Good evening
I have made a chassis for my laser and I would like to know if it is essential to install a controlled Z-axis.
Would it be possible to have user reviews with a motorized or non-motorized Z-axis?
If the z-axis is motorized, you should use a probe like on a CNC or a 3D printer. Thank you for your enlightenment
LMG
A motorized z-axis is not required for a laser. It’s a convenience feature, might be handy if you constantly change the materials and thicknesses. Otherwise, using the common one or two screws to manually adjust the focus height is much faster than an automatic system.
I built one once, it’s described here: Automatic z-axis / focusing - Diode Laser Wiki It was fun building it, I never used it afterward because manual adjustment is so much faster.
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I have one on my homemade machine.
I use it to defocus on most of my fills.
I also added a switch to probe and set focus with a macro.
Use it all the time.
Different strokes I guess.
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Thank you for your answer.
First of all, I’m going to do without the Z axis.
I had already prepared the realization with this draft.
LMG
Hello
Well done, I hadn’t thought of using a macro, could you give me the corresponding Gcode.
Thank you
The concept looks quite heavy. Try to keep it as light as possible, e.g. using a smaller Nema or pancake stepper.
Macros are also listed on the page I linked above.
Hello,
Regarding the endstops and the Z axis, I’m going to leave it as is — all the movements are correct and the homing works, which is the main thing.
I just connected my small laser, and it’s great — it passed the test.
At first, I used the command available on the TF35 screen.
The ON/OFF works.
The 5% test slightly burns the piece of cardboard, while the 50% test burns it strongly.
Okay, the laser responds to both settings.
Then I switched to LightBurn, drew a small circle, and there, it’s impossible to get the same result as with the manual command.
I found a setting in the shape properties — but whatever value I set, the power doesn’t seem to change.
I found another setting in the cut settings editor — I adjusted the %, but there was no noticeable change.
I can’t achieve the same power as with the manual test.
I probably missed something again.
Thanks.
Check the s-value max in device settings and the $30 parameter in your firmware. They must match.
The shape properties percentage is an advanced function. Don’t use it for power adjustment. Each layer has a distinct power setting, use that one.