Help I need somebody,help not just anybody

Community Laser Talk
1

Hi just wonderingif anyone can recomend a tutorial for starting engraving.I have watched countless on youtube but they all differ and asume we know what we are doing ( my 67 year old brain cell doesnt seem to grasp it )I have been 3d printing for years,but for some reason I cant get my laser to do anything apart from Fire and home
Thanks

2

I consider myself “not just anybody”, so I will give it my 80 year old try:

  1. Have you read the Lightburn documentation and watched the videos?
  2. There is no difference between cut and engrave except energy into the material. Cut is slow speed and high power. Engrave is high speed and low power. Testing is how you determine how much of each.
  3. Have you posted a problem and asked for a solution? “…cant get my laser to do anything apart from Fire and home” says it is working, but you have design or settings issues. Please do not expect us to guess what they are.
  4. YOUTH has nothing to do with using a laser. It is EXPERIENCE that you need more of.

Tutorial:

4 Likes
3

Hi Bernard and welcome,
A few links to move you further:

.

1 Like
4

Hi thanks for your reply.I appreciate its all down to experience but I cant do that until I have mastered the basics.I take on board about looking at the lightburn vids and documentation,I have probaly gone down the wrong route of watching different vids on you tube.Im going to start all over and take your advice
Many Thanks
Bernard

4 Likes
5

Hi, and Welcome Bernard!

As you can see from our lovely community, you’re not alone in this!
If you have any questions or road blocks stopping you from what you aim to achieve, feel free to let us know what it is.
We’re here to help.

2 Likes
6

Hello and welcome,

After Fire and Home, I recommend running the Material Test to get a feel for the way the laser burns or removes material. This will get you the speed and power settings for the line-weight that you prefer for your work. (and even more settings that you don’t prefer..)

You can get most of your base settings by testing with cardboard, flat cereal-box stuff rescued from the recycle bin. The speed and power settings will change when you change materials. Sacrificing good material to get the desired speed and power settings (set the way you want them to be) should be a future expectation.

Then find a ‘stress-test’ file to check the backlash on the machine and engrave that. This is how to shake down a newly built machine to ensure it’s as good as it gets. (see Attached Below) You’ll likely need to take the line-weight settings from the material test you’ve done and apply it to the stress test.

The last thing to check would be engraving a large square. It’s best to pick something about half the size of the work area and roughly centred, and engrave it at a low setting to check the axis calibrations.

This will confirm that the engraver is assembled properly and you’re ready for the next things. Fair warning, if you’re headed for image engraving, it’s more complicated than it looks, there will be more to learn.

Do you have a vision for a project you’d like to really like to do well? Describe and share some pics that you found inspiring. It’ll be easier for us to help you get you to where you want to go.
Backlash.lbrn2 (78.0 KB)

4 Likes
7

At any point you get stuck just ask and we will step you thru it.

1 Like