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matt heinzel
04-28-2008, 8:09 AM
We have had the PLS360 for over a year now. Actually we have two and only one has this problem, over time the machine loses its Zhome. The only way I can get it to actually be in focus is to turn the machine off, manually crank the bed up, and then turn the machine on and set this as the home. Things will engrave fine at this point, but once I try to engrave something that is thinker it will never figure itself out again. I contacted Support and they said that I needed to rehome the Z which I tried to explain I can't do. They also suggested telling the machine I have a different size lense and then to rehome the Z and then switch back to a 2 inch setting. This didn't work either. Finally he said to uninstall and reinstall the driver, with no success. I am out of ideas, this machine is used mainly to engrave plaque plates and also to make trophy tags, where the focus is a big must to cut them out of the sheet of flexibrass. Anyone have a new idea on how I might solve this issue?

Mike Mackenzie
04-28-2008, 4:44 PM
Matt,

Why can't you re-home the Z Position? You basically need to start from Zero and the calibrate the Z position.

matt heinzel
04-28-2008, 10:01 PM
I can't rehome the Z. When send it to the bottom it goes all the way up, but I can not get it to go all the way up in order to focus it. It gets to about 1/2 inch out of focus and thinks it is at the top. Then I have have to hand crank it while it is turned off.

Scott Shepherd
04-29-2008, 10:47 AM
Sounds like a bad proximity switch (which is on the board). Call tech support and tell them that very thing and let them get it fixed. Have you spoken to tech support lately about it? I think there are two of those on the board, one for the upper limit and one for the lower limit. Sounds like one is out of whack. Perhaps the metal piece it uses to sense it has been knocked loose. It should be a little metal bar held on with 2 or 3 screws that's used to sense the up and down limits, from best I can tell. Make sure that's not bent or missing. It's on the part that moves up and down on the right hand side lead screw. It's about 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" thick. Make sure that's there and not missing or bent.

Rob Bosworth
04-29-2008, 11:35 AM
Matt, I agree that it sounds as if you are having a Z axis limit switch problem. Before replacing the Z axis limit switch board, have you cleaned the sensors? On the right hand side of the machine, just behind the Z axis screws, you have two proximity switches. They have two black parrallel pieces, with about a 1/4" spacing between the two pieces. One should be above the table and the other one should be below the table, mounted on the plate that holds the Z axis screw. Take a Q-Tip and a very light cleaner and clean between the two "ears". You can probably use alcohol on the end of the Q-Tip. Be careful, the "ears are only little black plastic pieces that are soldered onto the Z axis sensor board.

After cleaning the proximity sensors, try to re-home your Z axis. If the table goes down to the bottom, raises up a bit, then settles in, then you had a dirty sensor. Now you can re-set your Z axis and re-set your autofocus. The instructions in the owner's manual for setting your focus is pretty straight forward.

matt heinzel
04-29-2008, 4:50 PM
I can only find one censor, its on the top as opposed to the bottom. I will clean that tomorrow and attempt a rehome. Thanks for the help!

Mike Mackenzie
04-29-2008, 9:10 PM
Matt,

First off there is a sensor on the right hand side of the bottom of the laser by the lead screw on the right hand side. If this sensor is dirty or bad it will think the table is all the way at the bottom and thus raise up. We need to find that sensor and make sure that it is not dirty and that it is there it could have been broken off with out you knowing.

The table should go to the bottom when you press the re-home Z Once it does go all the way to the bottom you can then start the re-calibrating process. What ever you do now won't fix the issue until you can get the table to go all the way down to the bottom.

What software version are you using on the system? You are talking about the PLS and not the M360 correct?

This re-homing process is different in the way that it is done on the M360.

Let me know.

matt heinzel
04-30-2008, 8:10 AM
Its not that it can't go all the way down, it was that once it did go down it didn't go high enough to focus at 2 inches unless I cranked the table up manually with my hands. I still can't find that sensor, and yes it is a PLS.

Scott Shepherd
04-30-2008, 8:54 AM
Matt, assuming it's the same as my 4.60, then here's a couple of photos.

One is the bottom sensor, one is the top sensor, one is the bar that the sensors read. Sounds like it's just lost it's registration and needs to be recalibrated. Oh, you know what, I had that same problem.

I made the mistake of forgetting to turn off the machine before I plugged the rotary attachment in. What it did was exactly like what you're saying. The bed would stop before it got to the focal point.

I think I fixed it by bringing the table up as high as it would go, turning off the machine, then hand turning the lead screw up, and then turning the machine back on and rehoming it. What had happened is it got past the sensor, so it was confused on where it needed to go.

I can't recall exactly what I did, as far as where I cranked the table to. Maybe I brought it all the way up, turned the machine off, then cranked the table down a couple of inches, turned it back on, and homed the Z.

It was one of those and it solved my problem (from the mistake I made from not turning off the machine prior to plugging or unplugging the rotary attachment).

Mike Mackenzie
04-30-2008, 12:22 PM
Matt,

OK then if you can re home the Z then you need to calibrate the table. Here is how you do it.

I will send you a PDF with the instructions. The one thing that is not in the instructions is once you move the table up to a certain point it will stop this is a safety thing. Once the table stops go to the system tab in the UCP and click the calibrate button under the len's option. Then go back to the system and start raising the table again it may stop again before it gets into the correct focus position keep repeating this until you can focus correctly onto the table with the tool. Once you do get the focus correctly to the table then click the calibrate button under the lens option in the system tab of the UCP.

This should correct the problem You must start from the zero position with the Z.

matt heinzel
04-30-2008, 4:18 PM
I think I need to grease up the lead screw. I was able to get it focused, but I had to help the bed up after I re-homed the Z. Right now its in focus, but it seems like it struggles to go up after a new sized material is put in.

Mike Mackenzie
04-30-2008, 5:19 PM
you can get the white lithium grease in a tube from home depot. use wd40 to clean of any dry and old grease then apply a bead of new grease and then re-home the z now put another thin bead of the grease on the upper section of the lead screws and raise the table back up. This should take care of any dried up grease and give it new lubrication.