Help! what are these lines?

[vintage]

I have been carving these medallions out of High Density Fibreboard for years already with great success. Recently I accidentally erased the parameters on my machine and had to get a new file from Chad to reset it. All is well, except my machine seems to be running a little slower now (I know I was pushing the max speeds) and these lines have mysteriously appeared. The Praying Hands carving is how my carvings have been coming out for years. The Fir Trees carving is how all my carvings are coming out since the reboot. I have attached a screenshot of my settings within Aspire, but they have not changed. Any thoughts or ideas what is doing this? I have not altered my stepover, which was what I would have thought would do this...

[vintage]

Here's a picture of a custom carving of a violin that I just carved. If you look close you'll see that the lines are only bad around the edge of the dish and disappear entirely toward the bottom of the dish. Any help would be much appreciated!

[dadealeus]

Apr 14, 2023 13:29:24 GMT -5 vintage said:

I have been carving these medallions out of High Density Fibreboard for years already with great success. Recently I accidentally erased the parameters on my machine and had to get a new file from Chad to reset it. All is well, except my machine seems to be running a little slower now (I know I was pushing the max speeds) and these lines have mysteriously appeared. The Praying Hands carving is how my carvings have been coming out for years. The Fir Trees carving is how all my carvings are coming out since the reboot. I have attached a screenshot of my settings within Aspire, but they have not changed. Any thoughts or ideas what is doing this? I have not altered my stepover, which was what I would have thought would do this...

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Hello.

I know you said you haven't changed anything, but it definitely looks like stepover issue to me. Is it possible that the machine was reset with the wrong settings - causing an increase in the physical size of the step even though the digitally specified step hasn't changed?

My only suggestion would be to double-check with Chad that you received the right configuration file for your specific machine.

Other than that, I'm at a loss.

[vintage]

Thanks for the input. I talked with Chad already and he suggested the possibility of some loose bolts. I have not been able to find any. He verified that the pulse settings were correct in my controller. I have switched the raster angle and the lines continue, just as if it was a stepover issue. I just carved another one and slowed the toolpath down to 70% of the previous speed and the marks continue. I will try another one with an 8% stepover which is the smallest I have ever gone and see what happens.

[dadealeus]

Apr 14, 2023 17:39:09 GMT -5 vintage said:

Thanks for the input. I talked with Chad already and he suggested the possibility of some loose bolts. I have not been able to find any. He verified that the pulse settings were correct in my controller. I have switched the raster angle and the lines continue, just as if it was a stepover issue. I just carved another one and slowed the toolpath down to 70% of the previous speed and the marks continue. I will try another one with an 8% stepover which is the smallest I have ever gone and see what happens.

Well, if it *were* loose bolts, wouldn't it be an astronomically large coincidence that they loosened right when you re-flashed your machine configuration? I mean, basic troubleshooting for most trades is: "what changed recently? because that's likely the cause of the problem".

I guess if we assume the machine flash didn't introduce the issue, why did you have to perform the flash to begin with? Could the machine have physically damaged itself when whatever necessitated the reset occurred?

[vintage]

Yes that was exactly what premise I was working off of... He figured it had to be the Y axis because of the direction of the lines, but the lines persist even when changing direction. I'll see how this one works out with the 8% stepover...

[grossmsj]

Have you tried running your roughing passes and finish path at right angles? It sort of looks like the finish path isn't getting below the roughing passes. The reason I say that is the width of those lines is a LOT wider than your stepover for that small bit. Also, 185 ipm is really really fast, although it probably never gets to that speed. Running one at 0 degrees and the other at 90 degrees will tell you that.
If it is a mismatch between the roughing and finish passes, you might have an issue with getting the Z-height accurately set, among other things.

[vintage]

I don't do a roughing pass on these. They are carved in mdf and starting on the edge of the dish, there is no real load on the bit starting out. The part that confuses me is that I have made many, many of these medallions in the last 5 years, and have been doing them the same. Then I had to reboot my controller and suddenly these lines appear.... I would totally assume stepover or some other user error, except for the fact that I have made so many the same without there ever being an issue. Same material even. I guess I could try changing bits... This is an almost new bit that I'm using... I guess I just assume that Spektra bits can be counted on.

[vintage]

Ok I just finished doing another one with an 8% stepover with no improvement. This picture shows the effects really badly on the trunks of the trees. Could it be a vibration issue??

[vintage]

I had assumed it was a software issue because of the reboot.. but could this be a vibration issue? I think that's what Chad was assuming.. could always be a coincidence I suppose???

[grossmsj]

Can you post your crvd file?
Those lines are not 6 thousandths of an inch apart, so it can't be stepover. You also have gouging in part of the carve, like on the tree trunk and between the boughs of the trees. It seems like you don't have fine, direct control of the cut for whatever reason.

[vintage]

So, I would post the file but it's 25 MB so it's way too large to post here. I'll attach a couple of screenshots to give an idea. The sheet is 24 inches wide by 48 inches long. I carve whatever I need at the time, sometimes carving the whole sheet at once. It takes about 14 hours of carving. I am just wondering though, with you asking that, if the size and complexity could ever be part of the problem... I have added many different models to the same job over the years and I just turn the layers on and off as needed. Some I have imported into the job, some I have copied and pasted, and some I have created all within the same file. Could it be that there is just too much going on? I know that sometimes when I import a model, weird things happen... I do have all of these models set up as individual files as well. I'll try carving one from an individual file and see if the problem goes away... Maybe someone would have a better suggestion of how to do this anyway...

[vintage]

www.dropbox.com/t/C3GuSlnRfXYRzG5T

Here is a dropbox link that should work.

[vintage]

Ok so that was the problem. It is a Vectric issue (read "user" issue). I carved the same model from a single file with a beautiful result. The machine is totally fine. I have attached a picture of the final carving as well as a screenshot from the file. Can anyone explain to me why? Or what did that? Did I just add 1 too many models one day and it over loaded the file?? Is it a resolution issue? If no one can explain it to me, I'll probably take it over to the Vectric forum to see if I can understand the "how and why". Thanks for the comments and help! 

[grossmsj]

Glad you found the problem and your machine is running fine. I would just be guessing about why the way you managed the file could give a problem. The Vectric forum is a good idea.

[dadealeus]

Apr 15, 2023 13:50:30 GMT -5 vintage said:

Ok so that was the problem. It is a Vectric issue (read "user" issue). I carved the same model from a single file with a beautiful result. The machine is totally fine. I have attached a picture of the final carving as well as a screenshot from the file. Can anyone explain to me why? Or what did that? Did I just add 1 too many models one day and it over loaded the file?? Is it a resolution issue? If no one can explain it to me, I'll probably take it over to the Vectric forum to see if I can understand the "how and why". Thanks for the comments and help! 

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So odd, but I'm glad you figured it out! I use both Vectric and Fusion 360, but have never had an issue like this with either of them. I'll file this under "in case encountered later" in my brain and hopefully never come across it in the real world!

It's possible that Vectric tried to keep the toolpath smaller and did some sort of compression if you had "too many models" - maybe that forced a loss of cut resolution?

I agree that the Vectric forum would likely provide better feedback, but please let us know what you find out.

[vintage]

So I haven't received any really clear direction on the vectric forum, but it is certainly a resolution issue. I'm very relieved it's not my machine! My plan is to create a template with all the necessary vectors and toolpaths from this file. Then I will just bring in the models as I need them. It might slow me down a bit, but I think it should solve the issue.

[jgarciaa]

Apr 14, 2023 13:29:24 GMT -5 vintage said:

I have been carving these medallions out of High Density Fibreboard for years already with great success. Recently I accidentally erased the parameters on my machine and had to get a new file from Chad to reset it. All is well, except my machine seems to be running a little slower now (I know I was pushing the max speeds) and these lines have mysteriously appeared. The Praying Hands carving is how my carvings have been coming out for years. The Fir Trees carving is how all my carvings are coming out since the reboot. I have attached a screenshot of my settings within Aspire, but they have not changed. Any thoughts or ideas what is doing this? I have not altered my stepover, which was what I would have thought would do this...

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It seems like you're experiencing unexpected changes in your CNC machine's performance and carving results after resetting the parameters. Despite maintaining consistent settings in Aspire, you're noticing slower operation and newly appearing lines in your carvings. While stepover settings can affect carving quality, it's possible that other factors may be at play. I recommend reviewing all machine settings, including feed rates, spindle speeds, and toolpath parameters, to ensure they align with your previous successful carvings. Additionally, check for any mechanical issues or abnormalities in the machine's operation that could be causing these discrepancies. If the issue persists, reaching out to Monport's customer support for further assistance and troubleshooting would be advisable. With their expertise in producing high-quality and user-friendly laser products, they should be able to help identify and address the root cause of the problem. monportlaser.com/collections/co2-laser-engravers/products/monport-40w-lightburn-ready-12-x-8-co2-laser-engraver-cutter-with-fda-approval?sca_ref=5031521.ka374VZjm3