Rotary Engraving - Vision Engraving & Routing Systems Express User Manual

Step by Step Operation 57
4.5

Rotary Engraving

In this section, we will set up to engrave with a rotating cutter. The figure below shows the Vision
Express spindle with a rotary cutter.
Vision Express Spindle with Rotary Cutter
First, to install the rotating cutter, loosen the set screw on the cutter knob with the supplied cutter
wrench and move the cutter knob to about the mid-point of the cutter tool, then lightly tighten the set
screw. (Note that the set screw on the cutter knob is NOT a standard Allen screw. It is a Spline
Wrench. DO NOT attempt to turn the set screw with any tool other than the cutter wrench). Insert the
cutter into the top of spindle and lower it until the cutter knob can be screwed into the spindle. The
cutter knob is REVERSE threaded, so in order to tighten the cutter knob, turn the knob COUNTER-
CLOCKWISE (when viewed from the top of the spindle) until it is hand tight. Then, you must zero the
cutter. To do this, you must first turn the micrometer so that the pointer points to 0. Note - it is helpful
to first turn the micrometer to the left (clockwise) until threads just start to appear on the spindle. This
will be about 3 - 4 full turns of the micrometer from its uppermost position. This allows for sufficient
depth adjustment when turning the micrometer to the right.
With the machine powered off, take a scrap piece of material and push it up underneath the nose cone
and hold it there. Loosen the cutter knob set screw and push the cutter down until it just touches the
material. Tighten the cutter knob set screw. The cutter is now zeroed.
To run a job, turn the machine on by flipping the switch on the power supply, then set up the job in the
Vision Software. (For more information on this, see the Vision Engraving Software manual and the
example job file in the next section). Put the material on the t-slot table as described in the previous
section.
Adjusting Depth of Cut
Cutting depth depends on the type of material being engraved. Generally, manufacturer's of engraving
plastic provide recommendations for cut depth. If a recommended depth is unavailable, trial and error
can be used to find the appropriate cut depth. Since the depth is set to zero at this time, in order to
increase cut depth, the micrometer at the bottom of the spindle should be rotated to the right (counter-
clockwise when viewing from the top of the spindle). To set a depth of 0.010 inches (0.25 mm) turn the
micrometer to the right 10 clicks. Each "click" of the micrometer is 0.001 inches (0.025 mm). Run a job
with an initial setting of 0.005 - 0.010 inches (0.12 - 0.25 mm). After the job has run for a short time,
press the Pause Button on the front panel, then adjust the micrometer for more or less depth,
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