The laser tube and optics were carefully aligned before shipping out your system. However, due to transport movements it may come unaligned and require calibration. Read all instructions before proceeding.
Make sure to always test your alignment before attempting to fix it.
Needed Tools-
Thermal Paper
Before starting: Power on your laser, the air, and water systems.
Remove your lens from the laser head and store in a secure area.
Jog your gantry close enough that you can access both the jog controls and mirrors.
We'll be accessing Mirror #1 and the Red Diode housing in the back left of the workspace first.
You can access the housing for Mirror #1 and the Red Diode by opening the laser enclosure at the rear of the machine.
1. Place a piece of thermal paper over Mirror #1. Close your lid and fire a test shot.
2. Open the lid and check the burn mark on the thermal paper.
Is the burn mark centered on the mirror? Is the red diode centered on the burn mark?
Examine the paper to determine if you need to adjust the screws on Mirror #1 or the Red Diode to center their aim.
DO NOT over-tighten, loosen, or remove the Mirror or Diode adjustment screws. This may damage the screws or the optics.
Use your fingers to incrementally adjust the screws on the mirror. You may need to experiment to get a feel for how the screws adjust the mirror and thus the angle of the light. Refraction between each point can change how we understand the movements.
Generally the 2 screws on the same side will angle the mirror Left and Right in its set orientation while the 1 screw on the other side will angle the mirror Up and Down.
Fire test shots to center the laser output on the mirror. Depending on the amount of test shots you need, you may want to replace the thermal paper you used for better visualization.
3. Once you have the burn mark centered, adjust the Red Diode so it's light hits the center of the burn mark.
Remove the thermal paper from Mirror #1 and place a piece on Mirror #2.
Mirror #2 is mounted in housing on the left of the X-axis gantry.
At this point we will be ignoring the red diode, so feel free to cover it. Close the lid, fire a test shot, and examine where the burn mark lands on Mirror #2. Adjust Mirror #2 if needed as explained in Step 2.
4. Remove the paper from Mirror #2 and place a piece on Mirror #3. Close the lid, fire a test shot, if Mirror #3's screws need adjustment refer to Step 2.
Mirror #3 is angled above the lens and air cone on the laser head.
5. Remove paper from Mirror #3 and place thermal paper in the empty lens housing. Now that we have the path from #1 to #3 aligned, we want to perfect the laser's path downwards. Close the lid, fire a test shot, and following Step 2 adjust the screws on Mirror #3 until you get it perfectly centered. This will guide the laser down the air cone to it's focus point, so it's important to have it as centered as possible.
6. Now will we adjust the Red Diode again, if you covered it- remove the covering.
Do not remove the thermal paper from the lens housing unless you need to replace it- we will be using the burn mark from this to adjust the Red Diode. If it's on the center of your burn mark, you're good to go, if it's off refer to Step 2 to adjust screws on the Red Diode's housing only. We will not touch the mirrors to align the diode, it should be able to follow the path we set for the invisible CO2 laser.
7. Once that is centered, remove the thermal paper and gently tuck the lens back in it's housing. Secure the thermal paper to the air cone, pressing firmly around the tip of the nozzle. We're looking to put an impression of a circle on the thermal paper.
Close lid, test fire.
Open lid, examine thermal paper.
From this you should be able to tell at what angle your laser is traveling down the air cone. Hold it up to the light if needed.
If it's in the center it needs no adjustments. If it seems like it's hitting the side refer to Step 2 to adjust Mirror #3's screws to center it further. At this point with the lens in the adjustments should be very incremental.
If needed, clean your mirrors and lens with optical lens wipes.
Ensure the laser housing is properly closed.
Now your laser should be perfectly aligned and ready for use.
Video version:
Still having Issues?
Please create a Support Ticket by using the button below or sending an e-mail to support@fslaser.com stating you've done all previous troubleshooting steps.
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