XTool P2 55w CO2 Laser Engraver – Overview and First Impressions

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https://www.xtool.com/?ref=x57e1_kqAgBT4A&utm_medium=5306&utm_source=influencer

Anybody with an internet viewers will ceaselessly be requested to advertise merchandise. Nothing in enterprise is free. Normally, the product choices are cheap junk, they usually request a video for YouTube. Hardly ever is that an excellent trade. The worth of on-line advertising is MUCH larger than nearly all of merchandise despatched to media firms (JCC). Nonetheless, on this case, not solely does the worth of the machine match the worth of the publicity, however I’m genuinely and excited in regards to the product. With that stated, I agreed to a three-video partnership with xTool to showcase their new P2 55w CO2 laser engraver.

The partnership phrases are as follows:

1. Make three movies for YouTube. The primary video shall concentrate on the characteristic introductions. The second video shall concentrate on how the xTool P2 assists you in making massive wood initiatives. The third video shall concentrate on tips on how to earn a living with a CO2 laser machine or tips on how to develop your online business with xTool CO2 laser machine.
2. Please kindly empower us to make use of and edit your content material of xTool for product promotion and branding functions.
3. Please discover that the video content material shall be sincere.

This video and article will cowl the laser engraver itself, in addition to my first impressions of it. Needless to say I’m not the standard laser person these partnerships goal. On one aspect of the coin, I’ve zero laser machine expertise and data previous to the previous week. On the opposite, I’ve a Laptop Aided Drafting and Design diploma and loads of CNC router expertise, which I believe will give me a bonus in studying the software program and workflow.

{Hardware} Options

Assembling the xTool P2

There’s virtually no meeting with the machine itself. Take away the interior packaging, which I stored simply in case I want to maneuver this machine a substantial distance. Set up the exhaust hose. Join the smoke air purifier in case you have it. Add the suitable quantity of antifreeze and water combination to your local weather. Join the ability wire and USB wire. Flip it on, plug it in, and obtain the free xTool artistic house software program. I used to be pleasantly stunned at how little precise meeting there was. If spending hours assembling instruments just isn’t your factor, you’ll recognize the fast out-of-the-box setup.

Create with Any System

You may connect with the machine through WiFi, USB, or ethernet and achieve this from a PC, Mac, iPad, or cellular machine. I used a refurbished Home windows PC that I bought in 2016 through the USB port. You don’t want a top-of-the-line laptop.

Mattress Dimension vs. Working Space

The 24″ x 14″ mattress is the bodily house you might have out there to put supplies. This lets you engrave on supplies bigger than the working space. The working space of 23.6″ x 12.1″ is the precise space the laser can attain. That is expanded to 19.6″ x 118″ with the riser base and conveyer attachment. The conveyor is the one factor I received’t cowl on this video as I’m saving it for video #2.

The mattress has detachable metallic slats to accommodate totally different materials thicknesses.

The 55w CO2 Laser

The 55w CO2 laser is able to reducing by means of 20mm thick acrylic in a single cross. I don’t have any acrylic that thick readily available to check, however I’ve seen different movies the place folks have efficiently reproduced this take a look at.

Cameras

Two cameras assist in exact positioning. A large-angle digicam offers you an general view of the mattress, which is useful for accurately positioning vectors. Nonetheless, the additional away you’re from the digicam lens, the extra parallax turns into an issue. Parallax is the noticed displacement of an object brought on by a change within the observer’s viewpoint. This implies the nearer you’re to the perimeter of the work space the extra distortion and inaccuracy the picture may have, in relation to the precise top-down grid view within the software program.

The answer to that is the second digicam. I like to make use of this digicam to get a extra exact location of the fabric nook so I can then place an correct rectangle to let me know precisely the place the fabric perimeter is.

When you place lots of the identical objects on the mattress, align the vector on one object, you possibly can then use the sensible fill button to have the cameras and software program pace up the method of duplication. I personally didn’t do this as a result of I didn’t have a necessity to take action.

Engraving Pace

The utmost engraving pace is 600mm/s. Nonetheless, related in relationship to the utmost reducing pace on a CNC router, this pace will not often be achieved in typical use. My spouse and I ran just a few hundred packages by means of this machine over the course of 4 days and I don’t recall maxing out the pace a single time.

Security

xTool has a fireplace security set that’s appropriate with the P2. I didn’t get it, which suggests I’m the hearth security characteristic. By no means depart the machine unattended whereas in use.

The machine does have a 145CFM smoke extraction fan and an included hose to will let you vent the exhaust exterior. xTool additionally has a smoke extractor that may enable to be used indoors. Within the week that I’ve been utilizing this in my workshop, that is what the highest filter within the smoke extractor seems like. Whereas it’s clearly working, you possibly can nonetheless scent the odor of wooden burning whereas in use. Once I transfer the P2 inside my home, I’ll use the exhaust port on the smoke extractor to exhaust the air exterior.

There is no such thing as a auto on/off for the smoke extractor. Festool mud extractors are identified for his or her auto on/off characteristic. Whenever you plug a software into the extractor and switch it on the extractor routinely activates. Whenever you flip the software off the extractor continues to run for just a little bit to clear the mud within the line. I’d like to see this characteristic applied within the extractor. I discovered myself forgetting about it and letting it run vast open for no motive between jobs.

The lid routinely locks whereas in use to stop unintentional publicity to the laser. The lid itself is tinted so you possibly can watch the laser work with out the necessity for security glasses.

The emergency cease button location and use are simply laughable. I really feel like this was an space the place the engineers/designers simply wanted to test a field. It’s on the aspect of the machine close to the rear which is nowhere close to the operator’s place. And it’s recessed into the aspect of the machine so an aggressive slap, which is how an emergency cease is usually used, doesn’t assure a button press.

Riser Base

The machine itself is able to engraving on materials 2.7″ thick and with the riser base that’s elevated to eight.4″ thick. That being stated, the underside of the machine and the riser block are each vast open. The potential is there if you wish to construct a bigger base or desk construction to accommodate massive objects.

Rotary

In my native space and pal circle, tumblers appear to be the most typical laser engraved merchandise. The non-obligatory rotary is used for that and so many different supplies akin to rings, espresso mugs, spheres, and many others. The rotary can be utilized in a curler configuration for cylinders and within the chuck configuration for odd-shaped gadgets. The rotary was the final merchandise we arrange, and we solely had the prospect to do one tumbler. Excellent outcomes on the primary attempt.

Curved Surfaces

The P2 can engrave on curved surfaces, which is tremendous attention-grabbing, however I’ve but to attempt the characteristic. I’ll discover this in video #2.

Merchandise

My spouse jumped on the alternative to learn to run this laser and began her first enterprise the day I setup the machine. All of that can be lined in video #3.

I used to be already making just a few of those acrylic LED indicators with a diamond drag bit on my CNC router. The workflow is a lot simpler on this laser and to hurry up the method much more I made a hardboard template for the mattress. Merely open the venture file within the software program and drag the brand new vector in place. I like to recommend making a bodily and digital template like this for something you make repeatedly.

We picked up a field of 30 leather-based keychains that engraved fairly nicely. Within the week that my spouse has been promoting stuff, these are the least in style merchandise we’ve tried.

1/8″ thick hardboard is a useful utilitarian materials within the woodworking world. I picked up just a few sheets and minimize them right down to smaller sizes for common use with the laser. My spouse designed a easy thanks tag so as to add to merchandise and we are able to get 90 of them on full mattress minimize. Not too shabby for about $1 value of fabric.

In video #2 I believe I’ll discover utilizing cheap hardboard to make {hardware} drawer group bins. I minimize one and glued it along with CA glue and it turned out fairly good. It’s undoubtedly an excellent materials, at a fantastic worth, for {hardware} bins.

Hardboard may even be useful for tremendous cheap assessments for concepts. Concepts the place you may need to discover with good materials however you need to get it accomplished with low cost stuff first. Like this spirograph for my daughter.

My 14 yr outdated canine handed away just lately and I’ve been delaying making her urn as a result of I knew this laser was arriving quickly. I experimented with a picture of her on strong oak in addition to canvas. The massive canvas picture was stopped after I knew I had the settings dialed in.

My daughter needed to be concerned, so we minimize a 3mm basswood rectangle. She informed me to make it fairly across the edges, make it say welcome to high school, and make it so I can dangle it on my door. I believe this circulation of concepts to actuality was an excellent intro to creating stuff.

One of many P2 promotional movies present engraving on a toothpick. I didn’t go as small as a toothpick however we did have nice outcomes engraving on pencils.

Software program – Good, Dangerous, Ugly

xTool Inventive Area is a free software program that facilitates fast studying and fast use of the machine. I got here up with that. I’m not studying speaking factors.

The Good

My spouse has zero graphic design or engineering design expertise, and she or he was in a position to sit down and be productive with the software program. All the primary requirements are included, akin to combining vectors, scaling, and such. It permits exact positioning with digicam picture help. it offers you a accomplished job run time to inform you how lengthy every job took, and much more different options. That stated, it’s primary software program that, in accordance with feedback I’ve learn on-line, is constantly being improved upon. For almost all of what we did it was a lot ok.

The Dangerous

You probably have loads of CAD expertise with different software program like VCarve Professional, SketchUp, SolidWorks, or Fusion360, perhaps even Inkscape or Illustrator, you’ll really feel like Inventive Area is missing in just a few areas. With extra advanced designs, I routinely did all the vector work in VCarve Professional after which saved and imported an up to date svg.

Software program optimization? Gradual when working with a LOT of vectors. That is considerably anticipated, however when in comparison with one thing like VCarve Professional on the identical outdated laptop, xTool Inventive Area is way slower and laggy. For easy stuff it’s quick.

The Ugly

Needless to say I’m not making these factors to bash the software program however fairly to focus on areas which can be in determined want of enchancment. General I believe the software program is nice, particularly contemplating it’s free. But when they’re constantly enhancing it, let’s spotlight some areas that want enhancing.

• Transfer must be its personal software and never utilized by default. That is horribly annoying when you’re attempting to pick out a number of vectors by dragging a range field whenever you don’t understand you have already got one chosen. One other instance is whenever you’re zoomed in far sufficient that you just don’t see the standard “rework” icons surrounding your choice and also you attempt to choose one thing else. Manner too ceaselessly am I transferring stuff on accident and need to press Ctrl+Z to again up.
• Vector choice is horrible on advanced designs. Typically it desires to pick out a vector nowhere close to the cursor. Typically you possibly can’t choose the vector you need in any respect. This may generally be corrected by sending the surface vectors to the again.
• Vectors want a 3rd choice: Lock. Lock must be a sub-option of ignore. If utilizing vectors for positioning, like template use, having the ability to preserve these vectors displayed however not selectable is useful for positioning vectors on common-use templates.
• Toggle layer visibility and/or lock. Typically you need to visually take away a whole layer for higher readability of one thing else. Different occasions, to develop upon the earlier level, it will be useful to lock the complete layer.

General Ideas on the xTool P2 55w CO2 Laser Engraver

As a laser beginner and all issues thought-about with functionality, ease of use, and value, I believe it deserves a thumbs up.

I’m happy with each side of the machine…aside from that darn emergency cease that I hope I by no means want to make use of. This machine has nice potential between the pass-through, the conveyer attachment (saving for video 2), the rotary, and the fabric choices. I can’t communicate for longevity, however we did preserve it working a LOT over the previous week and had zero {hardware} errors.

The workflow studying curve is minimal, as my spouse skilled. The software program crashed on me as soon as, however I used to be asking quite a bit with the complexity of the vectors I had loaded. And it’s free software program, in spite of everything.

For me, I see this as a really useful template or prototype maker to discover concepts and even small-scale fashions of woodworking initiatives. The plain ornament potential is just like V carving on my CNC. I’ve acknowledged many occasions prior to now that I don’t need to get caught up in making stuff to promote. My main focus for JCC is media (articles, movies, digital plans). I personally received’t be utilizing this machine to earn a living. I can be utilizing it as a software to enrich what I already do.

The revenue potential lies within the fingers of my spouse. Her instantly taking curiosity and having the ability to choose up the workflow shortly was a pleasing shock. She has began a enterprise and is already fulfilling orders. Extra on that in video #3.