Alignment at the head

[Ian Johnson]

I am trying to improve my alignment. The beam is straight on the X and Y axis, but it doesn't hit the opening at the top of the laser head in the center, it is off to the side a little bit. I can adjust the tube up and down, but I can't see any way to adjust it side to side to center the dot. I know I can't do it with the mirrors 1 and 2, because then the beam wouldn't be parallel to the axes. I could adjust the mirror at the top of the head to aim the beam at the center of the lens, but it wouldn't be perpendicular to the bed. The dot moves a little as I run the Z up and down, though I don't know if the angle of the beam is enough to make much difference in straightness of the cut. If the beam hits the lens in the center, but goes through at a slight angle, will that make much difference in focus or ability to cut?

[Robert Walters]

Some photos of your laser tube, it's mounts, and the mirrors might help.

[David Somers]

Ian,

To take Robert's suggestion a bit further, you might also go into your SMC profile. You can add a signature to auto apply to your posts. That is how people tend to list off their equipment at the bottom of each post. That is very helpful to others who may be trying to answer your questions. Lastly, there is a place in the profile where you can put your location. No need to be really specific if you are concerned about privacy. But a state or at least country is a great clue to folks as well.

Dave

[Ian Johnson]

It's a basic Chinese laser, most similar to a Morn 3050 or Gweike LG500. I figured it out, I had thought that moving mirrors side to side wouldn't help until I drew myself a diagram. The mount for Mirror 2 can slide side to side, so I used that to adjust where the beam enters the head. I only had to realign the beam along the X axis, rather than X and Y which would have been necessary if I had made any changes at the tube itself.