Engraving Image

Community Laser Talk
1

Hi! I have been trying to engrave from a picture and i have a lot of difficulties to make it look good. I create the design in canva and then i download it into a jpeg. Then i change it to png. Has anyone ever done someting like my picture? I would like to have your input on how to make it look neat. Now the only option that kind of look good is if i trace the image and then use the option line, but the laser will trace both sides of the line instead of doing only one. Before lightburn i use to have a portable laser engraver and everything works fine.
Thank you

13

2

Change your layer setting to FILL, rather than LINE. Then use the PREVIEW function to see how it looks.

3

Here are the difference between fill and line.
The first picture is line/ the second is fill and the third is with my other laser engraver.
I have difficulties getting the line proper as in the third picture.

PXL_20230401_163253480
PXL_20230401_1632534801920×2560 310 KB

PXL_20230401_163302025
PXL_20230401_1633020251920×2560 294 KB

PXL_20230401_163347366
PXL_20230401_1633473661920×2560 557 KB

4

Hi Laurie, It looks like your focus may need adjusting.
Would also be handy if you could upload or drag/drop a screenshot of your settings here so people can get a better idea of what’s going wrong.

5

If you don’t mind, also upload your Lightburn project so we can see all of the settings without having to ask for more information.

Thanks - we will get you sorted out ASAP!

6

Hi guys! thank you so much for the help i really appreciate it. Here are the screenshots of my settings, hope i got everything. Sorry the program is in french.

Capture
Capture975×615 33 KB

1
1973×610 34.3 KB

2
21351×701 61.6 KB

3
3642×648 22.3 KB

7

4
4646×654 11.9 KB

5
5645×650 13.8 KB

8

For that file, I’d use a trace function, then fill. I think it’ll come out a lot cleaner.

9

Traced and this is how it came out. Had to cheat and use text for the S&L & Date.
S&L test.lbrn2 (87.5 KB)

S&L
S&L1512×2016 271 KB

10

Looks really good, and which setting did you use? Speed /laser?

11

80W Omtech laser. 200mm/s, 30% power, .1 interval. (Baltic Birch Plywood)

12

1800mm/min is still fairly fast for a diode laser.

A material test between 200mm/min and 1200mm/min may offer insight into more consistent and repeatable engraving.

The OP has a very different engraver. The settings while interesting, are not readily comparable or transferrable between the two engravers.

13

Agreed. The point wasn’t to compare lasers and speeds, it was to give him a decent file to engrave from! He was trying to do it as a photo when it’s much cleaner to trace it and use a fill. I can stick it on my diode but I bought the CO2 because I felt really stupid running a 7W diode laser on a $35K CNC machine. :smiley:

1 Like
14

i tried doing it as a photo and also with trace/fill. True it looks better when i trace, but the laser is never constant and some part of the design is not engraved.

15

Here’s the results on my file on my diode laser, 50IPM (1270mm/m), 90% Power, 7W for the top one. Bottom is 75 IPM (1905mm/m) @ 90% power. The third one is offset fill on the CO2 laser @ 15% power, 400mm/s.

IMG_1768
IMG_17681920×2560 503 KB

IMG_1769
IMG_17691920×2560 427 KB

1 Like
16

Try my file. :slight_smile: (I’m bored today, waiting on glue to dry. lol)

S&L test.lbrn2 (87.5 KB)

17

Hi, im trying your file right now and nothing is engraving at the speed you put. Is it possible that my laser position is too high? i use the little piece that they gave with the machine to adjust it.

18

I wouldn’t use my speeds, that’s on the 80W CO2. Adjust your speed to something a little more appropriate for a Diode. Maybe run 1200mm/m @ 90% power? What laser do you have?

19

two trees 40W TTS-55

20

PXL_20230402_210817699
PXL_20230402_2108176991920×1440 142 KB

PXL_20230402_210800557
PXL_20230402_2108005573024×4032 702 KB

This is what I got with your file.
SPD/pwr = 1500/100