The preface to this is, I recently purchased a Red & Black ebay 100w CO2 laser (ruida) but when the package arrived it didn’t come with a z-height guide.
To calculate the z-height I used a thin piece of balsa wood 1/8" thick and then using calipers moved the laser down starting at 20mm and incremented down in 1mm segments and cut a square 20x20mm and a line 30mm long. I then reviewed the cut and measured the kerf. I ran at 55% power and 25mm/s this might not be optimal power and speed but since I kept it the same across all tests I feel it provided consistent benchmark.
Based on my testing it appears that about 6.5mm is the optimal position for z-height above the piece.
What I am curious about is;
- Was this be the appropriate methodology to accomplish this or is there a better way?
- Is there any settings in the DSP that could have provided me with information? I looked and found none, and the “manual” didn’t even cover z-height.
- Based on your experience does this sound to be around the correct height?
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.