One of the folks who works at EPILOG told us… “We had a record-setting number of laser sales in the month of June, 2010 – the highest we’ve had in our company history. Part of our success is due to the tremendous amount of support we get from the industry and that certainly includes both MAKE and Adafruit”.
Epilog Laser, the leading designer and manufacturer of CO2 and fiber laser engraving and cutting systems, today announced record-setting laser sales in the month of June, 2010. In addition to being the highest-selling month in the company’s history, June also capped off a record-setting first half year for Epilog.
“We’re very excited to see such growth in system sales”, said Mike Dean, director of sales and marketing at Epilog Laser. “A few years ago, we recognized that to maintain our dominant position in the lower-power, small-format laser industry, we would need to broaden our product line and diversify our markets. That decision has been paramount to our strategic growth.”
One of the reasons we continue to point folks to EPILOG is their involvement & investment in the DIY community – from Maker Faire to working directly with many small businesses, they’ve been a great company to watch grow as the maker movement has grown along side them. Congrats EPILOG!
Andrew Plumb (aka aplumb and clothbot) has been experimenting with making LEGO-compatible blocks for awhile. We talked about his work on here back in December, and he has done some more great work since then. Our last post mentioned the laser cutting files he uploaded to Thingiverse, and above you can see some of those digital files made real with our own beloved laser cutting service, Ponoko Designmake.
He has also had some parts 3D printed through Shapeways, and they are even available for sale through his Shapeways Shop.
Custom LEGOs… oh to be 7 years old again (with access to a 3d printer).
When my EPSON 830U decided not to work for me anymore (printing heads clogged) I thought I could make some use of the still working mechanics of the printer. It’s based on a couple of stepper motors for both axis of motion (print head and paper feed).
So I replaced the original power supply and drive electronics for an arduino board and an stepper motor driver from Adafruit industries. Now I could move the printhead
anywhere on a page. Next step was to add a laser on the printhead and to control it using a PWM output from arduino (so laser power could be modulated from the computer).
Though it only cut thin back color cardboard, it has may uses. I wrote a C program for arduino to control the stepper motors and laser. It receives data from the computer and
interfaces with the old printer guts.
Data format is very simple: each line contains a sequence of integer numbers separated by blank space. Each pair of numbers represents one XY coordinate. Line ends with a CR (0×0d) character (that also shuts down the laser to stop cutting). First coordinate of a line sets the starting point (before reaching that location the laser is off).
I wrote some software running on my iMac that reads a Inkscape SVG file (only straight lines are supported though, use Flatten Bezier on curves to get a sequence of straight line segments) and translates it to the desired data format for arduino and it shows a preview on the screen. Data is sent through a USB port to the arduino. iMac code was written using Processing language (Java-based) so it can run on Windows or Linux too.
If you have an old EPSON printer, you may want to give it a second thought before putting it to the trash.
New Super-Silent™ Fans are one of the highlights of the new feature set. Providing a 10-decibel drop in most of the systems, these fans make Epilog lasers the quietest operating systems on the market.
An even more robust Vector Cutting Table is now included with the series.
The updated table is over one inch thick and removable from the system. When not in use, the table can be placed in the convenient new storage rack that has been built into the stand. The Engraving Table has also been reinforced for the flattest, most even engraving surface on every job.
Beneath the Vector Cutting Table is a new removable Crumb Tray that has been built into the table pan. Users lower the Easy-Access Drop-Down Door on the front of the system and pull out the Crumb Tray to remove the debris that has fallen through, eliminating a fire hazard and making system maintenance even easier.
The updated machines in the Legend Elite Series by Epilog include the Epilog Mini 18, Mini 24, and Helix. They feature Epilog’s Accupoint™ Motion Control System with linear encoders, NeverWear stainless steel bearings, and high-speed servo motors. The series also features Epilog’s Laser Dashboard™ and Photo Real Engraving™ with dithering patterns that produce the highest quality photo engraving in the industry.
Huh, we’ve not seen “Epilog’s Laser Dashboard™ and Photo Real Engraving™” – likely their own software since COREL is good for a lot of things, likely not so good for just running a laser.
We’re laser etching up some iPads soon for a contest, woo!
Epilog Laser, the leading producer of CO2 and fiber laser engraving, cutting and marking systems today announced the company is teaming with Adafruit Industries to sponsor the iPad Contest, presented by Gizmodo.
“Engraving tech-gadgets is unbelievably popular right now”. Beginning March 15, Gizmodo will start accepting design entries for possible laser engraving on the highly-anticipated iPad. Two winners will be selected and each will receive a laser engraved iPad featuring each participant’s respective design. Finalists will be picked by the Gizmodo staff, Adafruit and Epilog. After the top 10 are selected, Gizmodo readers will vote for the two grand-prize winners. Adafruit will donate the engraving services on their Epilog Laser, and Epilog will donate the iPads for the contest.
“Engraving tech-gadgets is unbelievably popular right now,” said Mike Dean, director of sales and marketing for Epilog Laser. “We’re happy to donate the iPads for the competition and are excited to team with Gizmodo and Adafruit. It’s a perfect fit because we can connect with people who really understand what our product can do – the designers, the DIY crowd, the inventors – all of those who genuinely appreciate what lasers are capable of.”
The iPad Contest opens March 15 and runs through midnight PDT April 3. The competition is open to all U.S. residents 18 and older. Complete rules can be found at gizmodo.com and adafruit.com. For more information visit www.epiloglaser.com.
From the ARA International Awards Market in Las Vegas, Epilog Laser, the leading producer of CO2 and fiber laser engraving, cutting and marking systems today announced the release of the Zing 24 Laser Rotary Attachment. The highly-anticipated accessory makes the Zing 24 a popular choice for those seeking entry-level systems capable of engraving cylindrical-shaped items.
“The Zing 24 continues to raise the bar for entry-level laser engraving equipment,” said Mike Dean, director of sales and marketing for Epilog Laser. “The availability of this desirable accessory will allow small businesses and hobbyists to accomplish the same goals as larger, more expensive systems. It will allow engravers to greatly expand their product line and in turn, their profit potential.”
The Zing 24 Rotary Attachment was designed with productivity and ease-of-use in mind. Operators can switch from one item to the next in seconds, without removing the attachment from the engraver. Additionally, the attachment allows for accurate image scaling, so there’s no need to input diameter or circumference calculations.
Cylindrical items such as flashlights, glasses, vases and mugs have always been popular items for customization, and highly profitable for engraving shops. The new attachment for the Zing 24 Laser was engineered to be user-friendly and allows business owners to not only offer more to customers, but to maintain throughput while doing so.
The Zing 24 Rotary Attachment can accommodate items up to 5.25 inches (133.4 mm) in diameter and is now available from Epilog Laser. For more information visit www.epiloglaser.com.
So, an entry-level system is now capable of marking cylindrical items like mugs, flashlights, wine bottles, shot glasses, beer mugs, all that. Good stuff for a small biz to pay for itself.
Using a 35W Epilog mini, 60% power 100% speed. The beans should be placed in some sort of soft holding bed both to even them out as well as to stop the air assist from moving them. We used lentils and eventually made a jig with cardstock to mass produce the beans.
If you’ll recall, some months ago we held a little competition for readers to submit artwork destined for laser-etching on the backsides of Amazon’s Kindle. After everyone voted on the top five out of the mountain of selections, we took the gaggle of readers down to our friends at Adafruit Industries (headed up by the lovely and delightful Limor Fried and Phil Torrone) for some time under the laser. While we were there getting our etch on with their massive laser, we convinced Limor and Phil to show off some of the other crazy kit they’ve got in the labs — and we’ve captured it all on film… er, video. Take a look at our excursion into the world of dynamic DIY’ing — we think you’ll like what you see.
We posted some additional photos of the etched Kindles here – and you can also view the Engadget show M4V here…
We started this project looking at some of the interesting variations amongst common fonts. Blowing them up to this size lets you start to see those differences more clearly than usual. Cutting them out as tangible forms takes it a step further– you can feel the curves. Also, they make pretty good coasters.
Printable catalog (PDF)
