Mikah Barnett
11-06-2016, 10:33 AM
We bought our 900x1200 G.Weike back in 2012 (or so - can't remember exactly) and have used it 8-20 hours/week pretty much every week since then.
A couple months ago I noticed some of the mirrors in my machine were getting cloudy on the contact spot. I also noticed I was having to start tweaking power and speeds from my normal settings and it seemed like getting a true, tight focus (I engrave a lot of anodized aluminum) was getting almost impossible. So, I ordered a whole set of mirrors from LightObject. While I was at it, I decided to replace my worn-out side-saddle red-dot laser with a through-the-lens setup so I ordered the red dot laser and bracket along with the Beam Combiner.
The mirrors were easy and made a huge, immediate difference in getting focus and power back where they should be - worth every penny of the ~$100 they cost.
The red laser bracket and laser (LSR-LMBCMB650M) was about what I expected for $45 - all pretty much there but not very robust or precise. Regardless, I mounted it (with a little tweaking) between the laser tube and the first mirror. The only real issue I had is that the way the bracket holds the actual red laser is not very precise - it's easy to wiggle it around. But, I tightened it in there and set about tweaking.
Now having used the setup for a couple months, I can say I'm quite happy with the improved red-dot focus. I have (knock on wood) not "missed" my mark on a single part since switching to this setup and would say I can accurately position graphics on objects within about a quarter of a millimeter. That's good enough for pretty much everything I do, but having the confidence to put a one-off part in there and know EXACTLY where my engrave is going to be is very nice.
So, for those of you thinking about going the beam-combiner route, go for it! And if you're noticing funny behavior with focus or power, check those mirrors - the worst one on my machine was the one inside the head which is impossible to see.
A couple months ago I noticed some of the mirrors in my machine were getting cloudy on the contact spot. I also noticed I was having to start tweaking power and speeds from my normal settings and it seemed like getting a true, tight focus (I engrave a lot of anodized aluminum) was getting almost impossible. So, I ordered a whole set of mirrors from LightObject. While I was at it, I decided to replace my worn-out side-saddle red-dot laser with a through-the-lens setup so I ordered the red dot laser and bracket along with the Beam Combiner.
The mirrors were easy and made a huge, immediate difference in getting focus and power back where they should be - worth every penny of the ~$100 they cost.
The red laser bracket and laser (LSR-LMBCMB650M) was about what I expected for $45 - all pretty much there but not very robust or precise. Regardless, I mounted it (with a little tweaking) between the laser tube and the first mirror. The only real issue I had is that the way the bracket holds the actual red laser is not very precise - it's easy to wiggle it around. But, I tightened it in there and set about tweaking.
Now having used the setup for a couple months, I can say I'm quite happy with the improved red-dot focus. I have (knock on wood) not "missed" my mark on a single part since switching to this setup and would say I can accurately position graphics on objects within about a quarter of a millimeter. That's good enough for pretty much everything I do, but having the confidence to put a one-off part in there and know EXACTLY where my engrave is going to be is very nice.
So, for those of you thinking about going the beam-combiner route, go for it! And if you're noticing funny behavior with focus or power, check those mirrors - the worst one on my machine was the one inside the head which is impossible to see.