LONGER Laser B1 30W review – A 33-36W laser engraver tested with LightBurn

Today we will review the LONGER Laser B1 30W laser engraver with the LightBurn program. The machine is equipped with a laser module comprised of six 6W laser diodes for a total power of 33 – 36 W when accounting for some variation in the power delivered by each diode. The Laser B1 can cut through 20 mm thick wood and 10 mm thick black acrylic in just one cut, and with multiple passes, it can also handle up to 25mm thick wood 50mm thick black acrylic, and even 0.1mm thick stainless steel. The kit comes with an air pump to improve the cutting ability and prevent/limit burns around the engraving or cutting area, and has a working area of 450 x 440 mm.

Laser B1 30W specifications

• Laser Technology –  Diode Laser Technology
• Work area –  450x440mm (17.72×17.32-inch)
• Laser wavelength –  50nm
• Focal length –  Fixed Focus-50mm
• Laser spot size –  0.08×0.1mm
• Optical output power – 33~36W
• Z axis – height range – Up to 50mm
• The fastest working speed –  36000mm/min
• Engraving machine output –  DC24V 7.5A 180W
• Engraving machine input –  AC 110-240V, 50/60Hz
• Software –  LaserGRBL on XP/7/8/10 (Free), LightBurn on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
• Connection –  USB / TF Card / Wifi / APP
• Engraving technique – Six diode lasers with FAC
• Cutting parameters one-pass –  20mm paulownia wood, 10mm black acrylic, 0.1mm stainless steel plate
• Cut maximum –  25mm basswood, 50mm black acrylic
• Laser head life –  10000+ hours
• Rated power–  145 Watts
• Motherboard –  32-bit motherboard
• Limit switch –  X Y-axis limit switches
• Compatible device –  PC and mobile devices

Unboxing and Assembly

The LONGER Laser B1 30W machine comes neatly packed in a large box with most of the parts already pre-assembled at the factory which will make the assembly process straightforward, tools for assembly, and screws.

An assembly manual is included and easy enough to follow, or alternatively, you can watch a YouTube video with assembly instructions. The company’s YouTube channel also includes a lesson on checking belt tension, and everything is easy to assemble and configure even for people who have never assembled this type of machine.

While the laser engraver is sold as a 30W machine, the laser module itself has an optical power of 33 to 36W, operates in the 450-460nm wavelength, and draws up to 24V/4.5A.

This is what the setup looks like after assembly, with the machine, the air assist pump, and a laptop running LightBurn to control the laser engraver over USB.

LONGER Laser B1 30W tested with LightBurn, various materials

Before we can start laser engraving or cutting, we’ll need to adjust the focus distance of the laser module using the focusing block provided in the kit.

We’ll use the LightBurn program for this review using the free trial version usable for 30 days. It is an easy-to-use program and it can process images and text. The setup isn’t complicated, and the first step is to set the cutting area. For the Laser B1 30W, we need to set a 450 mm in length on the X axis and 440 mm on the Y axis. The Laser B1 machine is connected to a host such as a Windows laptop through a USB cable.

The second step is to open the file that we want to use to engrave or cut, then the position of the workpiece that needs to be cut. Once we are ready we can click on the Home button to reset the position of the laser module. The third step is to click on the Frame button to check whether the workpiece you want to cut is within the cutting distance or not. The fourth step is to set the speed, power, and the number of passes. The fifth and final step is to start the job by clicking on the Start button to let the machine start cutting the workpiece as instructed.

In the first test, a “LOMNGER” text message was engraved onto a piece of wood with the speed set to 100% and power to 35%. We then cut a 2mm thick piece of wood at 20% speed and 70% power in one pass. In the second test, we switched to a 2 mm thick acrylic plate which we could cut at 10% speed and 100% power, again in one pass. The final test was engraving a logo and text on a stainless steel enclosure at 30% speed and 90% power. Check out the photos below to see the results for each material.

Note: The LONGER Laser B1 30W engraving machine does not ship with a honeycomb working table so the reviewer used plywood to support the workpiece and protect the desk. This is not ideal as it causes the quality of the cutting of the back piece to decrease. So we’d recommend getting a honeycomb working table or ordering the Laser B1 30W “Standard” set which includes one.

Conclusion

The LONGER Laser B1 30W is a highly efficient laser diode engraving machine with a 30W laser that can cut acrylic up to 5 millimeters thick and can engrave metal to make product logos. One advantage of the laser engraving machines is that they are very small compared to the CO2 laser tube the reviewer is familiar with, and do not require liquid for cooling during the cutting or engraving process.  The downsides are that the price is fairly high and the output power is lower.

We would like to thank LONGER for sending the Laser B1 30W laser engraver for review. The machine can be purchased for $899.99,  and you’ll also find 20W and 40W models of the Laser B1 for respectively $609.99 and  $1,199.99. Alternatively, it’s also available on Amazon.

CNXSoft: This review was initially published in Thai on CNX Software Thailand by Sarawoot Chaichana and edited by Suthinee Kerdkaew.

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