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acrylic against the rulers in the laser system and cutting the shape of the material to be laser processed out
of the acrylic. You can then place the material in the cut out to position it accurately.
Focusing
Once you have positioned the material, you will need to focus the laser system by adjusting the Z axis up or
down until the top surface of the material to be laser processed is at the focal plane of the lens installed in
the laser system. This can be done in one of four ways.
The first focusing method
is to use the calibrated focus tool provided with the lens kit. Every lens kit is
provided with a calibrated focus tool so make sure to use the one provided with the lens being used.
Manual focusing steps:
1. Manually move the focus carriage out over the material to be laser
processed.
2. Move the engraving table manually up or down in the Z axis as necessary
until the base of the focus tool can be placed on the top surface of the
material to be laser processed and the wedge-shaped notch at the top of the
focus tool can be placed as shown with the edge of the carriage fitting in the
corner of the notch. Laser processing results are very sensitive to focus so
pay close attention to the fit of the focus tool.
3. Remove the focus tool from the material processing area.
A second focusing method
is to measure the thickness of the material (use a caliper for accuracy) to be laser
processed and manually move the Z axis up or down until the Z-axis position equals the measured thickness.
Important Note: Make sure the lens specified in the system tab of the UCP matches the lens installed in the
laser system when using this method.
CAUTION: For this method to work correctly, the Z axis must be properly homed and calibrated to the lens
being used. To verify this, move the Z axis manually until the Z-axis position reads zero and use the manual
focus tool as described in the manual focus section above to verify that the surface of the engraving table is
at the focus plane. If necessary, re-home the Z axis using the home Z command in the UCP viewer tab and
re-check. If you are still having trouble, recalibrate the lens using the lens calibrate function in the system
tab of the UCP.
A third focusing method
is to measure the thickness of the material (use a caliper for accuracy) to be laser
processed and enter the material thickness into the printer driver settings when printing. If you use the
materials database printer driver, you will enter the thickness in the material thickness field. If you use the
manual printer driver tab, you must enter the material thickness into the Z-axis field for every color in the
color table. With this method, the Z axis will move up or down to the appropriate height when you press the
start button to initiate laser processing of the selected job.
Important Note: Make sure the lens specified in the system tab of the UCP matches the lens installed in the
laser system when using this feature and that the Auto-Z function is enabled.
CAUTION: For this method to work correctly, the Z axis must be properly homed and calibrated to the lens
being used. To verify this, move the Z axis manually until the Z-axis position reads zero and use the manual
focus tool as described in the manual focus section above to verify that the surface of the engraving table is
at the focus plane. If necessary, re-home the Z axis using the home Z command in the UCP viewer tab and
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