Epilog Legend Elite Mini Helix 18, 24, 36EXT, Laser Engraver Review

The Epilog Laser Company produces some of the finest shop grade lasers in the industry.  The machines are built in America in Golden, Colorado. This is important in that availability of parts is crucial in keeping your machine operational and continuously productive.  A quick visit to epiloglaser.com will show you that the company is serious about its products and service.

Right above the Zing entry level machines you will find the Mini, The Helix and the Legend models.  They come in an 18, 24 and 36 model. All models range in power from 30 watts up.  As you go larger the machine will go from 30 watts to a higher range.  For example the Mini 18 ranges from 30 – 40 watts whereas the model 36 EXT ranges from 30 – 120 watts.  As you step up you get a larger work area and more power.  In determining what size is best for your shop you simply need to know what types of items you will be engraving.  If you know you will be called upon to work with larger objects then get the larger machine or you will be turning business away.   If you only do small items then you are wasting your money if you buy more machine than you will need.  The machine consistently gets high reviews with owners only sorry that they did not get a bigger machine.    The Mini’s start at around $10,000 and go up from there.  At this price you are no longer talking about a hobby machine.  You need to be serious about engraving and have the ability to keep the machine busy.

Here is an overview video of the Epilog Lasers.


Technical Specifications of the Legend Elite Series
Mini 18
Mini 24
Helix 24
36EXT
Workable Engraving Area

18″ x 12″

24″ x 12″

24″ x 18″

36″ x 24″

Max Material Thickness

4″

5.5″

8.5″
12″
Max Material Thickness with Table Removed
6″
17.5″ x 10″ engraving area.
8″
23.5″ x 11.75″  engraving area.
11″
23.5″ x 17″ engraving area.
14″
36″ x 24″ engraving area.
Laser Power
30 or 40 watts
30, 40, 50, or 60 watts
30, 40, 50, 60, or 75 watts
30, 40, 50, 60, 75, or 120 watts
Laser Type/Source
State-of-the-art, digitally controlled, air-cooled CO2 laser tubes are fully modular, permanently aligned and field replaceable.
Intelligent Memory Buffer
Store unlimited files up to 64 MB. Rolling buffer allows files of any size to be engraved.
Permanent Job Save ability at the Laser Store up to 10 jobs at the laser, each up to 2 mb in size.
Air Assist for Cooling
Attach an air compressor to our included Air Assist to remove heat and combustible gasses from the cutting surface by directing a constant stream of compressed air across the cutting surface.
Laser Dashboard
The Laser Dashboard™ controls your Epilog Laser’s settings from a wide range of software packages – from design programs to spreadsheet applications to CAD drawing packages.
Red Dot Pointer
Since the laser beam is invisible, the Red Dot Pointer on Epilog’s Laser Systems allows you to have a visual reference for locating where the laser will fire.
Relocateable Home
The home position can be moved to accommodate items that cannot be placed in the standard home position.
Operating Modes
Optimized raster, vector or combined modes with engraving and cutting in one job.
Motion Control System
High-speed, continuous-loop, DC servomotors using linear and rotary encoder technology for precise positioning.  (Brushless servomotors in the 36EXT.)
X-Axis Bearings
Ground and polished stainless steel NeverWear Bearing System.
Belts
Advanced B-style Kevlar Belts.
Resolution
User controlled from 75 to 1200 dpi
Speed and Power Control
Computer or manually control speed and power in 1% increments to 100%. Vector color mapping links speed, power and focus to any RGB color.
Print Interface
10 Base-T Ethernet or USB Connection. Compatible with Windows® XP/Vista/7
Size (W x D x H)

27.8″ x 26″ x 13.5″

34.5″ x 26″ x 16″

36.5″ x 32″ x 39.8″

50.5″ x 36″ x 42″

Weight
70 lbs.
100 lbs. w/stand
90 lbs.
120 lbs. w/stand
180 lbs.
440 lbs.
Electrical Requirements
Auto-switching power supply accommodates 110 to 240 volts, 50 or 60 Hz, single phase, 15 amp AC.
Sound Level
59 db
59 db
62 db
64 db
Ventilation System
External exhaust to the outside is required. There is one output port, 4″ in diameter.
External exhaust is required. This is done via two 6″ output ports.