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Thread: Fiber Laser Marking area and EZCAD settings

  1. #1
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    Fiber Laser Marking area and EZCAD settings

    I'm a bit puzzled, My Rayfine Fiber laser came with the ordered 110 mm lens, F-theta lens 1064nm f=160mm, which was mounted, and a 180 mm lens, F-theta lens 1064nm f=254mm. Pitty was that for the bigger lens I ordered a 200 mm (Blanca told me not to bother about it, the 180 mm is equally fine as the 200 mm. Hm...).

    Both lenses are calibrated by Rayfine with the laser and they put a label on the laser head telling me that the focus distance for the F160 lens is 253 mm and for the F254 it is 380.5 mm. Indeed, both red spots are aligned with those distances.

    Furthermore I'm running Windows10 64bit in administrator mode (else windows doesn't let me save changed settings) and EZcad 2.12.1

    What's the puzzle? The instructions on the accompanied U-drive tell me to set the workspace at 100 mm and the field parameter also at 100 mm! That sounds strange because the F160 is supposed to be a 110x110 mm lens. So I changed both settings in EZCAD to 110 mm (and -55 -55 instead of -50 -50) and drew a square of 110 x 110 mm. When I then hit F1 the red light shows a square of 100 x 100 mm and F2 marks a square of 100 x 100 mm. This all at focus height of 253 mm. when I change the focus height so that F1 shows a red light square of (about) 110 x 110 mm, F2 still only marks 100 x 100 mm. Why? I read Tim's recent thread, but that didn't help me.

    What also puzzles me, for the other lens, is that the Ray Fine instructions on the U-drive for the delivered F254 (180 mm) tell me to set workspace and field parameter to 200 mm.

    And to sum it up I have two other small questions for you guys:
    1. Can I clean the lens with denatured alcohol once in a while?
    2. The laser is a JPT LP1+-S, why does Rayfine want me to set the Laser Control Fiber Serial Parameter to IPG_YLP instead of JPT which is also in the drop-down menu? According to Blanca this makes no difference, and tests indeed didn't show marking differences, I believe.
    Last edited by Erik Goetheer; 09-16-2017 at 3:30 AM.
    RayFine RF-9060 80W CO2 laser
    RayFine 30W JPT-LP Fiber Laser
    Pressurized Sandblasting Cabinet
    Sublimation stuff.

  2. #2
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    Mine came with two different lens and two versions of the software already set up. I installed both and just switch from one to the other, but I really just leave the 150 mm lens on all the time which seems about right for a 20 watt machine.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  3. #3
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    I also got an Ezcad version for each lens, but it's the settings in the accompanied instruction pictures that puzzle me, given the lenses that came with the machine.
    RayFine RF-9060 80W CO2 laser
    RayFine 30W JPT-LP Fiber Laser
    Pressurized Sandblasting Cabinet
    Sublimation stuff.

  4. #4
    Lens size quoted is 'nominal' until you figure out it's 'actual' size...

    First of all, the "workspace" defined on the screen, via the 'wrench' icon parameters, is totally up to you, it's just a reference of your working area for YOU, has no effect on engraving output. However, the F3/Param "field" setting is VERY important, as the laser's output size is based on this setting- if you change it, the engraving size changes...

    The sizes they're telling you to enter sound like the maximum area of each lens. I'm no optics specialist, but- my 150 lens, with the machine all aligned, maxes out at 160, and this is what Triumph entered in my FIELD size. But they gave me a working area of 150. Anyway, could be that a 110-ish lens has a smaller maximum working area, possibly due to restraints of the lens itself and limits of the mirrors, limiting the actual max size to around 100mm. And if my 150 lens =160, then a 180 lens=200 sounds very in-the-ballpark...

    Ergo, I would enter the numbers exactly as they've instructed.

    You'll still need to finalize the machine: insure what's engraving is exactly the size you told it to engrave, and that the red light is perfectly aligned to the actual engraving. EZcad instructions should explain, and it's not difficult When you change lenses, just change the field and table sizes and it should always be on the money.
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  5. #5
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    Yes, just do what they say..... FWIW, I ran tests on size and engravings based on the instructions in the manual, and I made very minimal changes to some of the settings. I think they set these machines up in assembly line and parameters are all close.
    maybe not perfect but close. I'd bet the lens has structure that limits to 100mm and the larger just a bit bigger.
    Woodworking, Old Tools and Shooting
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  6. #6
    "lens structure", that's the description I was looking for - My lens, when redlighting at maximum, about 3/8" of the top left corner doesn't light- that would be 'lens structure' getting in the way! Adjusting the static beam centerline might help, I guess 'perfect' would be no lopped corners, or ALL corners slightly lopped equally...
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kev Williams View Post
    .... Ergo, I would enter the numbers exactly as they've instructed.
    Quote Originally Posted by John Lifer View Post
    Yes, just do what they say.....
    Yeah, you're probably both right. I shouldn't puzzle that much, I know Blanca's colleagues have calibrated the machine.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kev Williams View Post
    .... You'll still need to finalize the machine: insure what's engraving is exactly the size you told it to engrave, and that the red light is perfectly aligned to the actual engraving. EZcad instructions should explain, and it's not difficult
    Yep, that's on my to-do list tomorrow, after I get a small sublimation order out of the door.

    About cleaning the lens, what fluid do you use?
    RayFine RF-9060 80W CO2 laser
    RayFine 30W JPT-LP Fiber Laser
    Pressurized Sandblasting Cabinet
    Sublimation stuff.

  8. #8
    Who cleans the lens?

    -I've had my machine 14 months, have had the lens off many times, I think I hit it with an air hose once, it still looks like new... in addition to all the basics I've engraved hundreds of powdercoated aluminum boxes, and between the coating and the zinc oxide the pretty yellow smoke just pours off those things. The lens just never gets dirty!
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kev Williams View Post
    Who cleans the lens? ...... The lens just never gets dirty!
    Good to hear. LOL. That's why I couldn't find any info about it. So the fiber laser really is 'maintenance free', just whipe off some dust now and then from the table.
    Last edited by Erik Goetheer; 09-18-2017 at 2:11 AM.
    RayFine RF-9060 80W CO2 laser
    RayFine 30W JPT-LP Fiber Laser
    Pressurized Sandblasting Cabinet
    Sublimation stuff.

  10. #10
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    Cleaning, Me either. I think being 8-10" from surface you are marking makes a big difference. The only thing I worry about is plastics and for sure leatherette from JDS. I've found I can mark really cleanly and actually in fine detail on the JDS stuff. But it smokes. I have not set up exhaust for this laser yet, but working on smaller hose to run just above the surface that will pull most of the smoke out. I had a 20ft vacuum hose that will just reach across the room..... But will probably have to use vacuum rather than blower. Hose outside collapses with too little flow
    Woodworking, Old Tools and Shooting
    Ray Fine RF-1390 Laser Ray Fine 20watt Fiber Laser
    SFX 50 Watt Fiber Laser
    PM2000, Delta BS, Delta sander, Powermatic 50 jointer,
    Powermatic 100-12 planer, Rockwell 15-126 radial drill press
    Rockwell 46-450 lathe, and 2 Walker Turner RA1100 radial saws
    Jet JWS18, bandsaw Carbide Create CNC, RIA 22TCM 1911s and others

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