Hi Guys,
LazyCam is provided free with Mach3 and although this is essentially an unsupported beta product it is still very useful for working with HPGL and .dxf files ( for example - changing the scale / origin or editing the tool paths etc.) then to create the necessary GCode.
For laser profile cutting and engraving I have written a
very basic Post Processor for use with LazyCam which utilises the undocumented M11P1 / M10P1 command set.
The laser trigger is connected to a suitable LPT output pin ( I use pin 16 ) then in Mach / Config / Ports & Pins / Output Signals, Output #1 is mapped to pin 16 ( or whichever pin has been chosen ) and the active Hi / Lo set accordingly. These M commands will then turn the laser on and off coincident with axis movement ( M11P1 = laser ON and M10P1 = laser OFF ).
The feed-rate, in the post processor generated GCode ( currently set to F300 ), needs to be adjusted to suit the application / material and this can either be edited within Mach3 using Windows Notepad or adjusted with the FRO slider on the Mach screen.
For any that are interested the Post Processor can be downloaded from here;
http://hobbymaro.puhasoft.hu/Tweakie/Laser.zip. To use, unzip and copy the file ‘Laser.pst’ into the Mach3 folder then from within LazyCam select Setup / Posting Options and select ‘Laser.pst’ from the ‘Set Post Processor’ options.
Tweakie.
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