xTool F1 Ultra Ultimate Stress Test | Aluminum Injection Mold from a Fiber Laser | 3D Engraving
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
- This was a little experiment of a stress test I performed using the F1 Ultra. It pushes the limit of what can be done with a fiber lase with some pretty insane results. Check it out.
xTool F1 Fiber Laser Machine:
www.xtool.com/...
Buster Beagle 3D Injection Molding Machine.
• Buster Beagle 3D Injec...
STL to Heightmap converter:
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I have a 300W fiber laser that uses EZCAD3 which is capable of doing the same thing in around 8 hours at 90% power. I also added an air knife to constantly remove debris from the parts I'm working on, very practical and I can confidently say it is better and more practical than a cnc for small parts like that. Thanks for the video.
Thank you so much for the support! I would love to try out a laser that powerful someday. My most powerful fiber is a 60W but I bet that the 300W is something else. Thanks again for watching and for the tip!
Very cool test. Kudos to you for staying the course for such a long stress test.
Man, I absolutely loved the project, you are a trooper man, 4 days straight. Well done Sir :-)
It was a long one but a lot of fun!
Compared to outsourcing the mold, 4 days is WAY better than 4 weeks+.
Nice! Thanks for sharing...I was experimenting with this method a while back, but got side tracked building lasers. I was trying it using a Feeltek 3D scan head which can focus the Z height down to 15mm deep. I was running into the same hurdles of the slope of the deep walls, but if you design for that limitation, it totally works!
Yeah I tried to figure out how to exactly accommodate for it but since injection molding requires that slight slope any way it's almost a benefit for the molds. However I'm guessing there must be a limit to how deep you can go before your design slopes to a point where everything converges.
That is a wild idea. Turned out great.
Thanks. It was a lot of nervous waiting to see how it would turn out.
Thanks for all your great videos!
So it looks to me like the lasers downside from the focusing problem is actually useful because it automatically creates draft angles, with an auto airblast to knock dust off every so many layers or minutes and an extractor vacuum to get rid of the powder buildup knocked loose into the air in the chamber and some software mods/ updates to better refine the depth maps and calculate material removal rates with some testing it could pretty easily be a capable laser engraver for molds...hmmm sound like a pretty fun raspberry pi experiment for someone... especially if you do bulk material removal with the cnc.
Excellent info. I can see how a mix of CNC milling and laser engraving would bring home the gravy.
Good fine settings wise! this opens up a ton of things!…. i would love to see you using that lower laser level to cut various thinner metals that are over 0.02 thicknesses.. like maybe .25 or less.. in various materials
Amazing Review, showing the capabilities of this Laser..
Holy crap, 4 STRAIGHT days running! That is insane to actually see.
Thanks Brandon. Yeah and I live in Los Angeles and did it during the hottest week we had here all year. So in LA, a place known for brown outs when the power grid gets too stressed I was sweating it for multiple reasons.
Nice! Definitely only need to use the laser for the small text. Everything else can be done in a hobby CNC router.
Sure. Again it was more of a can I then should I. I may be doing another one soon with a much more intricate design that I have tried with a hobby CNC before so I'm going to see how much more detail I can get using this method.
Ryan I think you should try this with the type of resin they use for injection moulds instead of aluminium - it may be a lot easier to fabricate a tool that way.
Wow that's impressive!
Thank you!
Very interesting! Thanks for the information!
Great video and project. Thanks for sharing it.
Is the dust still aluminium? Would it not be Aluminium oxide?
Thank you! Not sure. Either way don't breath it in and it's still super flammable.
Pretty cool thanks for sharing
Impressive experiment, I guess somebody wild enough could use this machine to cut complicated forms from metal chunks using rotator. If base is capable for days of running it is only a matter of supporting adjustements to convert it from graver to metall tool production.
Problem is that you don't control how much is removed. So you cannot use it for precise work.
@@m19710310 If you prepare depthmap youself you can be sure how much is removed I think.
Great test and fascinating.
Those vent holes look awesome! We'd love to get you an EDM machine to try burning some molds. We definitely want to try out your injector!
Thank you. I have seen your project in the past and always thought it looked really cool. I had always tried to think of an excuse to need one. I remember a version with more of a stick (sorry I don't know the term) which could poke holes in the metal instead of the wire. Are you still developing both types of machine or just the wire EDM?
@@BusterBeagle3D Our supplies can be used for both WEDM and plunge EDM (for molds). We're going to be working on a video for plunge work soon.
Would love to connect over email and share some ideas! -Cooper
AMAZING.
Thanks Michael!
Awesome!
Thank you!
So I had an idea for the issue you had with the brass, go ahead and drill them out like you did but then put some matching aluminum dowels into the holes to maintain the consistency, then punch them out once it's done.
I had thought about the same thing since I already had the holes in there. It would have been better if I had done something like that.
Very neat!
That's awesome brother..
Thanks for watching!
Can you share the settings you used to engrave that mold? Like power , depth, laser frequency and resolution? Thanks
Have you done a video on making molds with that small cnc machine? The surface finish looked pretty good.
I happened to just be fixing that mold on my CNC at the time I took that part of the video. It wasn't made entirely with it. I believe I had that one made at PCBWay. I just needed footage of my CNC and that was the first thing I found. I do have some videos of making molds with a hobby CNC on my channel but nothing that fancy.
Interesting
can we get a second part where you pre machine it with the cnc and finish it with the laser? Please?
4 days ?!
Some of the parts I need take 4 weeks and cost a crap tone !!! This is talking about half the production time and a tenth of the price !! How deep have you gone in this process? 2 inches is prolly about the deepest I need.
Thx in advance for any input, very promising tech !!!
Hi. I have gone about and inch deep. I'm guessing that is about as far as I can go in one shot. Again the issue is the tapering of the model for depth by the software. I would think that you could go around an inch with the first pass, then need to set up a different pass for to go deeper starting at the newly engraved inch. You are also limited by the layers, you only have 256 layers so if you need to get real deep and have a lot of smooth curves the deeper you go the more "stair stepped" things start to look.
From layer to layer, which is largest step you can set? I am trying to figure out where the 256 layer limit come from.
@@marioalday5966 I think the 256 layers comes from max allowable shades of grey between white and black in an 8 bit image. The lower that value the larger jumps it's going to calculate between those layers. This is just a guess but that was what I was assuming.
Are you sure the tapering is programmed by the software and not a consequence of how the laser focuses? The fact that the angle changes depending on how you position your parts seems to indicate the second option.
I think this is a great process for producing standalone parts. Yes, CNCing your mold might be quicker but I feel like with the right setup this might even be more painless. My only gripe is those inconsistencies stemming from the laser focus. Seems like they might cause issues if you intend to run a big part, or parts that need tight tolerances all around.
I looked a little bit more into it, xTool talks about it in their website and it's a consequence of the incidence angle of the laser, as it get further out in the workspace the laser gets more and more tilted, which could lead to an undercut. Presumably they apply a flat compensation to this all over the workspace by just tapering everything in, resulting in vertical walls at the edges and really tapered in wall in the middle.
I don't know enought about lenses to figure out if this is normal or a consequence of the type of lens they are using. Also, to be honest I can't fault them for opting for better usability over precision on a consumer machine.
Would be neat to see on a gantry laser since it would be able to have the laser normal to the cutting surface at all times unlike a galvomotor motion system.
Yeah. I know there are some out there that do this but it certainly would take longer. Maybe something to try in the future.
@@BusterBeagle3D Time to buy a P2S
@@saobx3956 I have a P2 but not the P2S. Problem is that it's a CO2 laser and not a fiber. Not really intended to carve into metal. There are gantry style fibers out there, I just don't have one.
The answer is Theta lens. Theta lens. Check it.
This should be possible in lightburn but it would reqire using several layers possibly also multiple files, no idea if it would work with the commarker as I dont have one, but if z adjustments work in lightburn it should be doable
Using the CNC for the bulk of the work and finishing with the laser would be a very powerfull combo for stuff like this
Great video, and quite impressive performance
Using a combo like that makes a lot of sense
there a bit of stair casing on the larger fillets. is that a case of running a smaller resolution?
The issue is that with this software you only have 256 layers to play with when it comes to the depth. You can run as many passes as you want but can't go over 256 layers. It would be great if they could allow to at least double it.
evidently, according to the FAQ, they said that they’ve been stress testing this machine at hundred percent power continuously over a month so it’s built to take it
I have thrown a bunch at it and it has handled it fine so no complaints.
@@BusterBeagle3D Yeah love this thing!!!!!!
Which CNC machine do you have btw? What would you suggest for a desktop cnc / garage ? For cutting aluminum/ for molds / also looking for get injection mold machine
Unfortunately I don’t have a garage so space is limited which is why I actually downsized my CNC. I used to use a 3018 CNC with an upgraded 52mm spindle. I still use the same spindle but on a much smaller 1419 CNC.
The type you get is really dependent on how much you want to spend. While you can get a knockoff 3018 CNC for about $200 a Tormach will run you 1000s but obviously be much better. Genmitsu sells many different sizes and strengths for CNC machines and I have also heard good things about Anolex machines as well. If you search the Aurora Tech channel on RUclips she has also reviewed a bunch of slightly higher quality CNC machines as well.
Can a injector molding machine inject Eva foam to create a mold?
Hello. I have never injected EVA foam before. I know that others have used different types of rubber in the machine but I have not heard or anyone using foam. As long as it can melt under 300C and be injected I don't really see what it wouldn't work but again I have no experience with it.
Wild..
Thanks!
What an interesting and impressive experiment!! Congrats!! 🎉
Thank you!
Will it work with steel?
That's super cool, hopefully a company will eventually release a fiber laser in the $500 range. Then I'll be able to afford it.
Yeah. Fiber laser's in the 20W range can be had for around $1500 now without any bells and whistles but as they become more prevalent I'm sure the cost will go down.
If you have a decent idea of what goes into a fiber optic laser, you'll understand that fiber lasers are probably not going to reach the sub 1000$ range.....at least one I would want, due to safety concerns
Buy the good one with AFFIRM and make payments and do enough side job stuff to pay for itself.
You can already buy a 1500W laser gun that cleans, cuts and welds for USD$1200 so Why can’t you just mount the gun in a cheap CNC machine? I’m already using a plasma torch this way and works well so we’re
Not far off being able to do this cheaply. Exciting times for optometrists 😅
Hello, is it possible with my creality falcon pro 22w laser? hugs from Brazil
Unfortunately no. This requires a fiber laser.
I would be concerned about the explosion hazard caused by the ultra fine aluminum dust. Better dust extraction and grounding would likely help mitigate the risk.
Oh wow, yeah that's a good point
Edit: he actually called it out at the end lol
Youre crazy hahaha and i thought i was.
I skimmed the video without audio so I'm sorry if you already addressed this (at work, heh) - have you done any tests to understand the dimensional accuracy of the 'engraving?' We have some parts that we micromachine, but the 30 micron spot size is really tempting as a way to get similar quality results.
Not sure about the usefulness, as you cannot set the exact depths. It is not like "this hole must be 2 mm" here.
While you can not exactly tell it to make a 2mm hole you can run tests and figure out how many passes at what power/Speed it would take to make a 2mm hole in a particular material.
Please wear a good mask or respirator to protect your lungs from aluminum powder
Agreed. The machine was hooked up to a pretty strong external inline fans that was then filtered through a multi-stage charcoal and HEPA filter before exhausting outdoors.
@@BusterBeagle3D you need to run the air exiting into water. you have no idea the danger of this powder
@@o1ecypher Not a bad idea. I know aluminum power is a ingredient of thermite which is why I warn about it in video but venting directly in water may even be better then through the filters.
@@BusterBeagle3D Please and the lazer itself needs to be enclosed, lets say in Plexiglas for visibility
@@o1ecypher This XTool F1 Ultra has a full enclosure so there was no dust at all escaping. Everything was being exhausted out of a duct in the back.