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View Full Version : vector help! Not vectoring smoothly.



james burchfield
11-16-2011, 5:06 PM
I have a epilog legend ext 60 watt. Today i was making some sample blocks and noticed that they arn't coming out smoothly and instead squiggly. Has anyone had this problem or might know the cause?213055

Craig Matheny
11-16-2011, 5:35 PM
It looks like a bad trace :) but I know that is not what the art looks like.. With that said do a cleaning clean the encoder strip and the assembly it should clear up

Frank Corker
11-16-2011, 5:43 PM
I'd agree. Looks like a bad trace to me.

james burchfield
11-16-2011, 5:57 PM
The file is a good trace i drew it in autocad. I was thinking it might be a vibration problem?

Craig Matheny
11-16-2011, 6:02 PM
I just ran the file after I un grouped it all and then merged the file together it seems to run fine check your encode strip something seems to be messed up

james burchfield
11-16-2011, 6:08 PM
Ok thanks will do.

Dan Hintz
11-16-2011, 6:18 PM
That looks like mechanical problems... make sure your carriage is on the track solidly, the lens is securely screwed in, and there's no play in the belt and idler pulley.

Cool effect, if you can repeat it on command ;)

Mike Chance in Iowa
11-16-2011, 7:00 PM
The file is a good trace i drew it in autocad. I was thinking it might be a vibration problem?

It could be a vibration problem. If your laser is not on a sturdy table, or your air compressor shares the same table as your laser, that could cause a problem. The air compressor could vibrate enough to make the table & laser wobble. I would still check for mechanical issues like loose belts or it needs cleaning inside.

Michael Hunter
11-16-2011, 7:14 PM
I think Dan has it - check the lens assembly is done up tight.

Mike Null
11-17-2011, 7:41 AM
it's possible that your bearings are shot or that you have dirt on the bearing tracks.

Scott Shepherd
11-17-2011, 9:46 AM
What speed did you run this at?

Mark Ross
11-17-2011, 10:49 AM
Two things here. Check and clean your x encoder strip (its under the blue cover. Next, disable your x/y on the front panel menu. Now over on the left hand side of your machine, there is a transfer pulley from the y axis motor up to long rod on the front of the machine, at the ends of these rods, that is where your left and right y axis belts interface. Move the carriage slowly in the y direction and watch the transfer pulleys and the pulleys on the belts. See if they are slipping at all. There are two allen set screws that hold those pulleys against flat spots on the rods. If any of these set screws are loose, they need to be tightened. I use standard loctite on these as they have a tendency to get loose about once every two years or so on us. I have a 36 ext also and when I had problems, it ended up looking like what you posted.

james burchfield
11-17-2011, 12:34 PM
What speed did you run this at?

I run it at 70 speed 10 power.

AL Ursich
11-17-2011, 1:09 PM
A lot of great advice.... To half split to Artwork or Mechanical of the machine.... Draw a Circle and Rectangle in Corel and see what happens... We do this all the time with the CarveWright CNC to fix bad carvings.... Art or Bearings....

AL

james burchfield
11-22-2011, 11:24 AM
Thank you everyone for your help and advice. It turns out it was the decoder strip was a little dirty.

John Barton
11-24-2011, 9:50 PM
This happened to us once. A fly flew through the beam and died on the track and the laser head ran over it and gummed it up. So then the laser was skipping and making wiggly lines. We cleaned up the fly guts and it ran fine. I watched this happen, yes we run the laser with the lid open......