1. Inline fan (HIGHLY RECOMMEND): This vastly improves your ventilation. Your stock setup is not very effective and without an inline fan you'll have a ton of smoke. We tend to recommend the an 8 inch inline fan for the larger 24 x 35 models and above because of their size. Anything smaller will be great with a 6 inch inline fan. List of options are below:
Best
AC Infinity S6
6 inch / 402 CFM / 32 dB
Great
AC Infinity A6
6 inch / 352 CFM / 34 dB
AC Infinity S8
8 inch / 807 CFM / 39 dB
AC Infinity A8
8 inch / 724 CFM / 42 dB
Good
Vivosun T6
6 inch / 390 CFM / 34 dB
Vivosun T8
8 inch / 720 CFM / 38 dB
2. Hose Clamps (HIGHLY RECOMMEND): These will prevent your water lines from popping off. Most laser manufacturers will use zip ties that don't hold very well. Hose clamps will work too, but don't overtight them as it can deform the plastic fitting that the hose mates to.
NOTE: Stock water tubing has an outer diameter (OD) of 12 mm and an Inner diameter (ID) of 8 mm.
Spring Clamp 10 pieces
11 mm / $7 or 12 mm / $8
3. CW5200 Chiller (or CW5202): If you're buying an OMTech laser or cheaper Chinese laser, chances are you'll be getting a tub/bin to fill with water and an cheap aquarium pump to circulate the water. You can always use a 5 gallon bucket with a lid instead (to keep out the dust), but you'll have to use ice packs to physically chill the water. Lasers like to operate in a range of 15-25 degrees Celsius with a recommended range of 18-21 degrees Celsius. I chiller takes the guessing and tediousness out of the equation.
OMTech Website: 5% Discount Code "LASERGUYS5OFF"
CW5200 Chiller - $530
CW5202 Chiller - $560
NOTE 1: The only difference between the 5200 and 5202 is the the 5202 has two sets of inlet/outlet connections for multiple lasers
NOTE 2: The CW5202 can be used for a single laser if the 5200 is sold out OR you want to prepare for additional lasers in the future
4. Air Assist: The stock air assist produces enough air flow to keep dust and debris off your lens, but you won't have the ability to control the airflow. This means many of your cuts will be dirty and over burned. Keep in mind with whatever option you go with below, YOU WILL NEED A COMPRESSOR. The picture below shows the difference of a material after its been cut on a stock air assist versus an upgraded air assist
Before Upgrade
After Upgrade
OPTION 1:
DIY METHOD
Brandt from BeardedBuildsCo on YouTube has created a DIY video that improves your cut, cut quality, and need for sanding after you're done.
OPTION 2:
PLUG & PLAY KIT via LASER ARTIFEX
Jonathan McCalip from Laser Artifex also offers a plug and play kit if you do not wish to buy the parts separately.
OPTION 3:
PLUG & PLAY KIT via LIBERTY CONTROLS
Brian Valverde from Liberty Controls offers another plug and play kit with additional features that can upgrade your kit to the next level
Compressor Options:
Keep in mind with whatever option you go with below, YOU WILL NEED A COMPRESSOR. These are just a few recommended options. You'll want a minimum of 8 gallons.
Kobalt Quiet Tech 26 gal via Lowes
California Tools 10 gal via Amazon
California Tools 8 gal via Amazon
Fortress 26 gal via Harbor Freight
Fortress 10 gal via Harbor Freight
5. Lightburn Software: The free software that comes with the OMTech lasers is RDWorks, but can be limiting and cumbersome to work with. Lightburn offers an easy to use interface and has a huge support forum (both within our group and their own).
Did you know that you can download a full access trial of Lightburn for 30 days?
NOTE: If you were a previous Lightburn user on a diode or galvo laser, you'll need to buy the "Add DSP support to existing license" version.
Add DSP support to existing license
Buy DSP License
6. Rotary: Want to engrave tumblers, mugs, balls, bats, or even dog bowls? You're going to need a some sort of rotary. Here are our recommendations:
PiBurn Grip
$50 Discount Code via LensDigital: BEARDEDBUILDS
5% Discount Code via OMTech: LASERGUYS5OFF
PiBurn 4.0
$50 Discount Code via LensDigital: LASERGUYS
5% Discount Code via OMTech: LASERGUYS5OFF
Mansfield Customs Rotary
7. Lights/LEDs: Most Chinese CO2 lasers come with minimal lighting if at all. Adding LED strips is a cheap way to add light to your workspace. Ensure that you are getting a 24v LED strip if you are wiring directly into your laser. DO NOT GET 12V LED STRIPS. Look for LED strips with adhesive backing. Recommendations below:
LEDMY - 24V / 3000K / Warm White / 16.4 ft
JOYLIT - 24V / 6500K / Bright White / 16.4 ft
JOYLIT - 24V / 6500K / Bright White / 16.4 ft
JOYLIT - 24V / 6000K / Bright White / 16.4 ft
PAUTIX - 24V / 6000K / Bright White / 20 ft
8. Mirrors and Lenses: Over time lenses and mirrors can wear down. You don't want to be caught without a spare lens if yours goes down especially if you're in the middle of a busy project. When it comes to loose lenses you want to measure the diameter of your stock lens. For laser nozzle replacements with glued in lenses, you'll want to measure the laser nozzle tube. Most OMTech mirror sizes are 25mm. Ensure you get the focal length (FL) that you're looking for.
American Photonics: 5% Discount Code "LASERGUYS"
Loose Lenses
Measure the diameter of the loose lens and pick the focal length you want
Glued in Lenses / Laser Nozzle Replacement
Pull out the stock laser nozzle and measure the "neck" of the laser nozzle. That diameter is usually 16.15mm or 25 mm. If you have a new OMTech AF2028-60, AF2028-80, AF2425-80, or AF2440-100e (ebay) then you need a 16.00mm kit because it comes with an adapter to fit.
Mirror Replacement
Remove the stock mirror and measure the diameter. For example, most OMTech lasers are 25mm in diameter
