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David Fairfield
08-09-2009, 1:37 PM
Hi

Wondering what everyone uses to keep track of old settings or estimate settings for a new material.

When I start lasering a new material, I usually go with a trial and error method for power/speed/frequency. I know it would simplify things if I were scientific about it, and kept a notebook with my previous results to refer to for guidance. But somehow in the heat of things, I tend to forget to record my results.

Lately I've been making some effort to keep a sample file, with a section of material glued or stapled to an index card, with settings penciled next to it. That way I have an actual record. At some point I'll have to organize it by material type... or something...

So do you guys have any particular methods for keeping track of what settings produce what results on what materials?

Dave

Dave Lock
08-09-2009, 2:03 PM
Hi

Wondering what everyone uses to keep track of old settings or estimate settings for a new material.

When I start lasering a new material, I usually go with a trial and error method for power/speed/frequency. I know it would simplify things if I were scientific about it, and kept a notebook with my previous results to refer to for guidance. But somehow in the heat of things, I tend to forget to record my results.

Lately I've been making some effort to keep a sample file, with a section of material glued or stapled to an index card, with settings penciled next to it. That way I have an actual record. At some point I'll have to organize it by material type... or something...

So do you guys have any particular methods for keeping track of what settings produce what results on what materials?

Dave

Hi,

I have a notebook at the side of my laser at all times and record speed and power settings along with the material type on all jobs run for the first time.
Once I am happy with the settings I save the job file which also stores the speed and power settings for each layer.

On any trial run pieces for a new material I include a raster of the speed and power as part of the trial. This way when I pck up one of the sample I can see what the setting were for it.

Dan Hintz
08-09-2009, 2:14 PM
Notebook is my preferred method for quick notes, followed by entering the final data into a spreadsheet for safe keeping.

Steve Clarkson
08-09-2009, 2:48 PM
I post mine on the Creek and just do a search the next time I need them!!!!!! LOL!!!!

Scott Shepherd
08-09-2009, 3:18 PM
I save all my settings for materials. Next time I need one that's close, I pull up the closest thing I have and start from there. Once it's tweaked, I save that as it's own material.

John Noell
08-09-2009, 3:29 PM
You don't use 50-50 for everything? :)

Tim Bateson
08-09-2009, 3:47 PM
I keep it all in my head. So much empty space in there it isn't much problem. :p
I keep notes in my Corel files. I have files for Marble, Granite, 1/8 ply, 1/4 wood, anodized aluminum, IPI Plastic, Rowmark, etc.. I then start each project with one of these files.
I use to have a ton of configuration files I could choose from with the 32bit driver, but haven't yet converted those to use with my 64bit driver.

Tom Bull
08-09-2009, 5:31 PM
I keep a notebook that has date, job description, material, power, speed, dpi for raster, power, speed, frequency for vector and last of all and maybe most important the result: excellent, good, ok, or bad. Unlike Tim my brain is clogged up with too much useless stuff to hope to store the good stuff. Useless except for crossword puzzle time, that's when erose is a good word to have in your vocabulary.

Dave Johnson29
08-09-2009, 6:24 PM
Wondering what everyone uses to keep track of old settings or estimate settings for a new material.


Dave, Some shameless self promotion but I am writing some software I have called Laser-Lackey for recording all that stuff.

Here are three screen dumps. It has a data page for an unlimited number of lasers (Lackey02.jpg) and an unlimited database of details (Lackey01.jpg). The data can be filtered for a single laser or single laser and product group or just product groups etc.

It is still in final beta testing at this point as I am also including a cut time estimator (Lackey03.jpg) based on the .JPG or .BMP of the poject.
It is going to be Shareware and I have not decided on a price yet.

Stanley Waldrup
08-09-2009, 6:38 PM
Just don't forget LaserPro.......
Stanley

Dave Lock
08-09-2009, 8:26 PM
That looks really good.

Very useful bit of software.

Will we be able to trial it?

Dave.

Dave Johnson29
08-10-2009, 9:42 AM
Will we be able to trial it?


Dave,

Yup, it is Shareware so you get 30 days free trial of the real thing, no crippled actions.

The good thing will be that I can add and change stuff as required by people here to gt the maximum use out of it.

Dave Johnson29
08-10-2009, 9:51 AM
Just don't forget LaserPro.......
Stanley

Stanley,

In pic #1, that is where you enter in the laser properties. You put in the parameters not me. You can have 50 or a 1000 different machines listed there, many millions actually. Then on pic #2, you can assign which laser the product parameters are being described for.

By clicking one of the filter (blue funnel) buttons you can isolate one laser then even one product or Material in conjunction with the "Material" button.

If you had 15 different parameter sets for say Acrylic you can filter to display only one specific machine and also only Acrylic.

The end product screens may vary slightly from the above ones, but the functions will allow you to refine the search very tightly.

If anyone have laser functions or parameters that are not shown then by all means mention them and I can add them.

{edit}
p.s. This will only be for Windows computers. No guarantee it will run on a Mac with Windows emulators because of the database system being used.
{/edit}

Chris J Drew
08-10-2009, 10:58 AM
I save all my settings for materials. Next time I need one that's close, I pull up the closest thing I have and start from there. Once it's tweaked, I save that as it's own material.

I really don't understand why anyone would do anything other than this.
Why overcomplicate the issue & create extra work for yourself?

Maybe back up your settings folder onto a USB stick every now & then in case your PC throws a wobbler.

Remember that there will be variance even between laser machines of the same manufacturer and wattage, also the same can be said for materials, so any settings other than those of your own making will be of limited value.

Brian Robison
08-10-2009, 4:26 PM
When I remember, I just text in the page size and setting in the drawing itself, out side the page of course.
Works well for template drawings and standard items.

George Brown
08-11-2009, 1:36 PM
Dave, Some shameless self promotion but I am writing some software I have called Laser-Lackey for recording all that stuff.




I didn't think anyone used delphi anymore!

Dave Johnson29
08-11-2009, 2:21 PM
I didn't think anyone used delphi anymore!

:) Only about 30% of business programming. Delphi 2009 lives as does 2008, 2007, ...

I am sure the folks at Embarcadero knew what they were doing when they bought Delphi from Codegear/Borland.

Computers are so fast and have so much memory available the line between C and derivatives and Pascal derivatives has vanished.

Why not program in a better structured language that is much less prone to bugs than a lot of others. I have worked (and still do) in C, C++, C#, Python, Java, .NET but for my own projects it will always be Delphi.

But then I have never been a masochist. :D:D:D