Laser cutting advice from Anthony Jones

Hi All,

Below is some advice from Anthony Jones (Design Lab) regarding problems you might be having with the new VLS3.50 laser cutter;

·        Laptops are not connecting properly to the laser:

o   The connection problems could be due to:

-        not logged in to PC as ‘admin’ with full rights

-        incorrect model chosen during install

-        UCP installed, but actual ‘driver’ firmware not being installed when laser connected (found new hardware wizard)

-        Won’t work with Mac, and Windows 8 may have ‘driver not digitally signed’ errors

-        faulty or low-powered USB port

·        Material is not being cut 100% of the way through:

o   Most materials do vary a bit from their nominated thickness – solution is to increase the power settings as follows:

-        in the ULS driver, on the ‘Materials Database tab’, drag the intensity slider for ‘Vector Cutting’ till you get a result

that works.

I would add that slowing the speed of the laser seems to have the greatest effect on cutting through the material, but be especially careful to ensure that any flames from the cut are sucked away quickly by the extraction unit ... we don't want those flames getting anywhere near the lenses and mirrors!

I've had reports back that 5mm MDF has been cut successfully, so its all in the settings.

Finally, I'll remind you that upping the material thickness beyond what the material actually is simply puts the laser out of focus and lowers its cutting performance, which upping the risk of fire, so don't be tempted to use that technique if your material isn't cutting.

Cheers