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Thread: Chinese laser purchase/Shenui/Laserworks tips and tricks thread

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Victor, NY
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    1,288
    Hi Gang;
    When doing your morning checks, make sure that the head nosepiece (that which holds the lens) is firmly screwed on. Vibration, as subtle as it may be, can cause the nosepiece to loosen up-double engraving lines on the Y-axis are a symptom of this problem.
    Best Regards,
    George
    Laserarts

  2. #32
    Hi
    Yesterday in the middle of job suddenly power of laser increase. Everything works fine just power was strange high . I was working with 19% power cardboard so current indicator shouldn't show more than 2mA but it was showing 10mA.
    I tried to lower power to see the difference and on my surprise tube fire on only 2% which shouldn't do.
    After few hours of checking and measuring the circuit and replacing power supply i found that problem was caused by loose connection of wire on high voltage trafo.
    It was really frustrating since i wasn't able to find logical solution.
    Check all connection on components to make sure that their aren't loose since it can fell of totally and get in touch with body of machine and expose you to high voltage.
    Shenhui laser 60W, corel Draw X5.

  3. #33
    Join Date
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    Glenelg, MD
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    Quote Originally Posted by Uros Sovilj View Post
    Check all connection on components to make sure that their aren't loose since it can fell of totally and get in touch with body of machine and expose you to high voltage.
    If the case is properly grounded, the worst that should happen is a blown fuse... but it's good practice to make sure the machine is in good working order before using.
    Hi-Tec Designs, LLC -- Owner (and self-proclaimed LED guru )

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  4. #34
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
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    Nambucca Heads NSW Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Uros Sovilj View Post
    Hi
    After few hours of checking and measuring the circuit and replacing power supply i found that problem was caused by loose connection of wire on high voltage trafo.
    It was really frustrating since i wasn't able to find logical solution.

    What you need is an Annode Connector for your Laser Engraver.
    This is my first post to these forums and I hope you find this tip useful. One of the many problems I needed to overcome in making my Laser mobile was overcomming the Laser's Annode connection comming loose with the constant vibration of being moved from location to location. From day one of getting my laser over 2 years ago I never liked how the annode wire was connected to the laser and it always gave me problems, so I came up with my own connector and I've been using this now for nearly 2 years.


    annode_conect_01.jpgannode_conect_02.jpgannode_conect_03.jpgannode_conect_04.jpgannode_conect_06.jpgannode_conect_07.jpgannode_conect_08.jpgannode_conect_09.jpg


    Here's the parts you'll need:
    1. An Electrical Connector Block (pic 1) There are two types, the first has the bolt come down on the wire,these can cause damage to the wire itself so don't use. The second type has a thin stainless steel flap that the bolt pushes down on the wire so this is the one to get.

    2. 2 small plastic bolts (pic 3). You can get a packet of assorted bolts from a electronics shop. I can't remember the size but they are the next size down from the M4 thread type.

    3. A small piece of plastic tube about 30mm long (inch & a quarter for the yanks)

    4. One small cable tie

    5. Some silicone

    As we all know the annode connection needs to be secure and have no uninsulated metal parts or exposed wire near the annode otherwise it can cause arching inside the cabinet which can result in loss of power and or damage the laser tube. Lets face it wrapping the wire around the annode and securing it with a bit of silicone filled plastic tube is not ideal because you just can't get a permanent tight connection. This little connector only costs a few dollars to put together and makes it a simple process to connect the laser tube when needed and you'll always have a positive tight connection that won't ever arch out. Being Mobile I need to disconnect everytime so I can fit the packing it around the laser tube for transport.

    Instructions:
    1. Cut one bank off the connector block and wind both bolts all the way in (pic 2).

    2. You need to replace the metal bolts with plastic ones. Using sidecutters cut of the plastic surrounding the bolts just above the head of the bolt (pic 4). You need to do this to be able to get the bolts out easily. When replacing the bolts do them one at a time otherwise the stainless flap will fall out and it's a bugger to get back in.

    3. Make 2 slits about 3mm apart in the plastic tube about 15mm long (pic 5) and then trim off about 12mm the flap leaving about 3mm. This little flap should slide into the connector just above the wire to help insulate the metal of the connector block. (pic 8).

    4. Slide the plactic tube over the annode wire.

    5. Strip the annode wire back about 5mm and put it into one end of the connector block and tighten the bolt as tight as possible.

    6. Slide the plastic tube back over the connector block ensuring the small plastic flap (pic 8) goes inside the wire cavity. Then secure the tube with a cable tie (pic 6).

    7. Lastly and this is optional but reccommended, fill the open end of the plastic tube with and let silicone it set.

    And there you have it.... a simple annode connector. When attatching the connector to the tube make sure the plastic surrounding the connector opening makes contact with the glass on the tube as this will insulate the remaining exposted metal of the connector block. I have these on both the positive & negitive annode terminals and life is soooo much easier now.
    I'm Back.... & Currently Using a 500 x 300 50w C02 Shenhui Laser
    with Corel Draw X5, RdWorks Ver8, Adobe Master Collection CS5, Ratsus Plugin for PhotoShop instead of Photograv.

  5. #35
    Steven. You manage to put laser in wheicle? can you share some pics and user info with us please.
    Shenhui laser 60W, corel Draw X5.

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Nambucca Heads NSW Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Uros Sovilj View Post
    Steven. You manage to put laser in wheicle? can you share some pics and user info with us please.
    Hmmm I don't want to give away too much on the mobile thing cause at the moment I have the niche for doing this in Australia and there's been a few people who have tried to get close to my machine to see how it was done. So without giving too much away let me say this.... it's more than possible but here's a few hints:

    The Laser Tube is the bigest issue, so just look how it was packed when you first got it and replicate that packing inside the machine.
    Change the Tube mounts to V mounts and use some velcro to hold down the tube on the mounts instead of the rubber staps when in use.
    When you pack the tube for transport make sure there's sufficient foam packing so the tube won't make contact with the mounts or anything else.
    You need to realign the tube every time you set up. It used to take me about an hour each time to unpack & Align, but I've now got that down to 15 min and 5 min to pack up.
    Velcro is my friend for securing the gantry and other stuff.
    The machine itself is just bolted down to the floor on a layer of ruberized spagetti mat thats about 15mm thick.
    Put an inline filter on the water hose to catch any dust or other crap that might get into the water supply. Remember to change it and the water about every 2 months, a car fuel filter works a treat.
    Do regular checks to ensure all the bolts on the machine are tight. If any come loose put some lock tight on them.
    Clean & Oil the gantry rails before each daily use - dust can be a killer!.
    Venting exhaust was a bit of a problem but with some hints I picked up on these forums regarding venting I was able to build a very good portable extraction unit that clips onto the side of the canopy when in use. You can see the exhaust stack in the 1st image, this unclips from the side & is carried in the canopy. The stack has built in charcoal and hepa filters working off the standard exhaust fan. Mind up I had to move the fan from the back and mount it on the left side, but doing that actually improved the air flow.
    At the end of the day remember that the machine came from China by sea and truck so packed/bolted right your vehicle will be a much smoother ride.

    Its a Ford tray back utility with a standard 2.2mt x 1.8mt aluminium tray. I've built a custom canopy over the tray about 1.2mt high. The laser is mounted across the back so I work from the back, we just set up a marquay behind the vehicle, that becomes our shop and the ute is a mobile workshop.

    The car is in for a service & repair but when I get it back I'll post some picks to give you a better idea. But here a couple for now....

    market-stall-at-torquay-2.jpgmarket-stall-at-torquay-bea.jpg

    And if I sell it I can say..... she's Only done xxxxx km's
    I'm Back.... & Currently Using a 500 x 300 50w C02 Shenhui Laser
    with Corel Draw X5, RdWorks Ver8, Adobe Master Collection CS5, Ratsus Plugin for PhotoShop instead of Photograv.

  7. #37
    Fanastic Steven!
    Shenhui 1280 100W RECI

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
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    Cape Town, South Africa
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    3,922
    Amazing!!..
    Rodney Gold, Toker Bros trophies, Cape Town , South Africa :
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    Tekcel 1200x2400 router , 900 x 600 60w Shenui laser , 1200 x 800 80w Reci tube Shenhui Laser
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    2x Gravo manual engravers , Roland 540 large format printer/cutter. CLTT setup
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  9. #39
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Markham, Ontario, Canada
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    260
    Wow. Fantastic!
    Shenhui 80W RECI (600mm x 900mm)
    Corel X5

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Nambucca Heads NSW Australia
    Posts
    190
    Metal Engraving Deck for Templates

    Here's another idea I'd like to share. When it comes to templates you could say I'm mad about them, I use templates for just about everything. Being mobile I need to keep everything as light and compact as possible so 90% of my templates are made from 600GSM Artboard the rest from MDF. The Art board it's quick to cut, very light, dirt cheap, takes up little to no space and above all very fast to change from one template to the next on what I call my Engraving Deck.

    I spent a bit of time setting up a permanently fixed left hand platen strip on the Laser Table about 30mm to the left of the Laser Head default Top Left position (home). The strip is just a bit of aluminium angle and makes it quick & eazy to align all my accessories like the Engraving Deck, Rotary device etc... The Engraving Deck is a small sheet of white Color Bond metal. The metal is important because I use Rare Earth magnets with a 6 kilogram force to hold things in place.

    Underneath the engraving deck I line the table with some offcuts of mirical mat (non slip mat). The mirical mat helps cushion the deck and prevents movement when securing it down. Then to align the engraving deck I simlpy align it to the platen and align the front edge of the deck to the tables front edge, then hold it in position with some old harddrive magents. My Left and Top edge guides on the deck are just scraps of acrylic glued to the metal sheet with 3m double sided tape.

    I position and hold the templates in place with the magnets. These are low profile rare earth magnets with a hole through them so the laser head will safely pass over them. The magnets are used to hold both the templates and the objects being engraved. I use an Allen key to lever off the magnets cuase there's not way you can pick em up with your fingers.

    The second last pic shows engraving wine glasses with a Jig on a Rotary Roller but thats another story.

    01_MiricalMat.jpg02_EngraveDeck.jpg03_EngraveDeck2.jpg04_TemplatePosition.jpg05_RemovingMagnes.jpg06_JobDone.jpg07_Rotary.jpg08_lots_of_templates.jpg
    I'm Back.... & Currently Using a 500 x 300 50w C02 Shenhui Laser
    with Corel Draw X5, RdWorks Ver8, Adobe Master Collection CS5, Ratsus Plugin for PhotoShop instead of Photograv.

  11. #41
    A few bugs in RDCAM 5 to be aware of:

    Undo sometimes undoes too many steps.

    If you have many vector layers and have many of them selected and click a color in the color bar to collapse them all to one layer, then the old layers remain cluttering the list and you cannot easily see your remaining layer. Saving and reopening the file fixes it.

    When you first load a vector file and have "path optimize" checked it will optimize the cutting path using your recent optimize settings but won't show the optimized path and instead show the original path. You can see this if you go into simulation and then exit, the cut path will have changed.

    Other findings:

    Kerf width compensation works well ("sew width" in layer properties if you haven't relabelled it). If you select "outside" and 0.15mm for 3mm acrylic cutting then it seems about right on our 38mm lens with acrylic. The pieces you cut out of the sheet will be the correct size if your step lengths are correct. The sheet you cut them out of will be too large by double your kerf width. If kerf width compensation is not selected, the cut pieces are 0.15mm too small and the sheet cut out is 0.15mm too large.

    The supplied focus stick with the supplied lens (which was installed the wrong way up) on our machine was labelled as 9mm, but the actual optimum focus is 7.5mm from the end of the cone to the surface of the material. This has been tested by engraving at 5% power and then selecting the focus length with the deepest engrave.

    After correcting our table, it stays within about 0.5mm all over. If you have an item to engrave and it has an uneven or sloping surface, then you may have only a 1mm depth of field and could go out of focus. Consider using a longer focal length lens to engrave uneven or sloped surfaces.

    For the rotary, a tip from Rodney, shim up the side of the rotary attachment frame to correct a sloping surface which is not parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rollers. We don't vector with the rotary as the movement and resetting position is not accurate due to slip. We restrict scanning speed to 200mm/s to avoid shuddering the machine and item. Again consider a longer focal length lens.

    The supplied CorelDraw plug in will keep even complex filled vectors in their multiple layers and colors, but will unfill them. If you need to raster a vector, convert to black and white in Corel first before attempting an export. I am testing a modified plug in which has a simple difference, anything you leave "selected" before you hit the plug in will be converted to a 500 DPI dithered bitmap before being dumped into RDCAM. I need to play with the automatic dithering options as whilst 500 DPI is good for reduced aliasing of solid filled curved objects when rastered, it is too fine to resolve the default high density dither used by Corel in its "convert to bitmap" function. If you have bitmaps in Corel then the plug in doesn't dither them (I'll be looking at this), you can use the options in Laserwork by clicking "BMP" when the bitmap is selected. Dot graphic is good for high resolution line art, net graphic is good for low resolution stuff, but neither quite have the control I want.
    Shenhui 1280 100W RECI

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Olalla, WA
    Posts
    1,532
    Can we get an explanation as to how to re-label the text?
    Shenhui 1440x850, 130 Watt Reci Z6
    Gerber Sabre 408

  13. #43
    Edit the .ini files in the LaserworkV5 folder using notepad or your preferred text editor.

    C:\Program Files (x86)\Corel\CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5\Programs\LaserWorkV5>di
    r *.ini
    Volume in drive C is OS
    Volume Serial Number is 18B3-C130


    Directory of C:\Program Files (x86)\Corel\CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5\Programs\
    LaserWorkV5


    18/08/2010 17:22 13,523 Lang_chs.ini
    18/08/2010 17:22 13,633 Lang_cht.ini
    16/02/2012 23:32 17,021 Lang_eng.ini
    18/08/2010 17:22 16,494 Lang_other.ini
    26/01/2011 00:29 442 Preview_chs.ini
    26/01/2011 00:35 444 Preview_cht.ini
    16/02/2012 23:14 541 Preview_eng.ini
    17/03/2010 18:11 524 Preview_other.ini
    8 File(s) 62,622 bytes
    0 Dir(s) 448,382,382,080 bytes free


    C:\Program Files (x86)\Corel\CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5\Programs\LaserWorkV5>
    You'll see the two ini files which are the English ones with date modified in 2012. I haven't fixed all the spelling mistakes but relabelled most things according to my twisted version of what I call logic. You can play with the files and keep your originals under a different name to restore when you want.

    Not sure how I can post a non-image attachment, but if you want them PM me with an email address.

    Note you'll have two copies of Laserwork on your hard drive, even if you "plug laserwork" as I did following your advice. One in the C drive (or your root) and one in the location I show above.
    Shenhui 1280 100W RECI

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Nambucca Heads NSW Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by john banks View Post
    Not sure how I can post a non-image attachment, but if you want them PM me with an email address.

    John try zipping the files, I wondered about that too but I've seen a few posts with .zip attachments
    I'm Back.... & Currently Using a 500 x 300 50w C02 Shenhui Laser
    with Corel Draw X5, RdWorks Ver8, Adobe Master Collection CS5, Ratsus Plugin for PhotoShop instead of Photograv.

  15. #45
    Trying the basic uploader since the image uploader refuses the zip:

    Preview_eng.zip
    Shenhui 1280 100W RECI

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