a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
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a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
In my experience the hardest part of the optical path is align is the final bounce mirror that directs the laser beam vertically into the the focusing lens.
I don't have the beam combiner kit. It's on my list, but other things have taken priority. Getting the near field and far field alignment done on my 900x600 table wasn't too horrible of a challenge (I build laser projectors and the alignment concept is the same), but I was really struggling with the final bounce mirror. Because of the shortness of the nozzle, and small aperture. the alignment really needs to be spot on.
Yesterday, while cutting a unicode snowman for a software development team, I had a bit of inspiration and cut a small o-ring to act as a spacer between the focusing lens and the screw on nozzle. This shifts the nozzle down a little and puts the aperture closer to the beam waist. I would have liked to have used two spacer rings, but the threads on the nozzle are quite shallow and I was worried that it wouldn't stay on.
This made a huge difference in ease of alignment and cuts that were impossible before started coming out beautifully.
Marco,
Is it possible to get a series of nozzles manufactured for the more common focal length lenses? This would save a lot of alignment hassle and improve the quality of your excellent machines and the work they do.
I don't have the beam combiner kit. It's on my list, but other things have taken priority. Getting the near field and far field alignment done on my 900x600 table wasn't too horrible of a challenge (I build laser projectors and the alignment concept is the same), but I was really struggling with the final bounce mirror. Because of the shortness of the nozzle, and small aperture. the alignment really needs to be spot on.
Yesterday, while cutting a unicode snowman for a software development team, I had a bit of inspiration and cut a small o-ring to act as a spacer between the focusing lens and the screw on nozzle. This shifts the nozzle down a little and puts the aperture closer to the beam waist. I would have liked to have used two spacer rings, but the threads on the nozzle are quite shallow and I was worried that it wouldn't stay on.
This made a huge difference in ease of alignment and cuts that were impossible before started coming out beautifully.
Marco,
Is it possible to get a series of nozzles manufactured for the more common focal length lenses? This would save a lot of alignment hassle and improve the quality of your excellent machines and the work they do.
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Re: a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
As matter of fact, I already placed an order of 20x 38.5mm and 20x 63.5mm adapter. Plus, I'm asking the tooling shop to make up 68.5mm and the 75mm adapter.
Next year, we will switch to another tooling company to do the XY stage for us. They have a more versatile laser head that allowing 38.5mm, 50.8mm, 63.5mm and 75mm lens in just one barrel. But the whole laser head seems a little bulky so I need to come up a better looking and light weight. Believe it or not, in China buyer like to get bigger laser head or mount. It is because they though that bulky = better. The other way to say per tooling company, customer don't like less weight parts because they think that the product is 'cheap' because of less 'mass'. Killing me......by their though!
Marco
Next year, we will switch to another tooling company to do the XY stage for us. They have a more versatile laser head that allowing 38.5mm, 50.8mm, 63.5mm and 75mm lens in just one barrel. But the whole laser head seems a little bulky so I need to come up a better looking and light weight. Believe it or not, in China buyer like to get bigger laser head or mount. It is because they though that bulky = better. The other way to say per tooling company, customer don't like less weight parts because they think that the product is 'cheap' because of less 'mass'. Killing me......by their though!
Marco
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Re: a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
Update: Here is the adapter I'll get in about 2 weeks
Marco
Marco
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Re: a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
oh. that's a perfect solution!
those adapters look great. let me know when they're available and i'll order a couple. even a 1/4" adapter for the 50.8mm lenses would be great. the closer we can get to the material being cut, the better things will be.
also, can't use my 38.5mm lens right now as the focal length is too short for the nozzle that came with my XLE kit.
those adapters look great. let me know when they're available and i'll order a couple. even a 1/4" adapter for the 50.8mm lenses would be great. the closer we can get to the material being cut, the better things will be.
also, can't use my 38.5mm lens right now as the focal length is too short for the nozzle that came with my XLE kit.
Tech_Marco wrote:Update: Here is the adapter I'll get in about 2 weeks
Marco
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Re: a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
I'm not clear what is the important effect from moving the nozzle outlet closer to the workpiece?
Nick
Nick
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Re: a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
Hello,
I have the same laser head on my XLE1200X900, and until now I only use my 68,5mm lens in this laser head for cutting.
The result is great, but I think I am loosing some power (and cutting speed) in the nozzle, even with a good alignment.
-In order to make the initial mirror setting, I used a 543Nm (green) helium neon laser installed Inside a precision machined aluminium tube with the same diameter as the CO2 tube (80mm).
My green beam is 6mm diameter when hitting the last mirror (in the laser head) at the worst position of the table (opposit to the laser), and it can just pass through the hole in the nozzle : when projecting the beam on a surface 30cm below, I could see the edge of the nozzle hole projected if I introduce a very small deviation of the mirror!
My CO2 beam (80W RECI tube) is about 10mm in diameter at the same position, so I can imagine the outer part of it is blocked by the nozzle.
-When cutting in this area of the workspace, the nozzle is getting quite hot (about 60°C after 5min at 22mA)
I don't know how much power is lost. I can cut 3mm plywood at 22mA and 12,5mm/s : is it a good result or should I get better speed at this power level?
Getting a longer nozzle for this lens would be great, can you let me know when it is available?
I have another question :
Is it possible to get a spare nozzle exactly the same as the original one?
I could have a bigger hole (Ø3mm) machined in this one, even if the airflow will be higher. I have made some successfull tests for rough cutting foam up to 30mm thick, and for this a short nozzle is a great advantage as it allows the focal point to be in the middle of the material.
Thanks!
Daniel
I have the same laser head on my XLE1200X900, and until now I only use my 68,5mm lens in this laser head for cutting.
The result is great, but I think I am loosing some power (and cutting speed) in the nozzle, even with a good alignment.
-In order to make the initial mirror setting, I used a 543Nm (green) helium neon laser installed Inside a precision machined aluminium tube with the same diameter as the CO2 tube (80mm).
My green beam is 6mm diameter when hitting the last mirror (in the laser head) at the worst position of the table (opposit to the laser), and it can just pass through the hole in the nozzle : when projecting the beam on a surface 30cm below, I could see the edge of the nozzle hole projected if I introduce a very small deviation of the mirror!
My CO2 beam (80W RECI tube) is about 10mm in diameter at the same position, so I can imagine the outer part of it is blocked by the nozzle.
-When cutting in this area of the workspace, the nozzle is getting quite hot (about 60°C after 5min at 22mA)
I don't know how much power is lost. I can cut 3mm plywood at 22mA and 12,5mm/s : is it a good result or should I get better speed at this power level?
Getting a longer nozzle for this lens would be great, can you let me know when it is available?
I have another question :
Is it possible to get a spare nozzle exactly the same as the original one?
I could have a bigger hole (Ø3mm) machined in this one, even if the airflow will be higher. I have made some successfull tests for rough cutting foam up to 30mm thick, and for this a short nozzle is a great advantage as it allows the focal point to be in the middle of the material.
Thanks!
Daniel
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Re: a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
i just want to compliment you on your excellent taste in lasers. green hene's are beautiful.
if your nozzle is getting that hot, it's a good bet that the edges of the aperture are clipping your co2 beam. you can try cutting a couple of o-ring spacers like i did, but the threads on the nozzle are quite shallow and i'm not sure you'll be able to get the aperture close enough to the beam waist to avoid clipping it.
if your nozzle is getting that hot, it's a good bet that the edges of the aperture are clipping your co2 beam. you can try cutting a couple of o-ring spacers like i did, but the threads on the nozzle are quite shallow and i'm not sure you'll be able to get the aperture close enough to the beam waist to avoid clipping it.
daniel.macke wrote:Hello,
I have the same laser head on my XLE1200X900, and until now I only use my 68,5mm lens in this laser head for cutting.
The result is great, but I think I am loosing some power (and cutting speed) in the nozzle, even with a good alignment.
-In order to make the initial mirror setting, I used a 543Nm (green) helium neon laser installed Inside a precision machined aluminium tube with the same diameter as the CO2 tube (80mm).
My green beam is 6mm diameter when hitting the last mirror (in the laser head) at the worst position of the table (opposit to the laser), and it can just pass through the hole in the nozzle : when projecting the beam on a surface 30cm below, I could see the edge of the nozzle hole projected if I introduce a very small deviation of the mirror!
My CO2 beam (80W RECI tube) is about 10mm in diameter at the same position, so I can imagine the outer part of it is blocked by the nozzle.
-When cutting in this area of the workspace, the nozzle is getting quite hot (about 60°C after 5min at 22mA)
I don't know how much power is lost. I can cut 3mm plywood at 22mA and 12,5mm/s : is it a good result or should I get better speed at this power level?
Getting a longer nozzle for this lens would be great, can you let me know when it is available?
I have another question :
Is it possible to get a spare nozzle exactly the same as the original one?
I could have a bigger hole (Ø3mm) machined in this one, even if the airflow will be higher. I have made some successfull tests for rough cutting foam up to 30mm thick, and for this a short nozzle is a great advantage as it allows the focal point to be in the middle of the material.
Thanks!
Daniel
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Re: a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
Looking forward to that, Marco!Tech_Marco wrote:Update: Here is the adapter I'll get in about 2 weeks
Andy
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Re: a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
Hello,
Finally I could not wait to get an adapter from Marco and I got one machined at a local tooling workshop, from this drawing : The original nozzle is lowered by 12mm, and I still use the 68.5mm lens.
It makes a very big difference :
-Without the spacer, I could cut 3mm plywood at 22mA (RECI 80W tube) and 12,5mm/s.
-With the spacer installed, I now cut the same plywood at only 20mA and 25mm/s! And the nozzle is not getting hot any more...
It shows that the nozzle position is a very important point, and it must be adapted to use the 68.5mm lens (and maybe the 63.5mm too...)
Thanks
Daniel
Finally I could not wait to get an adapter from Marco and I got one machined at a local tooling workshop, from this drawing : The original nozzle is lowered by 12mm, and I still use the 68.5mm lens.
It makes a very big difference :
-Without the spacer, I could cut 3mm plywood at 22mA (RECI 80W tube) and 12,5mm/s.
-With the spacer installed, I now cut the same plywood at only 20mA and 25mm/s! And the nozzle is not getting hot any more...
It shows that the nozzle position is a very important point, and it must be adapted to use the 68.5mm lens (and maybe the 63.5mm too...)
Thanks
Daniel
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Preorder of adapters
Hello Marco,
We talked today on the phone about the focal length adapters.
I like to preorder 2 sets of the 38.1mm and the 63.5mm.
I also want to have 2 extra barrels (the same as supplied with our XLE stages).
Please send me mail whenever you have received them, so I can make the payment.
Thanks in advance,
Ylona Maas
We talked today on the phone about the focal length adapters.
I like to preorder 2 sets of the 38.1mm and the 63.5mm.
I also want to have 2 extra barrels (the same as supplied with our XLE stages).
Please send me mail whenever you have received them, so I can make the payment.
Thanks in advance,
Ylona Maas
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Re: a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
HELLO Marco,
I would also like to preorder the 63.5mm adaptor , and if possible a spare barrel for my XLE stage +nozzle/ tip to facilitate easy changeout.
regards
Henry
I would also like to preorder the 63.5mm adaptor , and if possible a spare barrel for my XLE stage +nozzle/ tip to facilitate easy changeout.
regards
Henry
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Re: a quick and easy cheat to help with final alignment.
The beam coming out of the lens makes an hour glass shape. The "focus point" or thinnest part of the hour glass is the point where you want to cut or etch. So if the tip of the nozzle is too high above the focus point, then the beam might become too large, clipping the nozzle. By using spacers to adjust the distance of the nozzle tip to the lens will allow you to get the nozzle as close to the focus point as possible. Therefore allowing you more deviation in your alignment without clipping the nozzle opening. HTHNickWL wrote:I'm not clear what is the important effect from moving the nozzle outlet closer to the workpiece?
Nick
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