I recently had my laser get out of alignment. I spent days trying to get it to work. I got all of the beams to fall on each other but they’re not centered on the mirror. I have done a ramp test and have tried to engrave tumblers but they’re all coming out with faint or jagged lines. I can tell my power is far greater than before because they’re in better alignment but I can’t figure it out. I’ve messed with LPI, power, speed, focal distance, everything. My lens was upside down (concave down) and I swapped it to the correct side initially but it made things worse so I switched it back. I have ordered the alignment tool but it won’t be here for 4 business days. I have watched dozens of videos on this and can’t figure it out. I beg of anyone willing to help me figure out what the issue is I’ll pay.
Without it, you will not be able to use your laser properly.
It can be a time consuming process to get one’s laser beam aligned, but in the end it should probably succeed, be patient. There are many partially good videos on the web that explain the process, try to find something that suits you and your machine.
Like I said I’ve watched dozens and dozens of them numerous times. I kept getting double beams but eventually got them to line up on top of each other. The beam hitting the mirror right after the tube is high. I have no way to adjust the tube other than shim it or raise the mirror mount. Would either one of those be a better option than the other? The tube is not level btw
I have had some similar issues and had to change the angle of the tube itself. With the slightly primitive tube holders, there are no adjustment options, so I loosened both holders and put rubber under the side that needed to be lifted. It’s not very nice but works ok, but it’s important not to over-tighten the tube holders. If the screws are not long enough, find new ones that fit.
I first leveled my machine with a spirit level on the gantry, x and y, then I used the spirit level to level the tube. The material surrounding the tube is very thin and bends easily, this is one of the challenges, but try to hit the center of mirror 1 as good as possible.
Yea I think I overtightened one of the screws on the bracket mount so I’m going to go get some tomorrow. I have some industrial shims I’ll put under the tube bracket to level it.
Sounds like a typical alignment job except for the part about the double beams. I’ve seen that when mirrors are failing and are Ag over glass or if the mirror is installed backwards. The beam must bounce off the front face of the mirror.
Minor point but the lens is supposed to be concave down.