What laser control software do people use?

[dominicburke200]

I have finished rebuilding a 60w lasercutter and am looking to see peoples opinions on what is the best control software. i am using open source standard stepping motor drivers and opto isolation laser power supply. this replaced the dodgy driver board originally installed

mach3 is working fine for me but i am looking for something easier and mayby more versitile by able to engrave also from within programs.

any suggestions greatfully recieved, and if any more info needed on rebuild.

Dom

[zax15uk]

Dom,

There are not many options for a step/direction controlled laser. Mach3 or EMC2 are probably the best choices, and as you have found they are better for vector cutting than raster engraving. These programs were designed for controlling CNC routers so that is no surprise. Are you using the laser plugin for Mach3?

The 'dodgy' driver board you replaced was most likely a PLC or microcontroller. The one in the machine may have been a poor example, but in general this is the better method of controlling a laser or CNC.

It sounds like you really want to interface a PIC microcontroller or custom PLC board to your step/direction drivers and write a custom driver to allow the laser to operator more like a printer. This would allow direct output from other programs. Unfortunately that is not a simple task. The slightly easier solution would be to use a driver board from an old printer and interface it's outputs to my motor drivers and laser. The Windows driver would provide the communications as normal.

You could try looking at a Leetro MPC6515 or similar.
http://www.leetro.com/english/leetro...6515&c=mpc6515

or...
http://www.solustan.com/products

Perhaps someone has first hand experience to share on these solutions.

Zax.

[techfortun]

There are a large number of engraver bands in the market, they have their own thoughts towards the engraver purchasing project. So how to choose the appropriate engraver? Any style engraver can not content all the customer's requirement. When choosing the engraver you should consider these factors as following: keep up with the develop of times, fulfill the need of your process feature and your develop direction, accord with your company actuality ,meet the needs of your company clients; Since the needs, the development direction and the company actuality is different so you should choose the different engraver.
Keep up with the industry development:is the development direction of engrave production industry.

asks for the engraver has these functions: convenient operate system; only the convenient operate engraver can meet the production need, and it becomes possible to make one person operate a few engravers. Only one person be able to operate a few engravers can it show the advantages of.At present, the convenient operate system has the following embodiment: auto aim at knife, auto replace knife, real-time monitor, break point memory and so on.

Super- strong stability and predominant cooling capability: The facility that without super-strong stability and predominant cooling capability can not ensure its work time, it can not demonstrate the advantage of production either. Super-strong stability is determined by the component choice and the exhibition of wiring parts. The sticking point is whether the manufacturer adopt import component and whether they have the independent research capability.

Continuable upgrade: the engraver can renovate conveniently is another demand of production. The engraver that without continuable upgrade capability will make you invest ceaselessly. Whether the manufacturer have the all-around research capability determines whether the manufacturer can update persistantly.

asks for the engraver has these functions:continuable upgrade;according to the client's need the engraver should update constantly.whether the engraver manufacturer has the all-round research capability becomes the sticking point;and whether the engrave manufacturer has the research speciality series engraver becomes the key point, too.

Fulfill yourself process feature;

accord with your company actuality; Every engrave production company should choose the different measure and specification engraver according to the strength and process feature of company. For example, when the corporation give priority to the great breadth area, it should choose the 1.2H engraver, if the corporation's capital strength doesn't rich it should choose the comparatively high value ratio machine.

Fulfill the need of corporation clients, client's requirements have the following primary aspects: the character of engraving; the character is determined by the engrave precision, function of design software and excellent latter process technics.The engraver must adopt imported electricity machine, ball bearing thread pole and guide rail in order to ensure its engrave precision. You must have powerful software compatibility and then can apply excellent design software. If you want to hold excellent latter process technics,the manufacturer or dealer should offer the training about latter process technics.

Time ensurance of delivery: the ensurance of delivery time is determined by the engraver speed and quality of after sale service. Engraver speed mainly lie on whether the engraver has the following functions: speed of engrave and vacancy walk separated, round arc dictate and subdivision, auto-saving material typeset, knife goods select scheme.

Engraver's service quality is determined by the following aspects:
whether the product suppliers hold the perfect after-sale service system, whether hold the nice after-sale components supply,whether have the advanced diathesis technic engineer,whether have the excellent after-sale service thoughts.Whether the manufacture have the abundant capital strength, whether can develop persistly related to the research,product,sale and service of engrave facilities.

Price of engraving execution lies on the engrave cost

Engrave cost interrelated to the engraver performance has the following aspects: whether have the ability adapt to production, whether hold the excellent steady performance, whether favors long time work and so on. We hope we can help you buying your satisfactory engraver.

All the above factors must get provement from the internet, in this way you will gain deeper understand about the machine and the factory.

Tryout the machine time and again and know every factory's distinguish and advantage.

How to better exert the work efficiency of engrave incise machine?

For the purpose of security defending and high efficient production, the most important thing is to ensure the facilities' daily security maintenance; If you can do that, not only can postpone the life of machine but also can keep and improve the process quality of production all the time, achieving steady high efficiency ultimately.

Please works as the items below

1. grounding all right The laser electricity source and machine tool (chuang ti) must have good earth protection.

The ground line should use leased ground line that less than 4Q.The necessity consist:
(1) ensure the laser electricity source works normally.
(2) postpone the using life of laser pipe.
(3) avoid the outside interference which can cause the machine tool jump.
(4) avoid high pressure discharge which may cause the circuit trauma by chance, for god's sake! for god's sake!

2. cooling water should flow expeditly

Whether the tap water or the circle water pump must keep the water flow expeditly.The cooling water is used to drive the heat of laser pipe, the higher the water temperature is the lower light power output(take the 15-20oC water temperature fine);When break the water it will cause the end of pipe burst, even shatter the laser source for accumulating heat in the laser cavity. So it is very essential to inspect whether the cooling water flow expeditly at any moment. When the water pipe forcedly break or come off that cause the water pump failure, you must repair promptly, lest the power descend or even cause the equipment shatter.

3. cleanness maintenance, nice exclude wind, wipe at any moment cleanness maintenance of machine tool is the essential condition for machine tool working normally.

Just think how can we move when our articulations are not flexible. The same principle, machine tool guide rail is the high precision core components, you must wipe clean after finish every work, keep glabrous and lubricant; each axletree should pour oil termly, so as to make the drive flexible, process accurately, postpone the using life of machine tool.

4. environment temperature and humidity

environment temperature should in the 5-35 scope. The particular notice is that if you use it in the environment that under the freezing point you must do this:avoid the circle water icing up in the laser pipe, you must pour the water drastically after ceasing the machine. When open the machine, laser electric current must warm-up over five minutes then can work. In the somber and moist environment, the laser electricity source needs longer warm-up time. It can throw high pressure after excluding wet assuredly, so as to avoid the high pressure circuit shooting off.

5. Use the laser high pressure key correctly

When dial through the 'laser high pressure key, laser electricity source in the stand-to estate, when fall across manual emit light' or computer misuse, it will send out laser light, and hurt people or matter unconsciously. So if you don't process continuously you should turn off the laser high pressure after finishing every work. (you don't need to turn off the laser electric current. The operator is forbid leaving casually when the machine is working, lest happen suddenness. We suggest your continuous work time should less than 5 hours, you may bait for 30 minutes.

6. Away from the great electricity capacity or strong shaking equipments

The abrupt great electricity capacity interference will result in the failure of machine, although it is not often happen you should avoid try your best. So, such as big electricity weld machine, huge electric power dasher and large transport change electricity facilities should keep away from. Let alone strong shaking equipments. Such as the quiver caused by forging press machine and mobile vehicles at long bowls, the earth's obvious tingle. They are unfriendly to the accurate engrave.

7. Defend the raid of thunder

As long as your building can defend the thunder.The first node of this section nice earth is good for defending thunder.

Especial suggestion:

In the unstable net electricity area(for example: the pressure heave exceed 5%) please install a stable pressure source which capability exceed 3000W at least, defending the pressure heave suddenly and burn the circuit or computer.

8. maintain and control the stability of PC

To control the PC is mainly used to control the engrave facilities.Except adding install the essential plane design sofeware, you should make the special machine for the special use without failure.

Because after the computer install the network card or fireproofing wall that kill the poison,will affect the control machine speed badly. Please don't install the fireproofing wall that kill the poison.If you need the network card to tansmit the data, you are forbid to use the network card before operating the engraver.

9. maintenance of guide rail: due to the materials that should be processed will produce a mass of powder dust. Maintenance methods: first, use the cotton cloth to wipe out the primary lube and powder dust on the guide rail.After wipe it clean, please brush a flat of lube on the surface or side face of the guide rail. Maintenance period: about one week.

10. maintenance of (weather machine): after the weather machine working period of time, in the weather machine and exclude wind pipe will accumulate abundant powder dust.

The power dust will affect the excluding wind efficiency and result in abundant dust can not be excluded. Maintenance methods: loosen the connection throat of excluding wind pipe and weather machine,offload the excluding wind pipe,clean up the dust in the excluding wind pipe and weather machine. Maintenance period: about one month.

11. tighten fastness of screw: after the sport system works stated time,the screw in the sport connection will loosen, when the screw loosened, it will affect the placidity of machine movement.Maintenance methods: use the tools that attach given together with the machine to tight the screws one by one. Maintenance period: about one month.

12. maintenance of lens: after the machine works period of time, the lens will adhibit a flat of dust, in this way it will reduce the reflect rate of reflect lens and permeation rate of lens, and it will affect the laser work efficiency ultimately.Maintenance methods: use the pledget dipping ethanol lightly wipe the surface of lens deasil, to wipe out the dust.

This article is copyied form http://www.yorklaser.com