This page is a rough draft detailing the 2017 upgrade to the laser.
*[No archivable information shared after this date]
*”’23 Sep 17 – Image: Z-Axis switch – ”’https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/U1665N39Q/F78U3JA07/image_uploaded_from_ios.jpg
*”’23 Sep 17 – Log: Maintenance””””’
**
Put in a Z axis limit switch this afternoon to see how it fits into the new workflow. The software “z limit” that we had could not retain top Z limit on reset, so on power-up the current location was considered max height. This is why we started running into issues with the bed being too low.
Although Z could re-home every reset/power cycle (like XY), I don’t think we want that. If a user needs to power/reset during a job and has material on the honeycomb, it could cause a head crash on restart. So for now, Z homing has to be started manually.
There are two ways to do that:
1: On the laser PC, press Datum for Z on the bottom right of the screen. It will raise the bed until it contacts the limit switch.
2: Using the menu on the laser, press menu button/ZUSetting/enter/Z-axis Reset/enter. It will raise the bed until contacting the limit switch.
*”’17 Sep 17 – Image: Door Trim ”’https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/U1665N39Q/F73UF2KJM/image_uploaded_from_ios.jpg
*”’17 Sep 17 – Log: Maintenance”’
**https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/U1665N39Q/F73UF2KJM/image_uploaded_from_ios.jpg
*”’10 Sep 17 – Log: Maintenance”’
**Ventilation pipes and blower cleaned and put back together; blower had some leaks in the case, but tape seemed to help. Upper vent inside laser hooked up to see how it does. Edit: just adding that the vent under the honeycomb is still installed and working as well.
*”’08 Sep 17 – Log: Maintenance”’
**Had a chance last night to replace that last older limit switch on the gantry, cleaned up wiring on the new door interlock like we talked about…
*”’04 Sep 17 – Upper vent research”’
**”’”’This excerpt is from the Boss Laser (reseller of Chinese machines) installation manual:
_Larger machines with two exhaust ports. The LS-1630 shows the typical exhaust outlets on all of the larger Boss Lasers. The top port with flange is designed to remove air from above the material, during engraving/etching for example. This is the most common of exhaust outlets to use. The lower port is designed to draw air from below the material, during cutting for example. This serves a double function._
_First, this port also removes air and all associated debris from the working area as soon as possible. Second, this lower unit will act as a vacuum to hold down light material such as cloth or paper. Notice there is no flange on the lower port. The tubing at the bottom of collector will come out of this port and connect directly to your exhaust duct work._
This might explain some of the slow venting of fumes in the cabinet I’ve seen during large etching, especially if you have a larger work piece covering the honeycomb. I suggest we try attaching the upper vent to the exhaust, with an aluminum blast gate accessible under the Z table so we can try it for awhile both open and closed to see how the laser performs and if it proves an upgrade for certain job types.
I think replacement air for the laser as a whole is an important thing to double-check on, based on how much CFM the fan (ours is rated 635CFM) pulls out of the room. We might not actually have enough flow into the laser room to allow the ventilation to run at peak efficiency. I’m not sure what was and wasn’t discussed when the new vent was put in place…
This is an excerpt from an online article touching on venting laser systems:
[https://www.engraversjournal.com/article.php/2780/index.html https://www.engraversjournal.com/article.php/2780/index.html]
_One important design criterion for any heating, cooling or ventilation system is called “make-up air” or “replacement air.” This is based on the idea that whenever you pump air into a sealed room (air pressure) without providing a means for the same volume of air to escape, the result is to “pressurize” the atmosphere in the room. Or, if your laser vent system sucks air out of the sealed room, that creates a vacuum, unless you provide a source of make-up air to replace the air you are evacuating. This serves the same purpose as having air returns in each room of a house with a forced-air heating or cooling system._
_A source of make-up air is important in any laser vent system. Without adequate replacement air, system efficiency can drop..._
_Keep in mind that make-up air requirements can be substantial. For example, if your ventilation system is rated at 500 CFM, the replacement air is the volume of air that is contained in a room roughly 8'x8'x8'. We are talking about evacuating that much air per minute._
_A temporary make-up air system can be as simple as opening a window in the work area, although this may not be very practical in a commercial shop. Users often provide replacement air by running a length of duct from the outdoors to (near) the laser._
_Some users recommend a simple, do-it-yourself test for the adequacy of your make-up air apparatus. The test involves having someone stand near the fan (so he or she can hear the fan) and closing off all the doors and windows to the laser room. Next, open at least one door and/or large window, allowing the free flow of air into the room. If you can hear the fan begin to labor as it changes its pitch when the room is fully closed, that’s an indication of inadequate make-up air. However, this do-it-yourself test is not 100 percent reliable, so consulting a professional is recommended._
*”’02 Sep 17 – Log: Maintenance”’
**”’”’-honeycomb cleaned and put back.
-Cleaned optics and mirrors.
-wiped down the Z table tray, vacuumed it out.
-wiped down the laser tube; the shroud covering it protects it from most of the dust gathering, so you only need
to do the ends.
-replaced the X axis limit switch—it’s been giving us issues for a long time and was crashing the head today.
-put the double-sided tape on the components in the control box, as planned.
-Did some cable organizing in the control box so they don’t fall into the fan.
-Did alignment, it was really out, may still need to fine-tune but I called it a day.
The honeycomb is not level, the Z axis needs to be adjusted again.
*”’01 Sep 17 – Image: Exhaust Fan Filter – ””””’https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/joshr/F6XATSM26/image_uploaded_from_ios.jpg
*”’01 Sep 17 – Image: Secondary exhaust port – ”’https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/joshr/F6Y6TPA22/image_uploaded_from_ios.jpg
*”’25 Aug 17 – File: LaserSoft Manuel – ”'[https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/crafty/F6U4S0WTW/lasersoft_manual.pdf https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/crafty/F6U4S0WTW/lasersoft_manual.pdf]
*”’25 Aug 17 – Image: T9 Controller Diagram – ”'[https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/crafty/F6U0SLQ75/t9_controller_2-phase-driver_diagram.pdf https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/crafty/F6U0SLQ75/t9_controller_2-phase-driver_diagram.pdf]
*”’20 Aug 17 – Image: Z-axis belt replacement – ”’https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/joshr/F6S7P4GT1/image_uploaded_from_ios.jpg
*”’09 Aug 17 – Source: Belt Replacement – ”'[http://shop.polybelt.com/2640-3M-15-Black-Rubber-Belt-880-tooth-B2640-3M-15BNG.htm http://shop.polybelt.com/2640-3M-15-Black-Rubber-Belt-880-tooth-B2640-3M-15BNG.htm]
*”’05 Aug 17 – Image: Offloading Laser -”’ https://acemonstertoys.slack.com/files/joshr/F6JS80QLV/image_uploaded_from_ios.jpg
*”’05 Aug 17 – Doc: Current Laser Info -”’ [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XjLvph5688TgXUTfiVU8ksB2cqbYsIRyoRAmCchdZf4/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XjLvph5688TgXUTfiVU8ksB2cqbYsIRyoRAmCchdZf4/edit]
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