Connecting PLH3D-6W Laser Heads to Openbuilds Acro-System: Getting Started Guide

Transcription

1 Connecting PLH3D-6W Laser Heads to Openbuilds Acro-System: Getting Started Guide Table of Contents 1. Attaching the Laser Head to the X-Y CNC Connecting the Electronics Installation and Preparation of Software... 8 a) Installing the Arduino Environment... 8 b) Loading the Arduino Batch... 8 c) Establishing First Communication with the Machine Adjusting the Focal Distance of the Laser Head a) Powering on the Laser b) Adjusting the Focus Engraving for the First Time

2 1. Attaching the Laser Head to the X-Y CNC The parts needed for mounting the laser head on the X-Y CNC are shown below: The following are reccomended for the assembly: o Hex keys: 2mm, 3mm o Double-sided tape o Standard terminal adapter 2

3 First, rest the laser head such that the 4x M3 x 6mm mounting holes are facing up. Position the black anodized Aluminium mounting plate over the laser head such that the mounting holes are aligned, as shown in the photos below.: Then, attach the mounting plate to the laser head using 4x M3 screws (the smaller ones) with the washers. 3

4 Insert the 4 larger screws through the outer holes of the mounting plate, and then insert the plastic spacers on them from the other side, as shown in the photos below: Position the subassembly on the CNC carraige. Align the threaded plates from the other side, which act as nuts, against which to fasten the screws. 4

5 2. Connecting the Electronics Conect the laser head to the CNC machine using the terminal as shown in the photo below. Attach double sided tape to the back side of the terminal as shown in the photo below. 5

6 Use double sided tape to stick the terminal to the back side of the CNC carraige. Connect 4 of the wires (GND, VCC, ANGGND, TTL) from the extension cable to the pins on the Arduino PCB, as shown in the photo below. 6

7 Connect power and USB cables to communicate with the computer Attention: the power supply must be able to power the unit with V and at least 80 W of power. 7

8 3. Installation and Preparation of Software a) Installing the Arduino Environment Enter the original Arduino website and download the latest IDE appropriate for your system and then install it. b) Loading the Arduino Batch You ll need the right version of GRBL, in our case Grbl v0.9j ATmega328P 16MHz baud, which we download from: After clicking on the link, the page with the HEX code will open. We copied everything to the notepad and saved it under the name wsad.hex, selecting the option "all files" Next, download the Xloader program from: 8

9 After connecting the CNC to the PC via the USB cable, run the Xloader program and do the following: o In the "Hex file" field, specify the path to the previously prepared Hex file o Specify the device as Uno (ATmega328) o Set a baud rate of o Enter the COM port that will be used to connect. o After completing all the fields, click Upload. c) Establishing First Communication with the Machine Download the LaserGRBL program from: Install the program and run it. Select the appropriate COM port, set the baud rate to 11520, and then click Connect. If everything is working as it should, the machine should present its version of the GRBL and it should be possible to send commands to the machine. 9

10 The next step is to test communication with the machine. ATTENTION: sending this command should cause the laser head to emit light. It is imperative to take appropriate safety precautions. This is dangerous and there is a possibility of injury if appropriate precautions are not taken. To test the communication: o Click on the field to send the G-code. o To turn on the laser, enter "M3 S15 G0 X10 Y10." o To turn off the laser, click on the lightning icon in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. o Reset the position of the laser head by clicking the home button. If everything is working properly, the laser should turn on and the CNC should perform the appropriate movements. In this case, the next step is to configure the GRBL. 10

11 To configure the GRBL, click on the "GRBL" menu and select "GRBL Configuration. Enter the values shown in the table below, click "Close" and agree to the changes. 11

12 4. Adjusting the Focal Distance of the Laser Head a) Powering on the Laser Place below the laser head the material to be engraved Send the command "M3 S10" to the head ATTENTION: sending this command should cause the laser head to emit light. It is imperative to take appropriate safety precautions. This is dangerous and there is a possibility of injury if appropriate precautions are not taken. If the spot is too weak or too strong (e.g., if the material is burning), the value of the parameter S can be freely set to any value in the range of to adjust the laser power, where 0 produces nominally no light, and 255 produces full power. b) Adjusting the Focus This can be performed by either of two methods: #1. Manually using the controller - Note, this method changes the focus setting of the laser head by default. Rotate the lens focus adjuster so that the smallest laser spot is obtained at the desired focal plane. #2. Manually adjusting the laser head position - This method does not affect the default focus setting of the laser head. Slightly loosen the 4 screws securing the mounting plate with the sledge head so that it can be moved up and down. 12

13 Manually adjust the position of the laser head so it is at the desired height such that the beam is tightly focused on the material to be engraved Tighten the screws when the laser head is in the desirable position. 13

14 5. Engraving for the First Time If the program has been properly configured, open the Notepad program and enter the G code shown below:, (Header) M3; SET LASER MODE G0 X0 Y0 G90; absolute positions G21; metric, (Header end) G1 X Y Z F2000 S180 G1 F2000 Y G1 F2000 X G1 F2000 Y G0 S0 X Y F10000 G3 X I J F2000 S180 I-G3 X J F2000 G0 S0 X Y F10000 G1 X Y F2000 S180 G0 S0 X F10000 G1 X Y F2000 S180 G0 S0 X F10000, (Footer) M5; Disable the laser G21 G90 G0 X0 Y0 M5, (Footer end) Save the file as "test.nc" choose "all files" in the dropdown. 14

15 Go to the "File" menu, select "Open file" and then specify G code file we just created. Prepare the material on which to perform the engraving. Its working area should be at least 15 x 45 mm. The engraving will start from the lower left-hand corner of the machine. To start engraving, click "Run Program." Note that this will power on the laser. The final result should appear similar to the image in the photo: 15