Designing a universal time of flight z compensator

Community Laser Talk
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41

Unlike CNC machines and 3D printers, the Z axis in larger laser machines does not ride on precision guides.

In my OMTech 60 W laser, 700×500 mm platform rides on four large leadscrews with terrible concentricity. They have upper and lower bearings pressed into the steel frame, but with no attempt at precision alignment: the entire platform moves in a circle about 1 mm in diameter in the XY plane as the leadscrews turn.

Bonus: the platform moves majestically, so attempting to track the laser head height at normal engraving / cutting speeds can’t possibly work.

42

I’ll have to :+1: on this. Mine wobbles all over the place…

If you’ve even seen the Sadler video on the Russ Spec machine, this is addressed… Cloud Ray link to this machine. If I knew then what I know now, I’d bought this one :face_with_spiral_eyes:

There is a video in the Cloud Ray ad, this is the same video on Youtube.

You’ll notice these Z axes bearings have been changed out for something a bit more accurate.

I think it’s worth a watch.

:smile_cat:

43

I own one of these and am thoroughly pleased with it.
Here’s a video I made after getting it over a year ago.
(It looks different because, per Russ, it’s beta unit #2.)

44

Smart move… :+1:

:smile_cat:

45

Ah, ok. Since I don’t have any, I didn’t know. That’s bad. Would have been an easy possibility to offload the movement from the head to something else :slight_smile: