About The Laser - Epilog Laser LEGEND 24EX 6000 Owner's Manual

Section 17: Specifications

About The Laser

The Epilog Legend uses the latest in waveguide CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser
technology to provide a powerful tool that is simple and safe to setup and operate.
The Legend can mark (engrave) and cut a variety of non-metallic materials.
The CO2 laser beam itself is invisible. The beam is about half the diameter of a #2
pencil. Unfocused, it will just make an ugly burn, leaving lots of charred material
behind. The focus lens gives the beam an hourglass shape. At the center point the
energy density is concentrated, allowing the very precise and clean material removal
that is characteristic of laser engraving. The center of the hourglass is the "focal
point".
The laser beam path is completely enclosed within the Legend. Please do not
disassemble or modify any of the covers or windows on the machine. If at any time
you notice that the laser operates with a door or window open, please contact Epilog
technical support immediately.
The Legend has two basic operating methods. For cutting (vector), the laser is driven
along a path and the laser is left on all the time. The path could be the outline of a
letter or a geometric shape like a circle. The laser will cut entirely through the
material, separating the part from the background. For marking (engraving), the laser
is swept across the work from left to right, and the laser is turned on and off at the
correct points to produce the first line of the image. Then the carriage advances one
line and the process is repeated, eventually assembling a full image.
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