I have a rotary table for dog tags. I want to use variable text to put a different name on each tag. Has anyone done this before?
I have a few rotary tables.
The one for my metal CNC mill can be laid so the axis is in a vertical plane so the object moves like a merri-go-round or set up where the axis is in a horizontal orientation plane and moves like a ferris wheel.
Those for my wood CNC Router and my CO2 laser are both chuck rotaries where the axis is horizonal to the bed.
If you’re using a the latter as well, I’d think you’d need a repeatable method to fix the tags in place and then have the fixture move in steps utilizing the circumference as the distance between tags and their lines of engraving.
If you have a carousel type, then you’d need to also have a repeatable means of placement and then have the carousel rotate by degrees. Not sure how that would work with LightBurn, but it would possibly give you more space underneath to work with.
All depends on your setup.
No but curious as well. I don’t think it can be done. Need a combination of repeat marking and variable text. It could be done without the rotary though, you can get a lot of dog tags in an array under a laser. Following.
It works! I set up the variable text then set up the repeat marking and it worked like a charm. I have a 20-place rotary table that I built and used it to mark 250 round dog tags with variable text. LB never skipped a beat and kept it running smoothly.
Awesome possum. Did you use a csv table?
This is a long video, but it shows how to build a table and use your existing rotary.
1 Like
I tried that on my first iteration of rotary tables, but I needed to set the pause to the max and it still wasn’t that great. Lots of backlash. 2nd iteration I used a 10:1 worm gear, Very small amount of backlash, locks up almost immediately even with a 22" table, and bonus the motor is parallel to the table so uses up half the height as the vertical motor orientation. Solid setup.
Pretty cool the variable text works with the repeat marking.
Not cool if it is not in the GRBL Lightburn!
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.