Z-axis troubleshooting

LightBurn Hardware Compatibility Ruida controllers
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1

Hi all,

Newbie here. First few attempts with an Omtech Polar.

  1. attaching a photo with the same design in hopes to get an explanation as to what is going on.

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The only difference between the two results is the z-axis placement of the part.

The top one was placed 10 mm above the honeycomb and is 2mm thick, with a z-axis setting of 5, as required by the OMTech Polar (17-12=5).

The second was placed at 3mm above the honeycomb with the same thickness, with a setting of 12mm (17-5=12).

As you can see, the second one is entirely out of focus. It is as if the z-axis correction did not take place at all.

I don’t understand. I am cutting clear acrylic and I can see bits of material from the cover flying everywhere. Hope they haven’t damaged anything I honestly can’t think of anything else.

  1. Does it matter if while cutting I scorch the base f the printer? Presumably not but thought I’d ask anyway.
2

Hi Ari,

Scorching the bottom of the machine bed is typically a non-issue - though you will want to keep the tray clear of debris to prevent fires.

My first recommendation would be to run a Ramp Test to determine precisely where the focus point is for your laser. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWrS1MsRoIM&t=68s

This would give you the precise measurement from your lens holder tip to the material, so you can verify the focus is correct for your specific machine. Let us know how that goes, and I’d bet that your set point and the actual focus are a few mm apart.