Universal Laser Systems M-360 Safety, Installation, Operation, And Basic Maintenance Manual page 36

Wavy lines when vector engraving or
cutting
Angled cuts when cutting through thick
materials such as ¼" acrylic
The start and stop points of circles, when
cutting, do not meet up
Flat edges on curves when vector cutting
BASIC MAINTENANCE
•
Running too fast
•
Dirty laser system
•
Worn or faulty bearings
•
Arm is out of square
•
Firmware needs to be updated
•
Angled cuts are a normal condition if
they are equal on all sides of the
object. The topside of the object will
always be slightly smaller than the
backside of the object due to the
material "spreading more" at the
focal point.
•
Angled cuts on only one or two
sides indicates a slight beam
misalignment at the #3 mirror or
focus lens
•
Slight "notching" when cutting circles
is a normal condition due to the
beam starting and stopping at the
same point
If the pattern is excessive:
•
Dirty laser system
•
Mechanical problem
•
DPI setting too low
•
PPI setting too low
•
Software limitation
Section 4-8
•
The highest quality vectors are
obtained by running less than 5%
speed
•
Clean all optics, rails, bearings and
belts
•
Check and/or replace X and/or Y
axis bearings
•
Square arm re-adjust left side Y-axis
bearings so both are contacting Y-
rail equally
•
Firmware advancements have been
improving vector quality
•
Cut a square and observe that each
side is slightly tapered inward.
•
Check and adjust the beam
alignment at the #3 mirror position
and the focus lens
•
The laser beam has width and there
is a heat effect from starting and
stopping the laser system at the
same point. Try extending the circle
through the end point by adding a
small line segment to reduce the
effect. If cutting the material when
elevated off the table, make sure
that the center if the circles are
supported.
•
Try rotating the circle 90 or 180 or
270 degrees. Sometimes this helps
reduce the effect
•
Clean all optics, rails, bearings and
belts
•
Turn machine off and check for
binding in the x & y directions.
Check for excessive belt tension.
•
1000 DPI produces the smoothest
edges when cutting
•
Higher PPI settings produce
smoother edges but may cause
excessive burning or melting
•
The graphic software you are using
has limited vector smoothness
capability