I'm using my MacBook Air to control it. The software to use is K40 whisperer, which is a Python program on Mac, and also Inkscape. Be sure to install libusb by using $ brew install libusb Before using, you need to set up both water cooling and exhaust: Exhaust is simply attaching a hose that extends from the back. The fan is internal. Inkscape is a free and open-source vector graphics editor; it can be used to create or edit vector graphics such as illustrations, diagrams, line arts, charts, logos and complex paintings. Its default file format is SVG. Whenever editing an SVG, I prefer to use Inkscape. SVG Best Practices. Making an edge lit sign with the K40 – K40 Laser Cutter - June 27, 2020 at 10:40 pm this video Geeksmithing show us all how to make an edge lit acrylic sign using our k40 machines. Inkscape is used for all the graphic design and vector work, whilst K40 whisperer controls the K40. To make these lasers more user friendly the guy from ScorchWorks created K40Whisperer which is (thankfully) Mac compatible. Installation can be a bit tricky since you’ll need to use the command line but it’s doable and free. It also requires you to have Inkscape installed (you can find a Mac version on the official website inkscape.org).

Depending on the brand and the type of the controller in your machine there are several options regarding which software you can use. But, before we get any further first we need to make a distinction between laser designing software and laser control software. They are often used in pairs but they are designed to do different things.

Laser design softwareis used to create graphics that can later be cut on a laser cutter. CorelDraw, Inkscape, and Adobe Illustrator are some of the most popular ones. If you want to read about those, here is the list of the most popular ones with their pros and cons.

Laser control software (or CAM as they are called in CNC world) are used to convert a graphic design into a set of commands that your laser controller can understand and then translate into a list of coordinates.

With that cleared, here is the list of most commonly used laser control software for laser cutting today.

K40 Whisperer

Supported controllers: M2 Nano
Commonly used with – Inkscape

K40 Whisperer (created by Scorchworks) is laser controlling software most commonly used with legendary/notorious (depending on how you look at it) Chinese K40 laser cutters that come with M2 Nano controllers. It was designed to be used as a (much better) alternative to the LaserDRW software that ships with some of these cheap laser cutters. It simplifies the entire process and eliminates the need for a USB stick that was required with LaserDRW while supporting all the same controllers LaserDRW does and evens some that it doesn’t.

K40 Whisperer is created only as a laser controlling software so It has no design capabilities and it relies on dedicated design software (like Inkscape) for graphics creation. The idea is you create a vector drawing in specialized software, save it in a compatible file format, import it to Whisperer and then Whisperer sends it to the laser cutter.

It is created with Inkscape in mind so it supports Inkscape’s native *.svg format, but can also import files from other design software like Corel or Illustrator as long as you export them in *.svg or *.dxf file format. K40 Whisperer is a free open source program and it works on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

Now, while being simple to use is great it also means that it is pretty basic and lacks many functionalities that some more advanced software’s like LightBurn and RDWorks have. This is not something to blame on the software itself but rather on the limitations on M2 Nano controllers that usually come with these machines. So if you already have a laser cutting machine with the M2 Nano controller, then K40 Whisperer is probably good enough for you. But if you are looking to buy a laser cutter you are much better off looking for a machine with DSP controllers like RuiDa, Trocen, or TopWisdom.

Cons

pretty basic, not much you can do with it
requires additional software for designing
intended for lower-end controllers

While we are talking about M2 Nano controllers software we should mention a relative newcomer in this area and a Whisperer competitor called MeerK40t(pronounced MeerKat). It’s open-source laser cutting software intended to use with M2 Nano controllers. MeerK40t is portable (no installation needed) and works across multiple platforms including Raspberry Pi!

It allows you to run multiple K40 lasers, but one thing that separates it from Whisperer (or any other M2 Nano supported software) is the ability to control the power from the software which M2 Nano controllers are not designed to do, so this software gives it that ability.
Software is still developed and is worth keeping an eye on.

LaserCAD

Supported controllers: Trocen
Commonly used with – Corel Draw, AutoCAD

LaserCAD is Windows based laser controlling software developed by Trocen Laser Control System to be used with their controller. It supports most of the commonly used vector (.ai, .dxf, .pdf, .svg…) and bitmap (.jpg, .png, .bmp… ) file types.

While it has some vector drawing capabilities, it is not a designing program, so it is better to prepare your designs in some specialized vector graphics software, save it in one of the supported file formats and import it into LaserCAD. To ease the workflow there is a macro available for both Corel Draw and AutoCAD which sends your drawings directly to LaserCAD eliminating the need for saving and importing. An important note is that macro installation is not possible on a student/home version of Corel so the full version of the program is required.

The user interface is kind of difficult on the eyes (probably because of the weird small font on the buttons) and since this software is made for the Chinese market and only translated to English, its not quite intuitive.

Other than that it does what it is supposed to do most of the time. If you are a light user and not looking to spend money on more robust and productive piece of software, then LaserCad will work for you.

Pros

free (comes with machines equipped with Trocen controllers)
Usable

Cons

Runs only on Windows
Limited file format support
Works only on Trocen controllers

RDWorks

Supported controllers: RuiDa
Commonly used with – Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape

RDWorks is free laser controlling software created by RuiDa that ships with laser cutters equipped with RuiDa DSP controllers and works on Windows operating systems only. It supports some vector file formats (like .dxf and .ai) but does not support commonly used .pdf or .svg file. Support for CorelDraw is done via a plug-in (like with LaserCAD), and many RDWorks users use it that way since it is the only somewhat productive way to use it. Even though RDWorks implements some design features, they don’t always work as expected so its just better to install Corel with an RDWorks plug-in and create all your designs in CorelDraw. As with LaserCad full version of the program is required to be able to use macros.

Alternatively, you can use vector design programs like Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator and save your designs in *.dxf or .ai formats but importing those files can sometimes mess up drawings and sometimes files created in newer versions of the design program won’t even import, so keep that in mind.

Basically, RDWorks is a useful option for hobbyists that don’t want to spend money on additional software, don’t mind using software that sometimes can have a mind of its own and are planning to use it just as a tool for sending a graphic job to a laser and design in some other software. Most of the time it will do the job you want it to. But for any time-critical, productive work go with LightBurn.

Inkscape K40 Whisperer Mac