chanelink logo
CHANELINK
English

Cannot align my new laser

Categories:
Laser
Tags:
295
1
See translation
2023-04-11

I am having a nightmare. I had a K40 and loved it. I had to align it once or twice and it was easy, however, I bought a bigger laser.
It’s 600 x 400 so not enormous but gives me lots more room than the K40 I cannot align the laser.

If I explain what I have been doing it might explain so someone can help me solve this issue as I want to pull my hair out (what’s left of it) and scream.

So if I call the mirror nearest the laser M1, the Mirror on the X-Axis M2 and the Mirror on the head M3 I will hopefully be able to explain my issue.

The laser to M1 is approximately in the centre so I move to M2, place tape over the mirror and fire a pulse, I use the controls on M1 to align the beam to the centre of M2.

I then move the X-Axis rail to the rear so M1 and M2 are as close as they can get and fire a pulse, they don’t align, not even close so to make the adjustments I am supposed to use the adjustments on M1 again. This means that the alignment at the bottom left is now not centred so I go around and around in circles adjusting and testing until I realise that I am completing the same actions and hoping to get different results which I believe is the actual definition of madness.

What am I missing, this worked on the K40 but there was far less travel distance so I guess the misalignment was not as evident.

Any help is greatly appreciated and if someone can explain why making adjustments to the same screws would have different results based on where the Rail is I would genuinely like to know.

C

    • Jen

      2023-04-12
      Split the alignment process for M1->M2 into 2 operations:

getting the laser to fire at the same position of M2 for both near and far placement
getting the laser to fire at the center of the M2
Changing angle of M1 can accomplish the first. It could give you the illusion of accomplishing this for one position of the second. However, you can’t accomplish both using the controls on M1.

Basically the first operation is about getting the light beam parallel to the motion of travel of the M2. You won’t be able to both center and make parallel using the same controls since they’re independent goals.

So I’d suggest:

1. Get laser light parallel to motion of travel using M1 controls. As long as the laser hits at the same point both near and far parallelism has been achieved.
2. Get laser light centered to M2 by physically moving M2 until the laser is centered.
There may be some back and forth on this as adjusting one can impact the other but you should be able to creep up on it.
        See translation
        Reply
      Relevant recommendations
      Collect
      Report