For those who laser engrave pens using the rotary

[Dan Hintz]

For the ULS owners out there, how do you do it? Do you use a 4"FL lens?

I'm to the point where I want to cannibalize the headstock and rip off the metal shroud as it gets in the way. I cannot focus deep enough using a 2"FL lens without hitting the shroud, so thin items (such as pens) cannot be turned.

Am I missing something in the setup? And just so we're on the same page, I want to engrave designs around the entire pen, not just a thin strip on one side, so a flat fixture won't solve this issue. The Epilog rotary design appears to have a leg up on this one...

[Martin Boekers]

This may not solve your problem, but it may give you something to think
about for future projects.

I have been wanting to make an indexer like this for awhile and just can't
seem to find the time.:o

www.epiloglaser.com/au/cs_kallenshaan.htm (http://www.epiloglaser.com/au/cs_kallenshaan.htm)

Being a pen turner myself the idea of using this to design inlays seems pretty
slick. Penn States Ind makes a blank cutter that you use to drill "superblanks"
it drills the center hole and rounds the blank, this would keep things consistant
for inlay work without fighting the micrometer!

[Paul Brinkmeyer]

I use a 4" to do full wraps. It works, but I would lilke to use my 2".
The 4" cut is just too wide for details.

If there is clearance with the cover off, let me know.
I have modified my cone once, and I can easily adapt my chuck to fit the shaft.

[Bjorn storoien]

I have done some thimbles witch required removing the cover

it s just 3 screws holding it

i cant remember how max would be the thimbles was 15 mm

remove the lid and check

just remember to make an extension piece to the rear support who still has standard height

Bjørn

[David Fairfield]

That is a neat little home-brew gizmo! Solves a technical problem I've had in the back of my mind for a while. Thanks for pointing this out. :)

Dave




This may not solve your problem, but it may give you something to think
about for future projects.

I have been wanting to make an indexer like this for awhile and just can't
seem to find the time.:o

www.epiloglaser.com/au/cs_kallenshaan.htm (http://www.epiloglaser.com/au/cs_kallenshaan.htm)

Being a pen turner myself the idea of using this to design inlays seems pretty
slick. Penn States Ind makes a blank cutter that you use to drill "superblanks"
it drills the center hole and rounds the blank, this would keep things consistant
for inlay work without fighting the micrometer!

[Dan Ashlin]

The Epilog rotary design appears to have a leg up on this one...

The Epilog Rotary system always seemed like a more logical design to me. I have an old trotec one and i am seriously jealous of all you epilog owners. I can basically do perfect cylinders with mine and that's it.

[Dan Hintz]

Martin,

I've seen Ken's setup before (made something similar a while back, but it doesn't solve this particular problem. On that note, however, I have a metal lathe on order (or I will by the end of the day)... once that is in, I have an idea for an indexer that would be nearly plug-n-play with the ULS rotary setup.

When time permits, I'll have to go ahead and take that headstock cover off. If Bjørn can do 15mm thimbles that way, a pen is pretty darn close to that... even a slimline is in the 10mm range.

[Dan Hintz]

Dan,

I preferred the ULS design to Epilog's (in all cases but this one, obviously) because one (or both) of the cones could be replaced with mini chucks, ensuring no slippage... there is always discussion about slippage with Epilog's.

[Scott Shepherd]

Dan, I wrote something about it some time ago. I'm not sure if I can find the post. I did the math on it and figured it the smallest possible diameter. I did have to take the shield off. Basically, the head was within a sheet of paper or two of the hitting the highest item and it worked for my one application.

I think the diameter, from math, was something like 5/8" of an inch. So anything smaller will be slightly out of focus, but for the most part, you can get away with it.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Dan,

You can work with the colors and the z axis.

You must be sure that you have at least 2.0 inches between the cone and your pen on each side.

Send over a black line and set the focus to clear the rotary then set another color to focus down to the pen. You can then use a third color to bring the rotary back down to clear before it returns to home. Set the power for the first and third colors to zero.

You can also set the homing In the UCP if you set the don't return home after engraving it will stay there once engraving has finished.

Run this with the rotary out and you can see how it can work.

At one time I made an adapter to hold the pens in the rotary and this is how I did it.

[Martin Boekers]

Dan, have you checked the Turners area?

Some do closed end pens that use a chuck to hold just one end of the
pen so they can turn the piece all the way around the back end.

There may be a chuck out there that is tapered enough to get past the
area that hits. Something along that line that can be modified to fit on
your rotary.

It's a shame there isn't a rotary that takes the best of Epilog and the best
of ULS and makes one one good device.

They charge enough for these rotary devices that they should be better.

Marty

[Dan Hintz]

Dan,

You can work with the colors and the z axis.

You must be sure that you have at least 2.0 inches between the cone and your pen on each side.

Send over a black line and set the focus to clear the rotary then set another color to focus down to the pen. You can then use a third color to bring the rotary back down to clear before it returns to home. Set the power for the first and third colors to zero.

You can also set the homing In the UCP if you set the don't return home after engraving it will stay there once engraving has finished.

Run this with the rotary out and you can see how it can work.

At one time I made an adapter to hold the pens in the rotary and this is how I did it.
Mike,

This is the solution... not ideal, but simple enough of an extra step that I won't fight with trying anything like fancy fixtures or non-concentric wheels. Many thanks for this! I think I used a similar method shortly after setting up the machine to handle some odd-shaped bowls, but it was so long ago I had completely forgotten. I'm printing this out so I don't forget again...

[Martin Boekers]

Mike,

This is the solution... not ideal, but simple enough of an extra step that I won't fight with trying anything like fancy fixtures or non-concentric wheels. Many thanks for this! I think I used a similar method shortly after setting up the machine to handle some odd-shaped bowls, but it was so long ago I had completely forgotten. I'm printing this out so I don't forget again...


ULS can set a "Z" axis!

I'm jealous!

[Chuck Stone]

I do it all the time, my rotary is similar. SOrt of a mini lathe.

I had someone with a metal lathe make me two dead centers that I
could lock onto the spindles at either end. THe headstock end locks
in and is turned by the motor. The tailstock end already has a bearing
in it, so it moves freely.

You can either use set screws to hold them, or (like I do) a bit of
polymer clay. No slippage yet.

As someone mentioned, if you can set the laser to NOT return to home
position after engraving, you're all set. The 2" lens will give you plenty
of detail, and taking the cover off will give you more clearance.

I do the slimlines fairly often, and it has been good enough for
some of the pens to go to a museum. (really .. slimlines! go figure! )

ps .. you might need to fiddle with the file size .. add some length to each end
of the file and test it on some scrap wood to get your placement where you
want it. With mine, the headstock is actually up and back over the left rail..
my home position isn't correct, and until I get a new motherboard I can't
allow the laser to go home. It crashes into the rotary headstock!

[Kevin L. Waldron]

Have you found this chuck?

http://www.buckchuckusa.com/products/mini-chucks-vsc.html

You could also go to a 2.5 or 3 lens. David at ULS uses this same chuck, I also have one and it does a nice job.

Kevin

[Dan Hintz]

Uhhhh, Chuck? I think I just found the package I had supposedly sent back to you a month ago sitting under some woodworking magazines on my desk :( This does not speak well for my organizational skills. I'm setting it on the counter now...

[Chuck Stone]

Uhhhh, Chuck? I think I just found the package I had supposedly sent back to you a month ago sitting under some woodworking magazines on my desk :( This does not speak well for my organizational skills. I'm setting it on the counter now...

LOL .. great!! Then it can spend another month lost in a pile on MY desk.. :p

[Robert Walters]

For the ULS owners out there, how do you do it? Do you use a 4"FL lens?

I'm to the point where I want to cannibalize the headstock and rip off the metal shroud as it gets in the way. I cannot focus deep enough using a 2"FL lens without hitting the shroud, so thin items (such as pens) cannot be turned.

Am I missing something in the setup? And just so we're on the same page, I want to engrave designs around the entire pen, not just a thin strip on one side, so a flat fixture won't solve this issue. The Epilog rotary design appears to have a leg up on this one...


Just a thought...

Can you extend the base of the rotary so the lens doesn't hit the sides?
(Maybe mount on a new base plate)

Add extensions to the cones using thick walled tubing and some set screws?

[Dan Hintz]

Robert,

It's an issue with the carriage (at the 0,0 position) hitting the housing when the table is raised high enough to focus with a 2"FL lens. the housing could be smaller, but I'm sure it was made the way it is because it was cheaper to make fewer bends in the sheet metal.

[Robert Walters]

I'm sure it was made the way it is because it was cheaper to make fewer bends in the sheet metal.

Oh geeze... that bites!

[Chuck Stone]

Does your software have an 'offset' setting for the rotary? I think that
will effectively change the ''0,0" position (once the machine has initialized)

If the software allows you to set the head to NOT return home after
engraving, then the only time you need to worry about it is when you
turn the machine on. Run a file with the cover open and then it won't
try to go home again until you turn it off and on again.

With the 2" lens and rotary, my headstock us under the left side of
the frame, no cover on. It will just slide under and it till focus.

Between those three things, I can get it to work. The manual says that
the smallest item the rotary will do is 3.5". Obviously not true, but it is
probably the smallest that Tech Support wants to deal with.

[Eric Seest]

I just recently got a rotary for our system, and was hoping to do pens but was not sure how to with the cone that is on it. Looking at the three jaw chuck I see that it can be done, for those that use the chuck that was posted above; does it mount directly to the motor shaft or does a collar have to be made for it to mount to? If anyone would be willing to share a picture or two on how it mounts up and what it looks like it would be appreciated.

[Mike Berndt]

Hello all,
I am a newbie in the laser engraving arena!! I bought a totally refurbished ULS-25e 25 watt laser(I know it is old) and have some support through the seller and the company for any questions that I come up with. I made a jig with a v groove for engraving pens and it seems to work pretty well. I teach middle school and have invested some money to introduce laser engraving to my middle school students and bolster my Technology education program.
I am looking for as much help as I can get on this topic and will be watching the posts. What a great forum to have and the wealth of infomation that is given is great. Thanks to all that post and help each other out because isn't that what life is about?? Everyone helping each other to succeed!! :)