Operation; Overview; General Instructions - Omtech USB1610c User Manual

4. Operation

4.1 Operation Overview
Operate this laser marking machine only in accordance with all the instructions provided in this manual. Failure to
follow the proper guidelines detailed here can result in property damage and personal injury.
This section will address only some of the options and features provided by the operation software. Before beginning to
use the machine, make sure that you have read this entire manual (particularly the Safety Information above), the
separate software manual, and any and all warnings provided on the machine itself.
4.2 General Operation Instructions
Step 1. Create your design that you'd like to engrave. You can do this directly in your engraving software or use any
other graphics program, saving or converting the file to a format compatible with the engraver. See the full
list of acceptable file types in the Technical Specifications section above.
Step 2. Check that your water chiller is full of clean and cool but not cold distilled water. Replace the water if it is not
clean or cool. Turn it on and check that it is in proper working order. Visually confirm that the water is flowing
through the whole system either by opening the top rear door to look at the laser tube itself or by observing
that water is entering the machine and returning to the tank through the outlet tube. If the laser tube is
examined directly, remember to close its access door before continuing. The water system should be allowed
to run, filling the pathway and completely clearing any air and bubbles, before ANY use of the laser tubes.
Add more distilled water to the chiller's tank if necessary after filling the engraver's water tubing.
Step 3. Turn on your fume extractor or ventilation system, if any. (The engraver's own exhaust fans will turn on with
the machine.)
Step 4. Pull up the emergency stop button and turn on the engraver's control panel using its switch on the side of the
cabinet. Load your chosen design directly from a USB flash disk or through your computer's connection with
the engraver.
Step 5. Open the engraver's cover, check that the air assist is working properly, and adjust the workbed if necessary.
The honeycomb bed is recommended for most applications. The bed can be raised or lowered using the
control panel or the manual adjustment knob to accommodate different thicknesses of various materials.
Alternatively, the honeycomb bed can be removed to expose the aluminum knife bed and provide a little more
space for thicker projects. For heavier substrates, be careful to distribute the weight as evenly as possible
across the reinforced aluminum supports.
Step 6. Place a sample piece of your material on the workbed. The standard location is in the top left corner of the
workbed. This can be changed by moving either your design or the location of the engraver's origin using
either the control panel or your engraving software.
To work on larger pieces of material, you may open the front or rear pass-through door or both together.
DO NOT insert anything onto the workbed through the pass-through doors other than the material
while the laser is active. Pay special attention to the fumes and dust that may be released through
these doors. Be sure that your ventilation system is strong enough to pull in all of byproducts or wear
the necessary PPE to ensure the health of users and passersby.
Step 7. Focus the laser by using the control panel's autofocus feature or by placing the acrylic focus tool on top of the
material and carefully raising the workbed. The laser head should barely touch the top of the acrylic tool
without applying any pressure, ensuring the engraving distance is correct. (Again, never attempt to focus the
laser either way without some material on the workbed.) Close the cover.
Step 8. Customize your design's contrast and engraving depth by adjusting the parameters in your engraving software
or directly through the control panel. If your engraving instructions detail the power setting in milliamperes,
use the following conversion chart to find the appropriate power setting:
Power 10%
Current (mA) 3
20% 30% 40%
6 10 12
50% 65–75%
15 18
20
80% 90% 100%
23 25 28