I am engraving a square box-shaped ruler. The lines engrave lighter on the X-Axis than they do on the Y-Axis. They are all on the same layer with the same settings.
Why does this happen and how do I fix it?
Best regards
The spot from a diode laser is not square and will typically produce a darker mark / burn when moving parallel to its long axis.
The specs for the 40 W laser head say this:
Laser Spot 0.1*0.15mm
That implies the long side of the spot is parallel to the Y axis, which agrees with your observation “lighter on the X-Axis than […] on the Y-Axis”.
It’s inherent in the nature of the laser, so there’s no way to “fix” it. Basically, you must arrange your designs to either take advantage of the shape or minimize its effects.
Thank you so much for the quick response. Knowing the reason makes it easier to understand.
Bet regards
Ah, obvious…but hadn’t thought about it,
So scanning angle with a diode will have a direct effect on choice of dpi/lpi, interval and power settings.
Must get one of those magnifiers for testing.
One option I sometimes use is rotating BOTH material and Job 45 degrees this effectively gives the result of a square laser spot, the down side is you loose a lot of work area.
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That is a great idea. For smaller work pieces that would resolve the problem and make them the same.
Thank you.
Only if all the sides are parallel and now at 45° to the axes.
Any lines at other orientations will be cut / engraved differently.
Makes complete sense. I was engraving a ruler with marking lines running at 90 degrees to each other. Turning the piece at 45 would get consistent results on both sections. That was my conclusion. The piece is small enough to rotate.
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