LaserPeckerSlide Extension for LP4/LP5, Expand to 300x160mm Engraving Area- Pro Accessories for Batch Processing & Large Projects

Genuinely pleased with the LP5, and will likely be getting the upgrades for it soon. There is nothing I've not been able to do with the right settings and the right number of passes. Coins with actual depth, coasters, garden rocks, dog tags, metal business cards. The only thing I've yet to try is glass, but I'll get to it eventually. My favorite is working with leather and making custom wallets. There are now officially three people out there with my name/logo in their wallet, and that gives me a good laugh.Having a 20W diode AND fiber laser in one portable package is pretty sweet. This has traveled with me to different work sites and comes in and out of the garage for different projects. The fans are kinda loud, so it mostly stays in the garage....But I like that it comes with the vent tube. Will be making a permanent space in my workroom for this in the near future.Pros -Portability - Relatively small, has a handle. Works on battery (external) power or plugged in. Can literally go outside and engrave a company logo on their front door....doesn't matter the material.Coins - This is the coolest thing, doing actual deep engraving on coins. The process to make a picture suitable is kind of tedious, but the results are great. I've only done one of my face so far, but it turned out really nice....took about five and a half hours.Materials - Can pretty much etch/engrave anything I've thrown at it. Leather looks beautiful, so wallets and keychains are super fast and easy. Wood really really depends on the type and if there are knots. If you have decent quality wood pieces it should be fine.Quickness - Depending on what you're doing, a single pass could take as little as 20 to 30 seconds and you get great results. For bigger projects, or cutting, expect longer. Depth, number of passes, and intensity all play a part in the speed. Like I said, sometimes coins can take about six hours.Accuracy - Everything seems to engrave pretty well. If you start with a high quality image, you get a high quality "print." Only a few times has something not come out looking as expected, and it just took some tweaking the settings to get it right.Software - ABSOLUTELY use the Design Space software. It's simple and intuitive if you've ever used an engraver before. Allows you to make layers so you can engrave and cut in one go without having to mess around too much. The phone app for Android is pretty good, but for some reason none of the materials show up anymore....so you have to make your own settings.Shield - The shield does the job, and it is easy to remove...Magnets. Like...I just like this setup.Cons -Noise - This is louder than we keep our TV. The engraving isn't super loud, but the fans are just LOUD. Definitely keep it in the garage or in a workspace away from the family room.Dirty - Obviously this can get a little messy. With burnt material or metal bits, there is some clean up to do after each project. Just be aware you will probably want an external fan with some power behind it to blow on those longer projects to blow away the debris.Cable Length - Really could have used some longer cables all around. Even the USB cable to connect to the PC should have been at least six feet. The power cable is definitely not long enough for my usual setup.Cutting - The farther from the center your object is, the sharper the bevel will be when cutting. Don't expect to make cut-outs that go together. Puzzles and such, not so much.I have no regrets...Well...Maybe one: I wish I had gotten the full set when I bought the LP5. Now I really want the enclosure, rotary, and all the other goodies. I wish they were backwards compatible with the LP4 models, but it is what it is.So who is this for? This is for someone serious about making things for money. With the right gimmick, you can probably make your money back within a few months. Can it do as much as a larger table engraver can? Yes, but smaller, and one or two items at a time. This is for someone on the verge of turning a hobby into a business, or someone with an established business with other engravers that need something portable to take to trade shows or to house calls.I am the exact audience for this, I think. I like the compact size and the capabilities. I like being able to put this in a case in my trunk and take it with me. I love the accuracy, ease of use, and the tons of different things I can engrave on. It's just pretty awesome.

The media could not be loaded. I'm not new to laser engraving. When LaserPecker released its first version, I started with a small 5W compact engraver. It worked well for engraving small objects. Fast-forward four years, I've had several laser engravers and cutters in various power and bed sizes.One of the issues with laser diodes always comes down to speed. While my large 36" x 35" laser cutter is phenomenal at cutting large sheets, if I'm engraving small coasters or only a few items, the gantry-style laser becomes more time-consuming to get the correct position, having to use a scrap piece to locate the actual engraving location. It's almost impossible without doing a test run and marking where the engraving will go.With Galvo "markers" like this unit, it can place the preview of the outline, so there's no guessing game. With the LaserPecker, it outputs the shape outline in a rectangular (or square) format, which is not an issue as you'll know exactly what the widest and tallest part of the shape will be.The setup took less than 30 minutes. It was packaged very well, has an excellent manual to reference to, and I was up and running in no time. This head also has an adjustable Z-axis, which I've never seen, but they can be tilted for angled objects. I have a regular fiber laser, but such functionality does not exist.The software can be run from the app or, in my case, through the USB cable directly to my mini PC. I have the exhaust running to my main venting for any smoke while engraving.If you've used Lightburn before, the software is self-explanatory. It's a simplified version but has plenty of features. It can outline and cut or fill an image, adjust different parameters, and engrave or even cut.The dual fiber/diode function is a simple software switch button. The fiber is 1064nm and only for metal. While it can somewhat do certain non-organic materials, the selections are limited, so the diode laser is handy.20W is more than enough for most metal engraving. A metal business card takes only seconds to engrave! That's how fast these Galvo lasers are. Engraving coasters, whether cork, wood, or the included slate, is also fast, depending on how deep or dark the material is. I can pump out small designs in less than 30 seconds. The setup is super easy once you have the jig setup (included with the package).I've not had issues with the software (make sure you update it first for the latest firmware) or the machine itself. I can go on with so many other features, but overall, if you want to engrave and cut organic materials, including leather, wood, etc., but still have the option to engrave metal, this is it. In fact, the fiber can also remove rust and other contaminants! I've not bought the attachments, but I likely will down the road.