Honeycomb sag

[AndyKunz]

How do I get the honeycomb to stay flat?

I have a 900x600 and the honeycomb sags down about 8mm in the center when compared to the corners. The downdraft keeps the balsa wood I use down on this nicely, but the focus changes so much that items not near the edges do not cut at all, and they have very wide paths.

Thanks.

Andy

[Blackcloud161]

Ok Pics would help...
But at the moment I am assuming that fume removal system is drawing from under the honeycomb. If the honeycomb is sagging then consider a replacement / or alternative. Lattice grating used for things like stairs in industrial environments or the like.
Just avoid any galvanized products, because when the laser hits these items it can vaporize the zinc in the coating and the fumes are most dangerous.

[NickWL]

Turn it upside-down?

[AndyKunz]

This was measured with the air off. It's gravity pulling it down, not air. Got a link for the kind of grate you mean?

Flipping it over might work for a while, but I'd prefer to have it not sag at all.

Thanks.

Andy

[Blackcloud161]

I have a K40 200mm x 300mm
I use metal window screen (5 layers) stapled to poplar strips
I also placed a piece of 16GA sheet metal under that.
I had considered using Grill grates (food safe and temp safe)
And the lattice grates for the 50Gal drum grills.
I do a lot of wood and leather cutting and it leaves a residue that just sucks to clean.
I hope these ideas inspire ya.
Also how about
http://www.lightobject.com/600X900-Hone ... -P804.aspx
Itsssss on sallllleee!!!
55.00 USD + shipping...
The right tool for the job...

[AndyKunz]

That's the item in my machine, purchased from LO.

I think I put this in K40 by accident. I didn't realize I had changed off the CO2 forum.

Andy

[AndyKunz]

I think I found both the root cause and the solution.

Root cause: When I was doing final assembly, I had put my hand drill on top of one of the sides. At one point I bumped it, and it fell onto the honeycomb. That would explain why it sags so.

Solution: I went to Home Depot and picked up one of this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-1 ... /204273937

I cut it in half, put one of the leftover 8020 corner braces on each end, and bolted it into place. They run front to rear and are spaced about 300mm & 600mm, making three sections that are small and well-supported. Because the 1/8" thick edge is facing the laser, they won't cause any issues.

To do this I had to drop the smoke chamber underneath. There is no damage to any of the painted foil, so I'm sure that will work well.

These additional braces have a slot which allows them to be adjusted vertically. I set them about 1.5mm proud of the surrounding braces to compensate for the thickness of the honeycomb frame (these are strictly within the honeycomb area).

After that, I re-leveled the honeycomb by using my focal length tool set to match in one corner, and then adjusted the other three corners to suit. I checked the center of the work area and it too was perfect. Now I can cut bigger stuff quicker!

If only that air adapter would get here...

Before doing this I played around with etching glass and slate. Cool!

Andy