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View Full Version : Tips, How To's, Sage Wisdom in general



Pete Ganz
03-02-2007, 11:09 AM
We recently bought an ULS VL-300 30W machine. The venting was just finished the other day so now we are operational.

To test our venting I was playing around with cutting & engraving some Rowmark laserable material. I experienced some charring or scorching.

Most of what we will do is anodized aluminum but we will also be cutting & engraving acrylic to make instrument panels.

I searched these forums but didn't see any thread on tips, guidelines, etc for newbies.

Does anyone know of a good resource for this kind of help?

Thanks

Pete

Joe Pelonio
03-02-2007, 1:01 PM
First there's the correct combination of speed, power, and frequency and DPI, you may have to experiment some more. It should cut flawlessly. There are some color combinations that bleed over the face more than others, like the white with green subsurface. For that it helps to apply transfer tape prior to cutting, and/or to cut with the back side up.

Also make sure to use air assist, if you don't have that it's well worth adding.

Mike Mackenzie
03-02-2007, 1:46 PM
Pete,

Please feel free to PM me with your questions we can help you with what you need.

Gary Hair
03-02-2007, 2:00 PM
Pete,
There is a wealth of info here and on other sites. If you have a specific question you will get a specific answer. Trying to get general info, tips, how to's, etc, will be pretty tough as there is more information than you could ever use.
Ask a question and I can almost guarantee someone here will know the answer!

Gary

Pete Ganz
03-02-2007, 2:43 PM
I was figuring someone would have a basic primer, kind of like "Laser Machines for dummies". But as you all pointed out with near infinite combinations of materials and sizes that would be impossible.

I guess to start with, I was playing with a 1/8 white on black using the ULS materials driver.

What I saw was scorching / smoke and the engraved lettering wasn't very deep / black.

Does the transfer tape help with the smoke / soot damage? Oh, BTW what is transfer tape and where d I get it?<G>

Total Newbie
Pete

Mike Mackenzie
03-02-2007, 3:39 PM
Pete,

Did you get this system from a uls rep? or did it come from a versa dealer?

The reps should come out and install and train you on the functions. It sounds to me like the focus is off or the material you are trying is not laserable.

What material exactly did you choose?

Pete Ganz
03-02-2007, 4:50 PM
Mike,

Got it from ULS rep. and they did come out and give us a quick training session but that was before we had our HVAC & compressor installed and before we had any material. I wanted them to come in even though we weren't ready as I wanted to be sure the machine worked rather than waiting the 3-4 weeks until venting and air were ready. The gal said she would some back if we wished once we had a chance to play with it.

I order several types of material from Johnson Plastics, I think the one I was playing with was 1/8" 2 ply white on black from IPI.

The focus could have been off a tad but I don't think by a whole lot.

pete

Dave Jones
03-02-2007, 5:29 PM
You have to check the specs on 2 ply plastics before ordering them. If they don't have "laser" already in their name then make sure they are designed to use in a laser. The 2 ply plastics originally were for rotary engravers and many of the types available are still really best only with a rotary. Typically the "cap" (top layer of plastic) is very thin on laserable versions and quite a bit thicker on rotary ones.

Did the ULS reps give you the "advanced" driver? The materials based driver for the Versa is not as adjustable as the advanced driver. Many times the 2 ply plastics need the settings tweaked for different color combinations or cap thicknesses.

The transfer paper is used on many materials to protect the surface from smoke. It's sold through laser and sign supply companies. For example Laserbits.com carries a couple of different paper and film masks. Look under Laser Supplies > Masking Materials.

Mike Null
03-02-2007, 6:21 PM
Pete:

I use IPI plastics exclusively and never use transfer paper. I agree with Mike M. You may not have laserable plastic or your focus is off. I'm not a fan of auto focus so I do everything manually.

With some colors, especially those with a white core, you can get colored dust from the cap in the engraving and it can be a chore to get out. Sometimes a light clean-up pass is the answer. I usually take the engraving out and get it wet with water or citrus cleaner before I do any scrubbing on it. That helps to float the debris away.

Nancy Laird
03-02-2007, 6:30 PM
We recently bought an ULS VL-300 30W machine. The venting was just finished the other day so now we are operational....

I searched these forums but didn't see any thread on tips, guidelines, etc for newbies.

Does anyone know of a good resource for this kind of help?

Thanks

Pete

Pete, first congratulations on your new ULS. You are gonna LOVE it, believe me.

Searching the forums is a hit-or-miss proposition. I'd suggest that you just take an hour or so a day and go to the Laser forum and just start reading the posts. There will be all sorts of little tips and tricks hidden in some of those posts. That's what I did, making notes all the while, and I also picked up some marketing tips and ideas for stuff to add to our repertoire.

Lasering is fun--get used to spending evenings in front of your computer designing and laying out new things, and eating dinner with one hand while tapping the keyboard with the other. :)

Nancy

Believe it or not, this lasering thing can turn into as much of an obsession as turning. Take it from me, if you try to do both, you'll never get anything else done. DAMHIKT! :p ;)

Pete Ganz
03-02-2007, 8:20 PM
The material I was play with was laserable (laser was part of the name) so I know the material was appropriatte.

Yep, the ULS rep gave us the advanced driver, I just wasn't using it as I was looking for a quick and dirty test, mainly to make sure our venting was working and see how much the air assist helped. (btw as I was told in a previous thread, the air made a big difference in flaming)

I can already see how easy it is to get carried away, as do the other folks at my office. I asked the ULS rep if they offer a coin operated add on<G>.

About the only thing I haven't thought about trying to laser is the cat!<G>

we just got in a laserbits catalog this afternoon. So I'll peruse it this weekend.

I'm sure I'll be here on the forum quite a bit as I feel my way along<g>.

Thanks again for the aid.

pete

Scott Shepherd
03-02-2007, 9:14 PM
Hi Pete, I posted a similiar question here
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=51489&highlight=smoke+damage

Maybe it'll help some, it helped me!