Machsupport Forum
General CNC Chat => Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) => Topic started by: Picengraver on December 24, 2011, 10:08:48 AM
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Tweakie,
I tried several times to post this to your "Laser" thread, but blocked at each attempt, hence this new thread.
Thanks to Dave, here's my version of his butterfly (http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,15111.0.html),
and many thanks are due to you as well for showing me the way in some of your previous posts and on your web site.
I burned it from 1/16 inch hobby basswood at 4 ipm using a 445nm laser diode with my own design constant current driver
set at about 1.1 amps. I had to burn it from both sides to get clean parts release, but almost made it through from just
the one side.
With my setup, I am able to burn various woods at up to about 30 ipm, but I can not do gray scale pictures with Art's plug-in
(need more laser power for that). After the first of the year, I may set up another 445 diode at max spec power to see if
it gives better results.
For other readers who may be thinking of trying a laser diode, I use the C axis direction pin with +0.0005 inch as laser off and -0.0005 on.
This greatly minimizes the "dots" at the start of burn lines. I pre-focus the laser to table surface and use the Z axis to adjust
for different wood thickness. It was a PITA trying to reset the lens frequently.
Happy Holidays,
John Champlain
www.picengrave.com
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Sorry, but the forum is swallowing my pictures and I end up with only a white screen when I try to post them. Any clues as to what I am doing wrong?
John Champlain
www.picengrave.com
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Tryin' again.
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Very nice!
Brett
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Looks fantastic! :)
Dave
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Excellent work John that looks really, really good. ;)
Sorry to hear that you can't get any results from the Impact / Laser plugin but there are a lot of conditions which have to be met in order for it to function correctly.
You may want to try DotG as this produces GCode which you can run at any speed (to suite your diode). http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,12444.msg141147.html#msg141147
Keep posting the pictures and details of your setup as I am sure there are many others that wish to follow your progress.
Tweakie.
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Hi John,
Something I forgot to mention in the previous post is 'Air Assist'. This is pretty essential when cutting wood as it blows the carbon (which is laser resistant) out of the kerf and allows better laser penetration of the work. The disadvantage is that tabs may be necessary to stop the small parts from being blown away but it does allow cutting right through the work from the same side.
It is best to use an oil-less air supply as this will prevent any possible oil contamination of the focus lens but shop air, with the necessary (paint spray) separators / filters works just the same.
Something for you to try perhaps ??
Tweakie.