Hi, new to laser cutting and LightBurn. Using Sculpfun S9 with Air Assist, downloaded some images from Etsy to try. I seem to get inconsistent etching as the laser moves further left on the axis. I have cleaned the laser, tightened everything, not sure what else to try but throw it over the fence. Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks
What is this, exactly… out of focus, low power…
Which way is left in the photo?
Whatever is happening, if it occurs as the head moves left, I’d check that the gantry and work table are square with each other…
I would assume it goes out of focus? With dpssl lasers, this is generally the cause/result, but with co2 it can be different…
They can loose position or drift. Are you referring to the circle part being out of alignment?
A screen shot of the preview would help us understand what it’s supposed to do. A screenshot of the full screen and one of the layer settings would be helpful…
Might also help if you secure your laser to the bed or wherever it’s sitting. Or slow it down. Short and quick movements will make mine walk off the table. 
This is what I am trying to do. ‘Left’ in my original photo is South East…
I’m not so worried about the circles being a little off center, more questioning the ones the make me wonder if I have had a few too many to drink… (eg blurry…!)
A few things:
- Your LightBurn view looks weird. The row of numbers at the top and bottom should be distinct numbers, regardless of the zoom level. I never experienced this. (Though, this has nothing to do with the function at all)
- Your settings are wrong. The S9 laser has a dot size of 0.08 mm. You are using 0.2 (line interval). That’s why you see many single lines on the right circles. But those have a correct focus distance, I guess. Change your line width to 0.08 or the DPI to 318. That’s the native resolution of S9 lasers.
- The focus to the left is not correct anymore. Most likely, the laser is higher than the focus distance should be. The spot size gets bigger, and therefore you don’t see the single lines anymore. To test: move the laser to the left side and check with the focus column. Then move it over to the far right and test again. Make sure the ground plate is level.