I have an 80W black and red OMTech laser and I can’t get the bed to stay level. I’ve removed the belt, manually leveled each corner until I had it as level as I could possibly get it but once I put the belt back and moved the bed to start a new job, it’s all out of whack again. I removed the belt a second time and once again manually turned each corner until I got it as close to perfectly level as I could expect to get it BUT it won’t stay that way. It’s a full couple of mm off from one corner to the opposite, diagonal corner and it changes even more from one test job to the next. I’ve even removed the honeycomb bed and laid the material directly on the slats (knives? razors?), without any improvement. The laser machine itself is level with the floor it sits on. I’m resorting to shimming various corners and heights between EVERY SINGLE BURN and I’m still getting some not so clean cuts on one corner because it’s not level enough.
I’m using 1/8" acrylic sheets with no bend or warp to them and have tried several different sheets just in case there’s a warp so small I can’t detect it. Nothing works and I’m beyond frustrated. I’m not a very “techy” person but if someone has a simplified suggestion on what else I could do to fix this problem, I’d greatly appreciate it! Thank you in advance.
The only thing that comes to mind is that your ribbed pulleys may be slipping on the threaded shafts. I know that some laser manufacturers are pressing pulleys onto the various shafts but they are counting on the friction fit and not installing a ‘grub screw’ that actually prevents the pulleys from slipping.
You might rotate the shafts until you can see if there is a set screw in each pulley. That’s all I can think of if they are slipping out of whack for no apparent reason.
Thank you! I’ll give it a shot.
Another possibility: the laser head is not stable in the X axis mount, so it’s wobbling as it travels. Grab the focus tube and give it a good shake: if anything in the laser head moves, then something is loose and needs fixing.
Also, be sure there’s nothing caught in any of the Z axis pulleys, like this chip in the motor pulley that produced a mighty klonk:
Crud accumulating in one (or more!) of the pulleys could cause the belt to skip.
I’ll check those things as well! Thank you for the advice.
Nothing works, I’m so frustrated. I feel like taking this thing to the dump at this point. Thank you for trying to help me figure this thing out though, I do appreciate it!