When comparing MC-Series 5'x10' Flatbed 500W Fiber Laser Metal Cutter vs Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8", the Slant community recommends Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8" for most people. In the question“What are the best laser cutters?” Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8" is ranked 3rd while MC-Series 5'x10' Flatbed 500W Fiber Laser Metal Cutter is ranked 6th. The most important reason people chose Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8" is:
If you need, you can upgrade the standard 40 W laser tube to a 50 W version.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Excellent for industries
This laser cutter is an excellent professional, industrial grade machine. It was designed and built for metal mass-production purposes. It's tough and heavy and it was made to run non-stop 24/7 shifts.
Pro Can effectively cut a variety of metals
According to the specifications sheet, this machine can cut materials like carbon steel (up to 6 mm), stainless steel (up to 3 mm), galvanized plate (up to 3 mm), aluminum (up to 3 mm) and copper (up to 2 mm).
Pro Uses highly efficient fiber laser technology
Compared to the standard CO2 tube laser technology, fiber laser technology has multiple advantages. Firstly, the fiber laser machines have no moving parts or mirrors in the light-generating source, which noticeably reduces maintenance expenses. Secondly, fiber lasers have higher electrical efficiency, making the electrical bills lower. Thirdly, fiber lasers are capable of cutting very reflective metals (copper, brass, and aluminum).
Pro You can choose the machine's power that suits you best
Apart from the standard 500 W model, there are many other power options available for this product. You can choose pretty much anything between 200 W and 2 KW.
Pro No need to adjust the optics
The laser beam is channeled and amplified through a fiber optic cable. The cable is the only optical tool standing between the laser diodes and the working head. There is a lense in the working head, but it has an auto-adjust feature.
Pro Laser tube can be upgraded to a more powerful one
If you need, you can upgrade the standard 40 W laser tube to a 50 W version.
Pro Affordable
This is one of the cheapest CO2 tube lasers out on the market. It was created as a cost-effective alternative to multiple thousand dollar machines.
Pro Software and manual are included
The unit is shipped together with a free copy of its dedicated software Shenzhouyi. The software's manual is also included.
Pro Works very well when mastered
This laser cutter can do very fine cutting/engraving if you manage to fully unleash its potential. However, this will require you to invest a lot of your time into this machine to explore and upgrade it.
Pro Comes with accessories
This laser cutter comes with a water pump, which is used for CO2 tube cooling, and a fume extractor.
Cons
Con Expensive
This laser cutter is very expensive, costing around $130,000.
Con Requires a lot of tinkering
It will take a certain amount of skills and experience to run this laser cutter. Knowledge of CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) processes and concepts is essential. Besides, skills and expertise in electrical engineering will come in handy, as all the electrical schematics are unavailable. It is possible to receive high cutting/engraving quality from this machine, but plan to invest a lot of time and effort into tinkering with it.
Con Focal length needs manual adjustments
It is very hard to reach the full potential (40W of cutting power) of this laser cutter, as the optimum focal length of the lens must be found experimentally/manually.
Con Workspace is small
Visually, the machine might look big, but the work area is only 12" x 8". That's less than an A4 sheet. This is an essential thing to consider before going for this laser cutter.
Con Not suitable for metal cutting
It has neither the power nor the precision required for metal cutting.
Con The software is very basic
The software is not as advanced as the software provided by brands like FSL and Glowforge. It is suitable only for basic cutting and engraving applications.