versalaser manual focus request

[ian leighton]

Hello everyone,

We have a Versalaser VL300 in my lab, but unfortunately we've lost the manual focus tool (essential, because our auto-focus auto-z doesn't work).

I was going to:
1. cut out a new one, but no one has dimensions for the small piece of plastic online (instead charging $35), which requires that I...
2. try to figure out the height of the tool (or, the important height, from the base to the top of the sloped part)

I've tried looking for pictures to compare the height of the faceplate with the focus tool height but they're all for 2.0 lasers, and we have a 1.5 .

Would anyone with a 1.5 focus tool for a VL300 be able to post a measurement? Then I can focus (extra) manually to at least cut out a new focus tool. I just need the distance from the base to the top of the taper, not the top of the tool.

Thank you in advance!

[Lee DeRaud]

I've only got the tool for the 2" lens, but the taper is 1.95" from the base...makes sense, as the focal plane of the lens is just above the frame edge the tool registers on. There's no reason to think the 1.5" lens is constructed any differently, so the magic number is 1.45" or something very close to it.

An easier way: in the focus tab, manually set the table height to some known thickness (1" for example) and measure from the table to the lens support frame and construct your tool accordingly (ie. 1" less than the measurement in this example).

(Not sure why the auto-Z would not work...does the laser not home properly on startup?)

[ian leighton]

Thanks so much! I figured it might be close to 1.5" but just wanted to be sure. I'll have to look into why the auto focus isn't working, that's what others in lab were saying... it was out of commission for awhile and apparently the problem was the auto z.

I'll be playing around with it on saturday so hopefully I'll figure everything out then. thanks again!

[Lee DeRaud]

You do realize that machine really doesn't have "auto-focus", right? It just adjusts the Z-axis according to the (user-input) material thickness and focal length.

(And make sure someone didn't just accidently uncheck the "Auto-Z" checkbox on the particular setting file you're using...been there, done that.)

[Dan Hintz]

Lee,

I'm not sure about the VL300, but the majority of the ULS machines do have autofocus... as long as the substrate is thicker than around 0.1", the bed will automatically adjust itself based upon an IR beam shot across the table being interrupted as the table is raised. You have to select it as a checkbox, but it's there...

[Scott Shepherd]

The new VLS's do not have the beam. They removed that and the LCD screen from the PLS platform, making it less expensive and calling it their VLS series.

[Dan Hintz]

I didn't know that... and I'm sure I'll forget it within the next 5 minutes

[Lee DeRaud]

Not on the VL (Versalaser) series, unless they added it very recently. (And never bothered to update the spec sheet.)

[Lee DeRaud]

The new VLS's do not have the beam. They removed that and the LCD screen from the PLS platform, making it less expensive and calling it their VLS series.

"VL200" and "VL300" are the old model numbers for the Versalaser 12x16 and 12x24 respectively...now replaced by the VLS.

[Robert Walters]

Ian,

I have a 2.0 focus tool.

If you want the dimensions of it, let me know and I'll pull out the calipers.

[ian leighton]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Apparently, a few months ago the auto-z was not calibrated correctly or something, leading to the laser housing scraping against the honeycomb (ouch!), which screwed something up but apparently it was fixed (yay!) so I tried it out again and it works fine.

We're still missing the calibration tool so I will have to cut a new one out, thank you for the dimension!

Happy Holidays!
Ian