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John Fruen
08-14-2007, 4:24 PM
Hi, does anyone know if you can alter the home position on the VL300 ?
i'm trying to engrave a small diameter object with the rotary attatchment but after focusing and returning home, the carriage hits the end of the attachment when it moves out to start the job.
any takers ? please !
john

Lee DeRaud
08-14-2007, 4:52 PM
I don't have the rotary widget, but if it works like I think it does (based on the manual), I'd try something like this (note: this assumes you're using the 'advanced' driver):
1. make your engraving some color besides black, set that color to "raster", and set the Z-axis value to whatever you were manually setting the focus to previously
2. create another very small object in black somewhere near the middle (X = 12"), set black power to 0, and set the black Z-axis value to a larger value (one that normally works correctly with the rotary jig).

Now, what I think will happen when you start the job is:
1. the carraige will lower to the black Z-axis value and move to the position of the dummy object and "engrave" it at 0 power
2. when it's done with that, it will raise to the desired Z-axis value, and move from where it left off to the start of the "real" engraving without returning to the home position.

That make any sense? The mumbo-jumbo with the colors is because it engraves in color-order regardless of what order Corel has them in. What we're doing is using the 'auto-Z' feature of the driver to get out of the home position while the Z-axis is down far enough to clear the rotary jig.

It sounds like there's some minimum radius for the rotary jig and you're below it. Either that or there's a bug in the driver, might want to ask ULS about it in any case. You might also try just doing the original job with 'auto-Z' on: possibly the driver normally lowers the carraige to avoid the jig, but doesn't know how to deal with manual focus under those conditions.

Mike Mackenzie
08-14-2007, 5:55 PM
John,

If you can send me an e-mail with more specifics I might be able to help you.

You can just PM me I am curious on the layout, the diameter of the object, and the placement of the object in the rotary.

are you using corel?

Which Versa do you have?

What software version are you using?

Scott Shepherd
08-14-2007, 7:34 PM
I recently asked about something like that. I asked how you could engrave something like the circumference of a pen without it hitting the rotary attachment and I got an answer that was almost exactly what Lee said.

Cary Fleming
08-15-2007, 11:13 AM
I built a jig to hold pens for engraving around the circumfrence, but had the same problem with the lense hitting the rotary fixture. I never even thought about faking it out with a dummy engrave at a thicker depth.

I guess two heads, or a thousand, are better than one. Thanks for the tip Lee. I'll try it when I get home.

Lee DeRaud
08-15-2007, 2:17 PM
Thanks for the tip Lee. I'll try it when I get home.Be interesting to know if it actually works:
like I said, I'm making this up as I go along. :p :eek:

John Fruen
08-18-2007, 4:41 AM
for your idea Lee i wll try it out over the weeekend
i'm still getting to know the machine but i don't think it's got an
automatic Z setting, i usually have to do this manually.
i'll play about with your idea and let you know.

john

Lee DeRaud
08-18-2007, 9:55 AM
for your idea Lee i wll try it out over the weeekend
i'm still getting to know the machine but i don't think it's got an
automatic Z setting, i usually have to do this manually.
i'll play about with your idea and let you know.

johnI've got a VL200...as far as I know the only difference is carraige width (X-axis capacity).

It doesn't have "autofocus" in the sense that it measures the material, but you can set the material thickness (or object radius in this case) for each color in the 'print properties' window (same place you set power/speed) and it will go to that Z-axis position automatically without having to use the driver's 'focus' window.

(Again, all of this assumes you're using the 'advanced' driver rather than the 'materials-based' driver.)