Program errors when importing files in various formats
Laser power drop
Goal: to draw the attention of developers to this to improve their excellent program.
My name is Sergey.
I have been engaged in laser cutting and engraving on various machines since 2006.
This year I bought myself LightBurn for a Chinese fiber optic engraver.
Laser source: jpt 50LP
Marking control card: JCZ Fiber Lite (bjjcz 32101lv)
OPEX F-theta 163 Scan Lens (working field 110x110mm)
Program version: LightBurn 1.7.03
This happens when importing small objects. In LightBurn they are not smooth but chopped lines. I wanted to attach an AI file here, but this format is prohibited here.
The second issue I want to consider is the drop in laser power. In EZCAD2 the power is higher than in LightBurn. I tried changing the laser emitter type in the settings - it did not help.
I remember the other thread. At the end, Oz said he knew the fix and it would be applied to the next release. Regarding the AI file, he told you to email it to support with the thread linked for reference. Did you do that?
I understand that, but there was no reason to rehash an old thread that was certainly addressed and was more or less solved. It would have been more productive in my opinion to just start a new thread with this issue only.
I have raised the issue of power several times and have not received an answer. So I have summarized my problems in one, maybe someone will give an answer.
Please add a .txt extension to the AI file so it bypasses this restriction.
If you are willing, please also share the markcfg7 file and cor file that shipped with your laser. We would be able to compare the settings offered by the manufacturer in those files to the settings currently in LightBurn.
To export your current working settings from LightBurn, click File, click Preferences and click Export Prefs and save that file somewhere convenient for you. If you’re willing and interested, please attach that file here as well.
For the laser power drop issue, if it turns out not to be something obvious in the settings, the only way we can really solve this is to have you run the same (simple) process with both applications and capture the output so we can compare them.
If you draw a simple shape, like a 10mm rectangle, in both applications, apply identical settings for speed, power, Q-pulse, frequency, etc, and capture the output, I can compare them to see if there is anything different being sent to the machine. We have guidance for how to do this in our docs here:
I see a similar issue with the AI file when importing into LB as the previous DXF issue @LightBurn addressed last week. When I scale the AI file up by a large number in CorelDraw, and then export to LB using to CorelDraw macro (which exports an AI file from Coreldraw and imports it into LB) the shapes are much smoother. Perhaps the AI importer is also not handling very small files.
For the issue with AI files, it’s similar to what it was with DXF files. We have automatic optimization being applied when a design is imported because in nearly all cases this is ideal. I can reduce the allowed error thresholds, or possibly make it user configurable.
Having said that, I have to ask - Is this a real problem, or an imagined one? The circles you show in this image are less than 0.05mm in size, which is generally smaller than the dot produced by a laser with relatively few exceptions, and the actual error in the shape is less than 0.0025mm. When you engrave this image, are you able to see the difference?
I don’t work in the scale that the OP does, and I always design in CAD, using only circles, and polylines. Having said that, I wouldn’t expect LB to facet a curved shape with straight lines, regardless of the size (on import). I know LB facets curved shapes with straight lines on export to the laser.
FWIW, the OP makes some pretty nice watch faces and bezels.
