David Brasfield
06-15-2008, 1:55 PM
I was engraving some granite last night, and I finished the project (turned out great), Then I switch to a simple vector cut project that should have taken less than three minutes. It turned into and hour an a half.
I set up the driver for the material to be cut, and as soon as the laser fired, it was cutting and etching all over the board. Okay - one board bites the dust. I figure something has gotten stuck on the optics, so I clean everything. I don't even get a hint of stain from any of the optics, but I figure I moved whatever it was out of the way.
I put in another board and fire up the job. Same thing only worse. Toss another board. Profit gone now.
I go back to the computer, reboot, check everything, looks good, put on another board. Burns, incomplete cuts, shadow etchings, stuff all over the place. All this while I am watching the nozzle move properly along the defined path.
My machine has the long air-assist cone, so I decide to check it. Sure enough, I find a tiny bit of debris, so I clean it up and figure that the edge of it was splitting the beam. Another board, same problem.
Finally, I take my finger and feel along the bottom of the cone and I detect something, but I can't get a good feel for what it is if anything. That means it is time for some disassembly. Then I get a last ditch idea. Since the cone is spring loaded, why don't I compress it slightly and let it snap back to position a couple of times in hopes of dislodging whatever it was. So I do that.
This time, I get a scrap piece of board, and fire up the job. For a split second, there is a brilliant prism of light highlighted through smoke, then the laser starts cutting perfectly.
If you haven't guessed by now, the culprit was autofocus. While the depth plunger is engaged, the tip of the air-assist cone assembly touches the work piece. Evidently, it picked up something mostly non-laserable (or so out of the focal range that it wouldn't burn away), that became partially imbedded in the nozzle. It may have been a stray piece of granite, don't know.
I thought that I wipe every piece of material that I put in the machine and check it for debris, evidently I missed doing it or missed the debris that time.
Just thought you folks might enjoy a good story. Fortunately, that one only cost me about 6 dollars, not counting my time and frustration, or having to work until after midnight as a result.
:)
David
I set up the driver for the material to be cut, and as soon as the laser fired, it was cutting and etching all over the board. Okay - one board bites the dust. I figure something has gotten stuck on the optics, so I clean everything. I don't even get a hint of stain from any of the optics, but I figure I moved whatever it was out of the way.
I put in another board and fire up the job. Same thing only worse. Toss another board. Profit gone now.
I go back to the computer, reboot, check everything, looks good, put on another board. Burns, incomplete cuts, shadow etchings, stuff all over the place. All this while I am watching the nozzle move properly along the defined path.
My machine has the long air-assist cone, so I decide to check it. Sure enough, I find a tiny bit of debris, so I clean it up and figure that the edge of it was splitting the beam. Another board, same problem.
Finally, I take my finger and feel along the bottom of the cone and I detect something, but I can't get a good feel for what it is if anything. That means it is time for some disassembly. Then I get a last ditch idea. Since the cone is spring loaded, why don't I compress it slightly and let it snap back to position a couple of times in hopes of dislodging whatever it was. So I do that.
This time, I get a scrap piece of board, and fire up the job. For a split second, there is a brilliant prism of light highlighted through smoke, then the laser starts cutting perfectly.
If you haven't guessed by now, the culprit was autofocus. While the depth plunger is engaged, the tip of the air-assist cone assembly touches the work piece. Evidently, it picked up something mostly non-laserable (or so out of the focal range that it wouldn't burn away), that became partially imbedded in the nozzle. It may have been a stray piece of granite, don't know.
I thought that I wipe every piece of material that I put in the machine and check it for debris, evidently I missed doing it or missed the debris that time.
Just thought you folks might enjoy a good story. Fortunately, that one only cost me about 6 dollars, not counting my time and frustration, or having to work until after midnight as a result.
:)
David