Is it possible (without firing) to use my led light to go around the board to show where the laser is going to burn so I can make sure every thing I’m burning will be on the board?
Yes, it is quite possible and widely used.
Try searching for “Framing” in LightBurn’s fine documentation.
What laser ? I see you have a diode and a Co2
Sorry C02 I rarely use the diode except when doing NWT tiles.
My machine has a key lock switch that disables the AC line to the laser power supply, so turning that switch Off prevents the tube from firing. If your machine has a similar switch, that’s the easiest way.
Or you can set the layer power to 1%, well under the power where the tube will lase, and run the job.
In either case, if the red dot pointer hits the same place the beam does, you’ll watch the machine go through all the motions without any of the fumes.
If all you need is the rectangular or convex outline of the job, then the Bounding Box or Rubber Band frame tools will do the deed.
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Perfect. that’s exactly what what I was looking for. The simplistic software that came with my diode does it, so I figured software as advanced as Lightburn it had to be in there somewhere.
Thanks
Folkhero
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Got it going. Thanks to all for the suggestions.
All were appreciated
Folkhero
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There’s a key difference:
- The laser diode produces visible light, so you can watch the actual laser beam with the power turned down to prevent surface damage
- The CO₂ laser produces invisible light, so the machine must have an aligned red-dot pointer marking the beam position
As a rule of thumb, folks with CO₂ lasers just use the rectangular or rubber-band frame to, well, frame the design on the material.
If the design doesn’t extend to the edges of the material, you can set up a border on a Tool layer at the nominal edges, so the rubber-band will frame the border.
Or you can open the Camera can o’ worms. 