Weird Issue with a Fiber Laser Image

[Jacob John]

I'm about to pull my hair out!

This is as close as I can get it. My X Axis offset it 8.5mm! What?! Field size is set to 90mm for a 100mm square? Strange. Even if I adjust the X Axis offset, it will not move any further to the right. And I took screenshots of all settings before I started adjusting this. This isn't my first rodeo!

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[Scott Shepherd]

JJ, are you talking about making the red laser match the existing laser cut? If so, you can only fine tune that in the software. If you need serious adjustments, you need to physically adjust the red dot pointer where it enters into the beam's path. There's only so much you can do with the software adjustments, if I recall correctly.

[Jacob John]

JJ, are you talking about making the red laser match the existing laser cut? If so, you can only fine tune that in the software. If you need serious adjustments, you need to physically adjust the red dot pointer where it enters into the beam's path. There's only so much you can do with the software adjustments, if I recall correctly.

Yeah, and I'm starting to think I need to reset it back to where it was and call it a day. My settings are all over the place in comparison to what I'm finding online (and through screenshots here). I'm having a tough time believing that something else isn't going on with the machine, forcing me to adjust these numbers to such extremes. The crazy thing is, my engravings/markings are GREAT until I get to a certain size then it gets bowed and distorted.

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[Scott Shepherd]

[QUOTE=Jacob John;2755656]The crazy thing is, my engravings/markings are GREAT until I get to a certain size then it gets bowed and distorted.

/QUOTE]

Well, that being said, that could very easily be the lens. Think about what that type of lens does. It takes a fixed beam area and projects it at triangular locations. The lens has to be ground to flatten the image back out to compensate for the difference in the angular projection. For the sake of simplicity and me not having to do math, let's say that the distance from the center of the lens to the table, when in focus, is 12.000". Now, step out 3 inches in X and Y. Now that 12.000 dimension is 13.000 (or whatever the math works out to be). On a normal laser, that outer edge would be out of focus by 1" now. However, the lens is ground to flatten that out and make the outer edges in focus, even though they are further away. The further you get from center on those lenses, the more distortion you will see.

That's my opinion. Will will definitely see bowing when you get to the extremes of what your lens can handle.

[Jacob John]

[QUOTE=Scott Shepherd;2755668]

The crazy thing is, my engravings/markings are GREAT until I get to a certain size then it gets bowed and distorted.

/QUOTE]

Well, that being said, that could very easily be the lens. Think about what that type of lens does. It takes a fixed beam area and projects it at triangular locations. The lens has to be ground to flatten the image back out to compensate for the difference in the angular projection. For the sake of simplicity and me not having to do math, let's say that the distance from the center of the lens to the table, when in focus, is 12.000". Now, step out 3 inches in X and Y. Now that 12.000 dimension is 13.000 (or whatever the math works out to be). On a normal laser, that outer edge would be out of focus by 1" now. However, the lens is ground to flatten that out and make the outer edges in focus, even though they are further away. The further you get from center on those lenses, the more distortion you will see.

That's my opinion. Will will definitely see bowing when you get to the extremes of what your lens can handle.

What makes this more complicated is that I can adjust multiple settings within this console and achieve the same result. Does it matter? I can find so little documentation out there for these settings. For instance, I can adjust "Offset X" and "Offset Y" under Field settings and "Offset Pos X" and "Offset Pos Y" under Red Light pointer and they do similar things. The only settings that I fully understand at this point are the quad settings (that help straighten the shape back to square). It's the square dimensional settings that are really throwing me off.

[Jacob John]

Ok so I switched everything back with the exception of the quad settings which now give me straight lines. What negative effects could I be dealing with? When I outline the image, it marks fine with no noticeable bowing now. And since I use the outline red pointer mode, I can see exactly where the engraving is going. I'm calling customer support tomorrow, but I'm not sure it'll get fixed tomorrow and I have pending orders. So what's my worst case?

[Scott Shepherd]

I don't know what the worst case is. These machines are really simple, mechanically. You have two things, the beam coming into the scan head, hitting the mirrors and down through the lens, which focuses it. The red dot is put into the stream via a 45 degree mirror upstream. So the actual beam and the red dot pointer aren't coming from the same place. It's not difficult at all to have the red dot pointer be misaligned with the actual beam.

You have two things. Beam and pointer. Get the beam right in your adjustments. Then make the pointer match the beam. I wouldn't suggest trying to do both at the same time. If it lasers right, then your beam is right. I have replaced the red dot pointer a couple of times, so I've had to make major and minor adjustments over the years.

I don't think there is anything wrong, from what you have described.

[Jacob John]

Thanks Scott, that's what I thought and it needs to be fully fixed, but I marked three things late last night with no issues. But the red light laser output definitely doesn't match a 100mm square like it should so there's definitely something wrong, but it lines up like it should for marking. I'm guessing that customer service is going to walk me through like everyone did in this thread, or have to send someone out. I'm technically inclined but I'm having issues getting this one fixed.

[matthew knott]

Ok your NOT doing this is the correct order and you need too.
Firstly forget the redlight pointer its not relevant for this bit
Mark a Square on the laser 100mm x 100mm will do, and get that correct in the F3 settings.
You have to mark it and measure it, repeat until its correct !
Then and only then you can go into the F3/Other/ Redlight settings, in here i normally adjust the offset first until my redlight is evenly spaced over the marked box, then adjust scale , its normaly about 1.02ish. This is due to the wavelength of the red light compared to the fiber laser. The redlight should NOT match the laser when its going round marking, it should match when you press the F2 button
Get laser marking true and Square,
Match red light to a marked square,
thats it, its easy, I can get them perfect in about 10 minutes and I mean better than 0.05 but ive done 100's
good luck

[Jacob John]

Ok your NOT doing this is the correct order and you need too.
Firstly forget the redlight pointer its not relevant for this bit
Mark a Square on the laser 100mm x 100mm will do, and get that correct in the F3 settings.
You have to mark it and measure it, repeat until its correct !
Then and only then you can go into the F3/Other/ Redlight settings, in here i normally adjust the offset first until my redlight is evenly spaced over the marked box, then adjust scale , its normaly about 1.02ish. This is due to the wavelength of the red light compared to the fiber laser. The redlight should NOT match the laser when its going round marking, it should match when you press the F2 button
Get laser marking true and Square,
Match red light to a marked square,
thats it, its easy, I can get them perfect in about 10 minutes and I mean better than 0.05 but ive done 100's
good luck

I must have completely misunderstood Kev's instructions. In my defense it's been quite a few sleepless nights filling orders from the Speedy. Bah, ok I'll try it again this evening. Haven't had a chance to call customer support anyway.

Just so I'm clear:
1. Mark a 100mmx100mm square first. You use mark contour setting to do this, marking the outline? I guess that would be the quickest way.
2. Adjust the parameters until I get a true 100mm square.
3. Then start changing the remaining red light settings?

Forgive me too, but F2 does what? I don't have the function settings in this software. F3 to me is access to the quad settings and pointer settings, etc., but it's not F3, it has a name like System Settings. F3, though it's identical to what you see, isn't on this software.

[Kev Williams]

F2 is the start button, and it's the reason the F2 button is OFF my keyboard! Stupid place for it

Matt is correct on doing the engraved version first, I did mine opposite but I forgot that my basic settings were still intact before the scanhead change, so there was very little difference between the red and fiber beam marking other than WHERE the mark is put...

however, I will say that getting the curved lines straight is (imo) best done via LED first simply because of the material you can chew thru by engraving

[Jacob John]

Ahhh yeah maybe they learned from that because F2 does nothing for me with the fiber. Kudos to Tykma!

And I'm definitely eyeing up the square by adjusting the quad settings before I start engraving. That could get crazy otherwise.

[matthew knott]

Maybe it’s F1 , it’s what ever you need to do to get the red light running , yes F2 is normally the start marking button , my bad