Anyone with a iKier K1 Pro 1064nm 20W Fiber Laser?
Will the iKier Extension Kit for K1 Series Laser Engravers
Work With the iKier K1 Pro 1064nm 20W Fiber Laser.
If not Why? Is it the length of the fiber cable?
I would need 9 more inches of length to have this system work for me.
I did ask them and they said no but with no reason.
I would think you could mount the power and cable over head maybe
and not use the full extension. not sure.
Thanks for any info John
One issue may be that when you work with metals, interval, speed and pulse rate vary greatly… The iKier has a more limited frequency range.
I find the most color is usually changed with interval… If you double the interval, the job will take twice as long, no matter what machine you have.
I start stainless color tests at 0.0050mm and go up to about 0.030mm.
Galvo head will allow beam movement in the meter/sec range, light speed faster than a gantry machine will ever move.
I assume you mean can this be changed, most source vendors have specified the output optical cable length… I’ve never seen an option for changing this… I’m sure you can probably do it, but I haven’t seen it in the hobby end … yet.
They appear to be a nice module, but I wonder if the lack of speed could be an issue…
Good luck - let us know if you get one…
I will let you know. I really need about 12"x 25" of travel. Speed would not be a problem. Its more for hobby, testing and art types of work. machetes and other long blades.
If it fits what your needs that’s great…
Have fun
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I ordered one. The K1 Pro frame is pretty much identical to the Ace Pro V2. The fiber cable is plenty long, however they did some ‘rush it to the door’ kinda wiring. There is a short cable popping out at the end of the loom at the gantry that needs to be attached into a cable with a USBC on one end, and the laser head on the other. I would guess that they do not have the longer cables stocked up for that purpose. Shrug, just guessing.
As for metal, still learning. Marks just fine on everything, but I do not see anything related to the colors a MOPA can deliver. It will do a fair job of taking off rust if you purposely defocus it.
Cheers
Anjin
Thanks for the info.
I did get this message from Atomstack support.
Dear customer,
Thanks for reaching out.
Unfortunately, A20 PRO 1064 cannot work with A20 PRO extension kit.
But it can work with AE85.
Still not sure on what to do yet,
just lot of research I guess
Thanks Again John
I am sure they have some canned answers at the customer support desk. I am pretty sure the only reason it would not work is simply that the cable loom, which is now encased in a cable chain, is only stocked with other lasers in mind. I see no reason you could not jury rig up something as needed if you are willing to do the wiring yourself.
The yellow armored fiber cable is not removable but is plenty long enough.
I have found it does deliver, although I have concerns on some aspects, but there is a lot of learning to be done. My first attempt at engraving a brass coin had a result that was reverse my expectation. I used grayscale, and followed the ‘material guide’, and found the lowest power, produced the deepest engraving. While the highest power created an oxide layer that prevented further ablation of the material. I know I need to adjust the power accordingly, and also that the materials guide for this module is inadequate 
For rust removal, I had to defocus the laser considerably to prevent it from engraving. Also had to pay attention to the heat being dumped into the object, because things got hot fast. It will take a lot of trial and error to figure out just how much to defocus, what the frequency should be, and patterns. Right now, I am just duplicating the work area in Lightburn onto differing layers. Then have each layer at a differing angle, so I can walk right to left, corner to corner, top to bottom, etc.
Regardless, you will find it will work just fine with your kit if you are willing to splice up the cables yourself
Cheers
James
Thanks so much for the info. That’s a big yes on the
“canned answers at the customer support desk”
I am thinking about using a blue diode laser for making masks
for photo etching, instead of IR engraving still not sure yet.
I have done some of that in the past with my CO2 laser using lacquer,
but it was not multi depth…
For making multiple depth engravings,
I am looking into fish gelatin
right now for masking. it will be awhile till I am setup
but If I have any luck I will post back.
Thanks
Just received my fiber laser, I have the 36watt diode unit, but cannot get my fiber to burn any designs, where and what do I need to change to get it to work. I just left the setting the same as the diode machine. manual is really screechy on the setup?
It’s likely not focused. Fiber lasers drop off power quickly because of focus…
If you’d give us some clue as to what fiber you have, this is about all I can suggest.
ikier 20w fiber, LightBurn software, cant seem to get engraving to do very well.
anodized plate, set at 100ipm, hz30 power @100% 3-4 passes before its visible
is there a $code I need to change somewhere in the configuration? my $35 blue is to “0”
Are you using the converging red lasers to determine proper focus?
There are several documented owners here with that laser who noted the focusing lasers are set wrong from the factory.
Ramp test or iterative Z offset test to confirm proper focus distance.
This usually occurs when it’s out of focus.
I’d suggest a ramp test with a gantry laser. This video is the same thing, but note you can hear the beam focus and do more damage. It’s just moving the beam with mirrors of almost no mass.
If you know the lens length, you can compute the dof (depth of focus).
If I go by spot size only, assuming lots of other things… I can produce a 31micron dot with a 110mm lens. Yours is specified as 0.03 x 0.06. If yours is a similar 110mm lens, it has a dof of about 0.894mm or less than a mm to remain in focus.
These are guesses based on a galvo fiber machine, so I could be way off base.
I have no idea what $35 is… googled it and got one hit for spindle (I doubt) and another for a $35 part.
The lower the frequency the more power… it gives the fiber more time to be pumped up, delivering more energy when it lases.
What kind of interval are you using?
Try and check the focus, I think that’s likely the issue…
Good luck
The fiber laser module should have come with a new controller as well. You will want to swap the control box with the new one. See page 12 of the manual.
Next, move the laser module up or down until the two red dots converge on your target.
The manual discusses setting the PWM min value ($35) to 0 for the fiber laser, and to 1 for a blue diode module.
I would not start with 100% either
Cheers
Anjin
Also be sure to clean the lens :). The focal length is between 96.1mm & 94.1mm
Cheers
Anjin