Alignment question - how perfectly centered should the beam be in the cutting head?
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Laser
252
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2023-09-14
This is my first laser - I really appreciate the support here. I have things aligned pretty well in x,y,z - but the beam isn’t quite centered in the cutting head - I have the lens/nozzle removed and just firing down onto a piece of tape stuck to where the nozzle usually screws on.
I can modify the mirror bracket for the 2nd mirror to fix it (it’s already maxed out to the rear of the machine on the y-axis) - or maybe I can move the tube - I haven’t thought it through yet. I just wanted to ask you guys- in your experience will it be worth the effort to get it perfectly centered? The beam is about 1/16" towards the front of the machine. I attached a pic.
Thanks!
C
Abel
2023-09-15Measure the opening of your nozzle. It’s likely around 2 or 3 mm. If so, you’ll be already clipping the edge of the opening or close to doing so. And this assumes that the laser is coming down linearly in the tube. If it’s coming down at an angle then the problem is potentially worse. I’d suggest as much as possible trying to get this dead center with as parallel of a beam as possible even if it’s a lot of fussing. Clipping the laser beam will dramatically reduce power and potentially damage your equipment. It can also cause other downstream issues not immediately apparent like issues with focusing.
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