Laser Bit Definition

[gerry]

OK. I just ordered a Axiom Laser. The J-Tech site recommends setting up the laser as a mill. I did that and the preview works OK. There is also a laser bit in the tool selector.  I tried that and Quick Engrave didn't want to use it. What's the favored choice here?

Also, post any good feeds/speeds/and power settings for different materials. One of my first tests will be gluing some felt to poster board and cutting this. I'm assuming that face down is best. I want to cut some complicated box liner shapes. Along with this, I'm going to add a fire extinguisher.   The J-Tech site had an interesting video on cutting open cell foam. Thin stuff, like 1/4".

[johnb]

I don't have mine in hand yet, so I cannot be of much help...but...

It seems like the felt/poster board project would best be done with a drag knife.

For sure you want a fire extinguisher == "Take two, they're small"

You'll want some kind of fume extraction. This could be as simple as a box fan blowing air out a nearby window, but use something. Put an E-Stop switch on it or leave the extension cord where you can grab it and pull it out of the wall. You don't want to "fan the flames" if you get a small fire going. You also do NOT want to involve your dust collector (or shop vac) in this. A small spark or ember sucked into the collector could ruin your whole day.
"

[uzumati]

I just set it up as an end mill like on the JTech website and it works great. The laser bit in the database is a precursor for vectrics laser module for vcarve/aspire that isn’t out yet.

[loren]

I don't really do cutting, but for lettering and images I've got mine set up as .012 inch diameter with a 100% stepover, starting at a feed rate 70 ipm on hardwood.

For venting I use a 150 cfm 4 inch duct fan with flexible hose, exhausting outside. Works pretty well - smoke detector approved.

[gerry]

Feb 10, 2019 8:11:39 GMT -5 johnb said:

I don't have mine in hand yet, so I cannot be of much help...but...

It seems like the felt/poster board project would best be done with a drag knife.

For sure you want a fire extinguisher == "Take two, they're small"

You'll want some kind of fume extraction. This could be as simple as a box fan blowing air out a nearby window, but use something. Put an E-Stop switch on it or leave the extension cord where you can grab it and pull it out of the wall. You don't want to "fan the flames" if you get a small fire going. You also do NOT want to involve your dust collector (or shop vac) in this. A small spark or ember sucked into the collector could ruin your whole day.
"

I looked at a drag knife, but @ $260 I'd rather put the money towards a laser. My son has the plans I bought from GRUNBLAU, but it's far down his list of machining projects. He runs a Fanuc mill for a hobby. I cut one large sheet of aluminum for him but I was cleaning chips up for a month...

I plan on running a box fan behind me blowing out the garage door. I also have a large air cleaner I usually run to keep the dust down.

From what I have seen, it out to engrave pretty well, and cut thin poster board ok. I'm even OK with cutting the felt and the board separately. If the felt is cut with a laser, it won't stretch. From what I've read, felt cuts nicely.

I also have an extra pair of some rated glasses on order (NOT Chinese) along with a fire extinguisher. 

[gerry]

Feb 10, 2019 12:02:33 GMT -5 loren said:

I don't really do cutting, but for lettering and images I've got mine set up as .012 inch diameter with a 100% stepover, starting at a feed rate 70 ipm on hardwood.

For venting I use a 150 cfm 4 inch duct fan with flexible hose, exhausting outside. Works pretty well - smoke detector approved.

For images, do you do dithering, or black and white? Since there is no PWM (level control), you can't do greyscale. 

If possible could post some examples of your lettering and images?

[loren]

Feb 10, 2019 19:54:16 GMT -5 gerry said:

For images, do you do dithering, or black and white? Since there is no PWM (level control), you can't do greyscale. 

If possible could post some examples of your lettering and images?

Yeah, it's  just on-off but you can do quite a bit with that.

Here are some awards for a MTB race (Friday the 13th theme)



Here's a desk organizer reminding someone to be resilient: 




A box for a geeky friend who's into cryptocurrency that we like to tease:




And the back of luggage tags I made a couple days ago for some friends heading off to Italy, China, and France:

Attachments:

[johnb]

That's cool
I'm wondering if you could run a perimeter path with the laser to burn off the fuzzies on the relay medallion? That would save a lot of cleanup. I've also been wondering if you could run the laser to burn the "centerline" of the letters on a V-Carved sign (maybe one done with flat depth?)

[loren]

Precise registration between the laser and milling is a bit tricky. If you do the laser paths first and burn a small dot at (0,0), then it's easier to mount a bit and set the milling origin to get close, but that might not be close enough for that lettering trick.

[gerry]

Feb 11, 2019 19:19:04 GMT -5 loren said:

Precise registration between the laser and milling is a bit tricky. If you do the laser paths first and burn a small dot at (0,0), then it's easier to mount a bit and set the milling origin to get close, but that might not be close enough for that lettering trick.

Thanks for the pics. Very nice.

Isn't the offset 80 mm, Y+/- offset, between the laser and the spindle? If it is a true 80 mm, then you should be able to switch between the two using the offset. To make things quicker you could even set multiple origins, one for each. Multiple origins are set using {MENU 1-9} (Page 21 in the new B18 manual). It will be easy to test/compute using a mark from each. Burn a dot, offset that by Y-80, and you should hit smack on with a V-bit. If not, then an accurate offset can be computed by finding exactly what it take to put the spindle center on the burn dot.

The good news is that my laser was shipped this afternoon. With USPS, then it should be here in 2-3 days.

[loren]

Your laser will probably come with a magnetic mount. Mine is older, and the offset varies a titch every time I mount it. I'm guessing that the magnetic mount will be more consistent.

(thanks for that insight on multiple origins - I missed that entirely and it seems pretty handy.)

[gerry]

Feb 11, 2019 21:57:38 GMT -5 loren said:

Your laser will probably come with a magnetic mount. Mine is older, and the offset varies a titch every time I mount it. I'm guessing that the magnetic mount will be more consistent.

(thanks for that insight on multiple origins - I missed that entirely and it seems pretty handy.)

I'll let you know what my offset is after I set it up. I noticed that Jtech sell the new magnetic mount now.

I use the multiple origins when I want to make multiple copies of the same project without changing the toolpaths. That's especially helpful when there is a lot of bit changes. I can run the same bit over 3 of the same project, so it saves a lot of time. It's also good when I'm using up some odd scrap pieces.

[gerry]

Someone mention earlier that they move the laser to a holder on their gantry when it's not in use. Sorry, I can't find the post right now. I'd like to see a pic of that setup. They mentioned that it was on the same idea as the puck holder.

[johnb]

Back in November (when I ordered my as-yet-undelivered Elite AR-16 & Laser), sales told me they had re-designed the plug for the laser to use something that is actually "supposed" to be unplugged/replugged routinely (not the nylon thingie with the teeth). I'm not sure how much of a PITA it would be to remove the wiring harness from the cable carrier (or if it's even necessary, since it might also unplug from the laser end as well), but my thought is to pop the laser off and put it in a drawer when not in use. Constant vibration (however slight) is not all that great for electronics, and the gantry is a dusty environment. I'm hoping it will take less time to remove/reinstall than it would to clean it when I'm ready to use it.

[loren]

Feb 11, 2019 22:44:08 GMT -5 gerry said:

Someone mention earlier that they move the laser to a holder on their gantry when it's not in use. Sorry, I can't find the post right now. I'd like to see a pic of that setup. They mentioned that it was on the same idea as the puck holder.

Here's mine, just a box mounted with double  sided cushioned tape. Seems to work okay.

[zaxis4]

Feb 11, 2019 8:51:09 GMT -5 loren said:

Feb 10, 2019 19:54:16 GMT -5 gerry said:

For images, do you do dithering, or black and white? Since there is no PWM (level control), you can't do greyscale. 

If possible could post some examples of your lettering and images?

Yeah, it's  just on-off but you can do quite a bit with that.

Here are some awards for a MTB race (Friday the 13th theme)



Here's a desk organizer reminding someone to be resilient: 




A box for a geeky friend who's into cryptocurrency that we like to tease:




And the back of luggage tags I made a couple days ago for some friends heading off to Italy, China, and France:

[zaxis4]

Loren, I really like your designs, they are quite unique, both impressive and professional looking. You are really putting that laser to good use. Now you have me thinking I could use one. Thank you.

[gerry]

Feb 12, 2019 9:21:01 GMT -5 loren said:

Feb 11, 2019 22:44:08 GMT -5 gerry said:

Someone mention earlier that they move the laser to a holder on their gantry when it's not in use. Sorry, I can't find the post right now. I'd like to see a pic of that setup. They mentioned that it was on the same idea as the puck holder.

Here's mine, just a box mounted with double  sided cushioned tape. Seems to work okay.

Got it.... Right on top of the water pump.

tnx
Gerry

[gerry]

I got my laser working yesterday.   

It took too long to cut my backing board for felt box bottoms. Well, I decided the only reason I used a backer was to keep the felt from stretching when cut. I tried cutting the felt by itself, and it cuts beautifully. I cut it @ 15 inches/min at full power. Even though the cut was Outside, I ended up adding a 0.015 Allowance Offset to take care of melting/shrinkage. Perfect fit!! 1mm thick felt.

I just went to Hobby Lobby to browse with the wife. They have felt sheets in umpteen colors for 50% off. The 9"x12"x1mm is normally $0.33 and the 2mm thick is $0.79. I bought 60 sheets of the 1mm for $10!! I think that's a 5 year supply for box bottom liners. What a deal.

[dustypilot]

A ride along box - what a good idea!

I was also concerned about connecting and disconnecting the little plastic plug. So I built a simple box that rides on top and the ends swing in to capture the angled sides of the laser. I haven't had much luck with tape in dusty environments, so I actually pulled the cover off and screwed it to the top (ensuring no metal shavings in the box - we know those are bad!). Later, I'll paint it black to match. 
Tim

[shirleyfamily]

A laser projector is a device that projects changing laser beams on a screen to create a moving image for entertainment or professional use. It consists of a housing that contains lasers, mirrors, galvanometer scanners, and other optical components. A laser projector can contain one laser light source for single-color projection or three sources for RGB (red, green, and blue) full color projection.


Lasers offer potentially brighter projected images, with more and better colors.

The industrial laser projectors are on the market since about 2002/2003. Laser projectors are mainly used as optical guidance systems. They enable working without templates in many manufacturing processes by showing directly on the workpiece how material needs to be positioned or mounted. Like that, the employee is led by manual or semiautomatic productional processes visually.

Advantages

Fast and stable projection with high repetition rate (50 Hz)

Optimised for 2D and 3D objects

Highest accuracy of projection

Wide optical angle (80° x 80°) allows bigger working sites

Multi-projection system for huge and complex projections

Home entertainment Laser Projectors



Home entertainment laser projector by Hisense

Home entertainment laser projectors have been on the market since about 2015. These devices are able to generate any wavelength of light, thus making wider color gamuts possible without compromising brightness. This translates to deeper, richer colors that come closer than previous products to the vast range of colors human eyes can process. Other benefits include fast (up to instant) on/off and increased longevity: One manufacturer, for example, claims 30,000 hours for the lasers in one of their mainstream models. Compared to the roughly 3,000 hours most home projectors achieve with their UHP lamps. Costing around $250 to $400 per lamp, considerable savings can be achieved over the lifetime of the projector.

[gerry]

WTF?

[johnb]

May 12, 2020 0:29:51 GMT -5 gerry said:

WTF?

I was wondering the same thing. I looked back over this entire thread and nowhere saw any previous mention of "laser projector".  I surmise that the "newbie" member has no clue what we laser owners have here (either that or she is reinforcing her doubt of the actual existence of them with this (obviously) cut & pasted irrelevant definition.)