by hand.
Color is very difficult to do. It’s not really engraving, it’s getting a specific surface temperature creating an oxidized layer that causes the color change by interference.
If you have a color pallet and change the size of the engraving, the color changes, as it takes more time to scan and the temperature is not reached. Same goes with thickness and size. Keep in mind the metals conduct heat very well, so it will suck the heat away quickly.
I find it so time consuming and materials being so very expensive, I don’t mess with it anymore.
Here’s an article from the NIH about how it works with some excellent photos. When you read it, note the different types of lasers they use.
Here’s a pdf with similar information.
Good luck.
