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View Full Version : Fiber Rotary SOOOO Slow. Tips for speeding it up?



Jesse Wheeler
10-26-2016, 7:08 PM
I have a 20w BODOR fiber laser, the portable type like most of the other Chinese machines on the board. Like others, I had a heck of a time getting the rotary to work, but after 100 or so hours of trial and error, I seem to have a set of parameters that make a perfect, black mark on stainless steel using the rotary. The only problem is that it takes FOREVER to run with the parameters I'm using. (Like 16+mins for a 60cmx60cm logo)

Now don't get me wrong, I'm delighted that I can finally make the kind of mark that I'd been searching for, but it would sure help to get the engraving time down below 10 mins without sacrificing quality. I have heard posters mention the "wobble" settings and I would like to know more about them and if they can help me.

Here are the current settings I use to get a smooth black mark on round stainless:

Laser
Power: 100
Speed: 110
Frequency: 30KHz
Hatch type: uni-directional, no contour
Hatch angle: 90
Hatch spacing: .015

Rotary
Split Size: 0.01mm
Focus length: 160mm (what does this mean?)
Pulses per round: 5000

Focus
Distance: -3 to 4mm

I know the unidirectional hatch is slow but it's the only one I can get to work well. My splits are small but same story, if I make them bigger, the image ends up with lines in it. If I increase the speed or increase the hatch spacing, the image gets lighter and quite "shimmery" if you know what I mean. No good. What about frequency? Anyone having luck annealing at different frequencies than 30KHz?

Any suggestions? Can someone explain what "wobble" does and give me some baseline settings for diameter and distance that might help me out?

Thanks and I'll be sure to share my findings.

Kev Williams
10-26-2016, 7:25 PM
First of all, lose the unidirectional hatch, as that will cut your time almost in half. Use the one AFTER the uni-directional (as your toggling thru the options) it has no connected ends like the uni, but cuts laser-on in both directions instead of just one... However, this may not provide the black you want. If this is the case, try some different speed and frequency combinations...

Second, if you want to decrease time, do NOT use the wobble! It works great, but extremely slow in most cases. Experiment with .01 dia and .015 spacing to start. The smaller the diameter, the faster it will go, but watch the results...

I got a nice burn using wobble on some flat stainless, then used the same settings on a stainless coffee mug, and pert near burnt clear thru the thing!
(also didn't have the diameter setting dialed in right, but that's another story!
346462

My work load means I don't get much play-time as I'd like, so this is about all I got to offer.. :)