Laser Engravers

MAINTENANCE HISTORY:

10/2/18:  Mini 24:  Laser Tube Replaced (may not have needed to do this . . . later it was discovered the optics were damaged.

1/26/19:  Mini 24:  Both Lens 2 and the mirror on the laser carriage were replaced.  The coating on the lens can get damaged when it is dirty and heat from lasering heats the dirt that then damages the lens coating.  It is essential the lens stay clean.

12/2/19:  Mini 24:  The mirror on the laser carriage was replaced -- its coating was totally gone and the glass looked burnt, which was impacting cutting power and engraving.

10/21/21:  Mini 24:  Kyle Doran with NW Laser Systems (in Kent, WA.) assisted in getting the laser to talk to the computer.  Presently, the computer is hooked up to the laser via the laser's ethernet port   The ethernet cable connected to the laser transitions to USB via a USB/ethernet converter and plugged into a USB port on the computer.  The static IP address for this "new" ethernet network the computer sees must be set, and must be different from the port that was assigned to the computer.  To the computer, the port IP address is 192.168.3.4.  When the new ethernet network was set to an IP address of 192.168.3.3, it started to communicate to the laser and jobs could be sent from the computer to the laser.

5/6/22:  Mini 24:  Laser stopped firing in the middle of the a job.  A "SystemE PleaseR" error message appeared on the menu.  To determine whether the problem was the laser tube or control board, Epilog instructed us to unplug the Ethernet cable from the back of the laser tube and turn the machine back on.  If the error message goes away (which it did), this means that the laser tube is the problem (not the control board).  A new tube was ordered.

5/25/22:  Mini 24:  The laser tube was replaced, and the autofocus plunger was replaced at this time as well.

9/28/22:  Fusion Pro:  The carriage camera and its board were replaced, as well as the grey USB cable going from this board to the right side of the machine.  The second cable was not replaced.  These were replaced because the camera was not calibrating.

10/17/22:  Fusion Pro:  The power supply (48V)  one on the right side of the unit was replaced.  The original died after about 20 minutes of engraving.  At this point, warranty had expired.

3/18/23:  Fusion Pro:  Trying to problem solve why acrylic isn't engraving well.  Epilog tech support suggested calibrating both lasers.  Cannot get the fiber laser to fire and run a job.  Both the CO2 and Fiber lasers were aligned today.  This did not correct the problem.

3/21/23:  Fusion Pro:  A fiber laser, a CO2 laser, and then auto focus plunger calibrations were performed in this order.  At this point, the machine is engraving on acrylic well.

8/25/23:  Fusion Pro:  Trouble calibrating the dual laser focus.  The instructions in the manual are wrong (based upon what Epilog Tech support indicated on the phone).  Proper focusing procedure is listed below.  Note:  the fiber focus is REALLY sensitive.  A couple of .001" can really impact engraving quality.  The CO2 laser is less sensitive.

1. Run a fiber job (perhaps using the anodized aluminum provided by Epilog) at low power.  You want to use low power because when there are fewer sparks, and the sparks are less bright, it is easier to fine tune the focus.  While the job is running, raise/lower the bed using the focus menu until the spark produced is brightest.

2. Stop the job by hitting the reset button.

3. Select the settings Icon on the laser's control panel.  Then, hold down on the word "Settings" to access more options.   Select "Focus Commands".

4. Select Option #2 -- Fiber Focus.

5. On the window that appears, put in the thickness of the material you ran the job on.  Then select "Start".  It will calibrate the focus quickly.  When finished, select "Done".

6. Next, you must immediately calibrate both the CO2 laser and the autofocus (AF) plunger to the same height.  This is necessary to prevent the bed of the laser from moving when you calibrate for the CO2 laser.  To do this, back at the Calibration Focus menu, select Option 2, the CO2 Focus.  Ensure the thickness of the material used is correct.  Then press "Start" to calibrate the focus, and then "done" when finished.  Finally, select Option 4, the  "AF Plunger" option on the Calibration focus menu.  Ensure the AF plunger is over the material that was engraved, then select "Start" and "Done" as before.  At this point, the Fiber, CO2, and AF Plunger are all calibrated to the same point.

7. Now, we must recalibrate the CO2 laser to find the lower offset that will place the CO2 laser in focus.  Run a CO2 job (perhaps using the anodized aluminum provided by Epilog) at low power.  As before, you want to use low power because when there are fewer sparks, and the sparks are less bright, it is easier to fine tune the focus.  While the job is running, raise/lower the bed using the focus menu until the spark produced is brightest.

8. Stop the job by hitting the reset button.  Because we just calibrated both the fiber and the CO2 to the same spot, the laser's bed will not move when you stop the job by hitting the reset button.

9. Select the settings Icon on the laser's control panel.  Then, hold down on the word "Settings" to access more options.   Select "Focus Commands".

10. Select Option #3 -- CO2 Focus.

11. On the window that appears, put in the thickness of the material you ran the job on.  Then select "Start".  It will calibrate the focus quickly.  When finished, select "Done".

12. At this point, both lasers and the AF plunger are calibrated.

2/7/24:  Fusion Pro:  The autofocus plunger assembly was replaced after a student snapped off the tip of the old one when failing to lower the table before moving the carriage before autofocusing.  And then, same day, it needed to be replaced again when a student repeated the error.

5/22/24:  Fusion Pro:  The autofocus plunger assembly was replaced after a student snapped off the tip of the old one when failing to lower the table before moving the carriage before autofocusing. 

9/17/24:  Fusion Pro:  Machine would not auto focus -- an "auto focus sensor error" was given.  Additionally, the carriage camera would not function -- first noticed when trying to do registered cutting.  Before contacting Epilog, the carriage cover was removed and the USB connection was checked.  This did not address the problem.  Epilog suggested turning the USB connector at the carriage over.  This did address the problem, but it isn't clear how permanent a fix this might be.