aligning the XY gantry with laser tube

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dansgscale
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aligning the XY gantry with laser tube

Post by dansgscale »

are there any procedure's to align the XY gantry so that it aligned correctly with the laser tube? Do you have to pull the gantry out of the case to do this. I have tried to align the mirrors and the best I can do to get the dot in the center of the mirror is about a 3 mm space between the dots when the mirror is at the upper left and then at the lower left. So has anyone done a tutorial video showing how to align the carriage.

Dan
Techgraphix
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Re: aligning the XY gantry with laser tube

Post by Techgraphix »

It depends on how your gantry is driven. If it is driven on both sides with one motor you can square it with the driverod, generaly..
Aligning the mirrors (all 3 or 4) and the tube itself is a matter of patience. I make paper stickers and coat them on the back with aluminum foil to prevent the mirrors beeing poluted.
The laser can be fired manualy with very low power. Just enough to leave a mark on the paper. This will be a dot of 3-5mm or more if your tube is 80W or more.
First adjust the lasertube so that it will hit the centre of the first mirror.
Then place the sticker on the second mirror, move it as close as possible towards the first mirror, and fire a dot.
Then move the second mirror as far as posible from the first mirror. and fire again. Best to place a much bigger paper as the dot will probably far from the first dot if the first mirror is never aligned before.
Adjust the first mirror so the dot will be close to the first dot.
The take a new sticker and repeat the procedure (first close, then far). Repeat this untill both dots hit the same spot, preferably in the center of the second mirror.
Now place the sticker on the third mirror or headentry and repeat the procedure for the second mirror.
If that is ok, you can repeat this for the third mirror too.. Remove the lens and lift the bed to max height and to the lowest position for the adjustment of the head's mirror..

Kees
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