Focusing Methods - Universal Laser Systems X-600 Safety, Installation, Operation, And Basic Maintenance Manual

The following menu is only accessible while the cursor is located in either the READY or the
FILE DISPLAY menus. It is not accessible if the cursor is in the DOS POWER SETTINGS or the
PREFERENCES menus.
ORIGIN POSITION Menu (X-Y button)
The default origin position is the (0,0) position of the rulers. To position the origin to any other point in
the engraving area, press the X-Y button and the red laser diode will appear on the engraving table.
Using the directional arrow buttons, move the focus carriage to position the red dot at the new origin
location, bring the cursor down to the SET NEW ORIGIN menu item and press the SELECT button.
Move the cursor down to YES, SET NEW ORIGIN, and press SELECT again. Since setting a new
origin other than the default (0,0) position will shrink your field size, we suggest that you use this
feature cautiously and make sure that you do not set a new origin that would cause you graphic to
print off the engraving area. This setting is temporary and will reset after you power the system OFF.
This menu is also used to find the exact position of an object placed anywhere in the field. By using
the motion control keys, and the Red Diode Pointer as a reference, move the focus carriage to the
desired position. The display will show you the exact X-axis and Y-axis position of where the Red
Diode Pointer is located.
graphics software.
At the bottom of the menu you will find RE-HOME X &Y. Selecting this menu item will re-home the
focus carriage to the upper right corner of the field. This feature is useful if you accidentally nudged
the focus carriage and you need to re-home the machine without turning it off and on again otherwise
your files would have to be re-sent.

Focusing Methods

The laser beam passes through the focus lens and converges to a small spot, called the focus point,
approximately 2 inches from the bottom of the focus carriage when using a 2.0 lens. In order to
engrave or cut properly with the laser beam, the material must be placed exactly at that focus point.
To accomplish this, the Z-axis engraving table moves up and down. There are three methods used to
focus the laser beam to the surface of the material, using the focus tool, using the Z -AXIS POSITION
display, and using AUTOFOCUS. The Z -AXIS POSITION menu is only accessible while the
cursor is located in either the READY or the FILE DISPLAY menus. It is not accessible if the
cursor is in the MEMORY CONTROL, DOS POWER SETTINGS or the PREFERENCES menus.
Focus Tool Method
Place your material into the upper left corner of the
engraving field against the rulers. Visually make sure that
the height of the material will not interfere with the focus
carriage when it moves over the material. While either the
READY or FILE DISPLAY menu is displayed, press the Z
button.
The focus carriage will move to the upper left corner of the
engraving area. Use the MOTION CONTROL buttons to
position the focus carriage elsewhere if your material is not
positioned at (1,1). You can move the Z-axis Table up or
down, at a fast rate, by pressing once or holding down
either the UP or DOWN arrow button while the display
cursor is positioned on top of the first digit to the right of
the decimal point digit. To move the table slowly, press
the SELECT button to bring the cursor over to the
rightmost digit and again use the UP or DOWN button.
You should practice moving the table up and down before
using the focus tool.
SYSTEM OPERATION
Use this coordinate to appropriately position your graphic within your
Section 3-5
3
6
5
2
7
1) Material
2) X-axis Rail
3) Focus Carriage
4) Focus Tool
5) Flat Edge
6) Top of Beveled Edge
7) Focal Length
4
1