Hello, As I have bought a sculptfun 9 (laser diode) recently I am now testing and tweaking it. So I have build my own 3d printed air assist so today I have mounted it and done my first test. I have use a scrap piece of oak but the result was really disappointing. The cutting is worst with the air assist than without air assist (see photo). Whatever the number of pass I do it doesn't change a lot. Did I made any mistakes in my conception? Fusion I have also a oring on the bottom of it. Here is my result: Here is a video when I use it:
Air assist prevents charring and makes cleaner cuts. But yes on a low power laser can cool down the cut robbing power. Do you want quality or speed. Diode lasers are great for engraving (do some grayscale artwork / photo burns) but cannot cut well. Especially can't cut deep - focal length of the lens doesn't extend well below the focus spot (a powered Z that lowers on each pass helps keep focus where its needed)
