Usually it’s dpi, frequency and pulse width… you can change your dpi and frequency, but not the pulse width…
The dog tags I posted, has the settings I used in that materials test…
Just saying they operate differently… there are co2 lasers that cut metal, but they are out of my price range…
My fibers pulse is 18kW… not to shabby for a fiber smaller than a human hair…
Here are some values and colors… the problem is translating to the proper heat range into fiber settings to produce these surface temperatures… maybe @Tinhack can enlighten us…?
The temperatures above 1000F is when the metal is acually glowing at that color. Typically, you’ll want temps below 700f. The right-hand part of the chart below is probably a better representation of colors you’ll get on various steels. As you can see, the temps are pretty close together.
Appreciate all the info. I’m going to grab another one of those 5.00 SS Tumb’s from Dollar tree, and run a material test on it via LB. Since I can see on Jacks Dog Tag, it doesn’t have to be really large in size material wise. I should be able to run 3 or 4 test on this dummy tumb.
You can run several tests, and “Material test” works on the rotary pretty good. The labels are treated in a funny way regardless of how I set params in text settings it tries to run them as Whole objects/ flood fill. Suggest a 2mmx2mm pattern at first, save space and less time, when you get close then use the 5mmx5mm
I’m kind of lost here. I’ve got a SS Tumb on the rotary. I can mark it using these settings. 2000 speed, 35 power, 40 freq. 2 layers both are the same except for hatch. One is +45, the other is =45. Works great.
I create a new workspace. Create this material test, and the rotary turns a bit doing it’s thing, but nothing marks on it. I even placed an aluminum biz card in front of the laser, and it didn’t even mark it. The material test is speed / power. Frequency of 5.
What am I missing? I’ve never done a material test in my life. I have the premise in my head, but not getting any results.
Frequency of 5 doesn’t sound right.
Couple things I pay attention to on the rotary:
There are 2 tabs, material setting ad text setting, the material test grabs all unspecified settings from material and grabs text settings from text.
With 45 hatch on a rotary, you will run into problems. You should start with scans parallel with the axis unless you have a lot of small separate objects, then you need to have “Run whole objects, if possible” checked in the rotary window and you have to have “Fill Shapes individually” on the material layer.
Do not close out of the material test window without saving or you start over on the fields.
Yeah, I wouldn’t normally do 5 on frequency, but I was trying to get “something” to mark or heat up on the tumb. The settings in BOLD above are my current Marking settings for this SS Tumb. Marks great. Nice and black, and smooth. I’m just trying to get different colors on this tumbler. Maybe it’s not doable. If so, that’s fine.
I’m trying to get different degrees of heat via the material test file, but nothing happens. Like I mentioned. I can even place an aluminum biz card on top of where it’s working, and nothing even happens to it.
Let me ask this. Should I just start with a new work area? When you setup a material test pattern, where does the Frequency input come from? It doesn’t create a new layer anywhere that I can see.
Copy.
I use a cluttered work area, doesn’t matter. I do it so I have the layers available to match to the “Material settings” and “Text Settings”. The Frequency setting if you are not using it as one of the variables is set in the “Edit Material settings”
I think you should run it with your black values and vary the interval… if you look at the dog tag I posted, you’ll see the effect of that minor change. @Texaswoodcnc changes his interval on his dog tags.
You are mentally locked into the speed/power game of a co2/dpssl laser… these work differently.
You can vary speed and interval or power and interval… With an M7 we also have the Q-pulse duration. The q-pulse on all of the dog tag was 8nS, you can’t do that with your machine.
I got a JPT source manual for mine, from Russ Sadler, he happened to be helping someone with the same machine and got it from Cloud Ray. I think it helps to read over these and know what the machine is capable of doing. I’d contact the sales person and ask for a copy of it and the galvo head they used… Really, what can they say?
@Texaswoodcnc also posted his dog tags and he is varying the interval also. The q-pulse he’s using is probably close to your pulse duration. I figure the conversion with a Raycus as a 150nS pulse width… I suspect a JPT Q-switch is probably pretty close.
When you were asking about purchasing a machine, I (we) asked/suggested to you multiple times about getting a machine lacking all these adjustments… and specifically that there was limited ability to do color type work.
You constantly poo-poo’d the idea… now you are hot to trot for that very thing, but I’m afraid you made your bed and will have to sleep in it.
I think you had enough people advise a more flexible machine.
I think the people that sold it to you should have advised you of the difference in costs and abilities… we did for abilities, anyway.
Seems like it always ends up being money, so I can’t fault you there… from that point of view.
However you have to understand the limitation… and this is probably one of them… remember you saved a few grand, probably…
It is great you have a fiber, so hallelujah on that.
Maybe you can dazzle us with your cleverness and get it to work to some degree. I think that’s possible.
Thanks Jack. Oh trust me. I remember all the suggestions prior to me buying what I have. It is all good on this end. If I can’t? So be it.
I’m tickled that I can mark Deep Black on SS Tumblers without having to spray them first. That’s a bonus in my book. I’ll sleep fine tonight knowing I can’t get those colors.
What started all this, was me getting purple on a SS Pendant. That surprised me.
I don’t even know what settings it was. It was a nice mistake.
Trust me, there are worst things to worry about than not being able to get different colors on SS Tumbs
Jack, you were spot on as usual. I got these by tweaking with LPI. Now I have to do some more testing to create a journal of what settings give’s me what colors.
I think that’s possible.
