I want to chime in here. I don’t often leave RUclips comments, but I’m hoping the right channels of authority happen to see this. So, I’m going to start out by saying this updated tutorial in this video on beam alignment (especially when you get to the part where you want the beam to hit center on mirror 3 and then make adjustments from there) is absolutely fantastic! And I’d bet that the majority of us, thank you for that, Cam! :) So, thank you! All around, GREAT VIDEO!!!! That said, I’ve had Omtech’s in the past and very rarely had alignment issues. Call it good luck? But when I did, it was pretty straight forward with the manual provided or a simple RUclips video (because back in 2019/2020) the amount of options available wasn’t as saturated or aggressive as it is today). Furthermore, I have jumped back into the game after a 14 month hiatus, and I acquired a 2028 MF 80 watt (red and black laser - Omtech), and it’s been nothing but nightmares from the start. Bad PSU, bad tube (even though they’re “QC’d” from the factory)… they sent me the incorrect power supply even though they had my serial number (to know what to send me) but claimed the bigger PSU wouldn’t cause issues. I digress. It’s truly MIND-NUMBING and baffling that people like us are spending $3500+ on a machine with accessories (if not more) when it’s all said and done and we still have to do stupid sh*t like use sticky notes to help align the beam from the tube!? Like, what are we doing here!?!?!?! $3K+ on any machine isn’t something to scoff at, it’s an investment! OMTECH could certainly have mitigated this problem by making set adjustments screws, cams, etc. built into the tube brackets to negate this problem. At the end of the day, OMTECH’s customer service has always been nice and pleasant with me, but whoever is making the decisions on what machines they want manufactured and from what factories overseas, etc. is dropping the ball! They’re pumping out too many machines at any given time with different parts, components, electrical connections, controllers, etc. That by the time someone makes a solid tutorial such as this, chances are it’s probably outdated within 4-6 months. NOTHING IS EVER consistent with any of the machines! Example: My instruction manual that came with my machine gave instructions in broken English, and the Omtech website had instructions written out very well from a “tech”, Patrick S, from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Phenomenal! HOWEVER, even though what he wrote was fantastic! There were things that contradicted what the manual stated and, of course, contradicted what was even posted on OMTECH’s RUclips channel. Mind you - if you’re looking for quality tutorials from Omtech’s RUclips channel, DON’T! Just don’t. Let me save you the time. THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY with any of their videos or the models they’re showing you! OMTECH if you’re reading this... If another variation of a model comes out (albeit with parts from a different manufacturer), then it’s NOT THE SAME MODEL! PERIOD! Because it makes RUclips tutorials (for the most part) null and void, as well as the “batched” worthless manuals you supply us with. Omtech, update the manual for the user. It’s simple. NO ONE wants a “blanket” manual for 3-5 different machines, and when I say different, they are because of the above information mentioned. I truly regret my latest OMTECH purchase, and it’s unfortunate. (As, I truly did love your products in the past). Lastly, I’ll leave you all with this: Going forward, when I’m in the market for a new laser when this one peaces out (I expect it to be sooner than later for lack of QC), I’ll do more extensive research and find a company that’s clear, cut, concise, and consistent with model changes and manual updates, etc. Mind you, I also come from the CNC world, and I’m very knowledgeable in that area and only use companies that hold up to the standard that most people who spend 3K+ on a machine should deserve and expect. It’s 2024, none of us should be using f*cking sticky notes to level a tube. That’s a problem that could have easily been remedied before it left the factory. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. *Let me be clear. I’m not angry or upset. I’m just giving all of you an honest opinion from personal experience and how I think one company could do better from listening to customer feedback.*
Think this is the BEST alignment video I have seen to date. Now, If you happen to have the American Photonics Reverse Alignment Tool, A video such as this one showing how it can be used would be awesome. :)
@@EdmondsWoodshop yes please make that next I have that tool and still dont know how to use it and the manufacturer video is terrible .... one thing I loved is how your system was out of whack and you showed how to tune it great work
We’re new to the laser world and jumped right in with an Omtech 80W Turbo 758. The machine worked for all of 2 minutes before we hit a wall. After 2-3 weeks of back and forth with Omtech, they told us to change the tube. We did that, but still nothing! They sent a new power supply, and finally, we had a working laser-but then the mirror alignment was way off. We followed the Omtech instructions, but no luck! After hours of searching, I stumbled upon your tutorial. Thank you so much! Here’s hoping we can get everything sorted tomorrow and avoid turning our laser into a fancy table. Your clear instructions are a lifesaver for us newbies!l
Glad they helped. Join our official OMTech group on Facebook where all our videos and tutorials are posted as well. OMTech is sending a lot of their help to China which isn’t really helpful at all.
I have been lasering for about 8 years...the catch to that is that I had a GF so never had to worry about mirror alignment. I got my new OMtech a few days ago, and was terrified at relearning everything. Thanks sincerely for taking the time to share your knowledge. You made my first bump in the road so much easier to figure out. If someone isn't paying you for your knowledge, they should be.
Building a laser from scratch and getting it freshly aligned can be a little different as you are aligning the actual mirror mounting plates first (which I don’t show), but the concept of near and far alignment is still the same. Glad it made sense to you! Thanks for the feedback
@@EdmondsWoodshop oh yeah, huge p.i.t.a. lol. I took a piece of 2020 extrusion, set it on top of the mirrors and used a torpedo level on top to get them level, then used the same piece of extrusion to eyeball them in line.
Thank you so much! I watch this video every time I do maintenance on my laser. Instructions are clear and concise. Tried using reverse alignment tool and ended up trashing it. Thanks again.
@@EdmondsWoodshop Thank you again for showing me how to do so clearly. The tip for adjusting the Co2 tube to center the pulse on the third mirror is great. Now it takes 30 percent power to do the job that was taking 42 percent once I centered the pulse!
We just moved our laser about 160 miles. When we got all the electrical ran, it cut great. But today it wasn’t working too well. This is the first time I’ve used it since we moved. So I am going to do an adjustment on it. Your video looks like it will be a huge help. Will update my results. Thanks man.
This video in my opinion is the best out there for mirror alignment. It works for not only Omtech but for many co2 lasers. I have a Monport snd I learned how to align from this video. Only thing it could improve is to show how to align the mirrors if it completely out of alignment! Like the screws are too loose behind the mirrors. I loosened screws on my mirrors too much. I reached out to Monport and they showed me what to do it is way off.
Thank you for the comments and feedback. There’s regular alignment and then there’s alignment in more extreme situations when it’s totally off. I covered just basic alignment for the general understanding. Alignment can be a big topic to cover. Perhaps something suitable for a multi part video.
Hey man. I just purchased the laser yesterday and need to get everything aligned. It's a used unit so I'm going to get everything cleaned up but this is exactly what I needed to try to get that process moving
bro from one content creator to another you nailed this process I have seen tons of videos and never quite got the swing of it even still to this day...your video is by far what I have been needing and is the best, I have ever seen made in detail .. even over some actual manufacturer videos like Boss for example, great job and I have now subscribed, looking forward to future content
It took me a couple days and few reshoots to do this one. Its hard to explain alignment to someone who has never done it before. I tried to create this video as if the person didn't know anything. Thank you for taking the time to provide some feedback. A lot of work went into this one.
Maybe all that was needed to shim the tube was to tighten the hex nut on the near tube clamp till the two jaws barely touched? That would orient the front of the tube down a bit which is what you were trying to do. Thats how I did mine and it worked perfectly. Great video btw. You're a natural teacher!
Absolutely! My way is definitely not the only way. It’s just a way to show how to get the desired intent. If you have another method to do the same thing, then that’s perfectly okay. Thank you for the comment! Glad it made sense for you.
@@EdmondsWoodshop I posted a comment but not sure where it went - was it deleted because of the link? I have, what I think, is a mechanical issue on my OMTech 100W MF2028 but can't figure out a solution. I'm seeing lines down the edges of cut pieces and these are very noticeable on edges where the y-axis travel is greater and much less so when there's little to no y-axis travel. I tightened the y-axis belts but that didn't help at all - not sure what else I can try. I'd appreciate any advice you could give. Hopefully this comment doesn't get deleted - here are some images of what I'm seeing: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dMLQLfUUACqxAWgtHkzZbXiqOd7uY5VK?usp=drive_link
@@EdmondsWoodshop 2nd time that comment was deleted - the link might be the culprit. No link this time. I have, what I think, is a mechanical issue on my OMTech 100W MF2028 but can't figure out a solution. I'm seeing lines down the edges of cut pieces and these are very noticeable on edges where the y-axis travel is greater and much less so when there's little to no y-axis travel. I tightened the y-axis belts but that didn't help at all - not sure what else I can try. I'd appreciate any advice you could give.
Thank you. We constantly struggle with this at our Makerspace because we haven't had a clear understanding of how to align the mirrors. Sending a link to your video to our Discord channel for people to reference.
I have hunted and hunted for good alignment videos for years (suffering the consequences of bad alignment all this time). Your video is BY FAR THE BEST ONE I HAVE EVER SEEN!! No one has ever even explained the adjustment screws going L/R vs Up/Down, let alone had such good footage of the details inside the machine. I can't begin to thank you! One question - how did you determine that 13% was needed for your pulse? What makes a good pulse power?
I’m so happy that you found it helpful! In regard to the power, I started at 10% and adjusted 1% higher at a time until I got a burn mark. When you hit the pulse button, it should be a quick tap. Don’t hold it down otherwise it will continuously fire. You should be able see a nice round pulse mark when it hits. If it ends up being a white spot on the blue tape, I’d bump it up 1% higher. You may have noticed that I had to hit pulse a couple times just to see the mark show up. You want it strong enough to burn, but not too powerful to blast a hole through it
Thank You, this is just what I was looking for. Very informative and easy to follow along. My Monport K40 is getting closer and closer to getting set up properly. This helped out tremendously.
My voyage into new horizons which included this machine, a CNC machine, a 3D printer and a Cricut I purchased all within a few months, I retire next year and I wanted something to do to keep me busy, I didn't think it was going to be this hard to figure out, IT guy I'm not. It's people like you that help people like me get things together. Kudos
Just ordered my omtech 2028/80w and could not find any vids for alligning the mirrors, just to be on the safe side, but i ran into your vid and wow! It is perfect! Thankd a mil!, have had a 10,20 and 40w laser "diode" which it sure is different so im trying to get as much info as i can b4 mine arrives 🤗 thank you!!
Make sure to follow our setup guide on laser-guys.com/setup and get yourself an in-line fan (you’re going to need it) from our upgrade recommendations list on laser-guys.com/upgrades If you’re not a member of our FB community, please join.
@@EdmondsWoodshop since i didnt get the AF model. Is it possible to get the auto focus kit afterwards ? I seen a few do the installation as an upgrade afterwards just not sure if i can do it for the one i have..🤔
They have external AF kits where it adds a z axis motor, a z axis driver, and an auto focus wand, however these types of kits are prone to failure. I don’t really recommend them. I have both the MF and AF models. Manually focusing is actually faster than autofocusing because of how slow the z axis motor is.
Great video, realy help me out! Next step is setting the correct hight of the laser.. Searchlight for a good video on this now.. Greetings from the netherlands.
Do you have your pulse hitting the center of the mirror opening at mirror 3? If not then you’ll never get it to hit 90 degrees down the center of the tube. If it is center to the opening, I’d reset my mirror plate so all the adjustment screws are out and then start fresh.
I assume you mean the pulse button. It’s a setting in lightburn. With your laser connected to lightburn go into Edit>machine settings>vendor settings> say yes at the dialogue box>go to where it says enable door protect>toggle it to false> hit write >okay>reset on your control panel. Now you’ll be able to pulse with the door open.
The first time you go through alignment made take you a little while, but after you go through the video and understand the process, it may take 15 minutes.
Good to know...thanks! I think I'm leaning towards the Polar 350, this is purely for fun for me and my 16 year old daughter to make cool stuff with...no selling.@@EdmondsWoodshop
fantastic video, i had yesterday a problem i burned the bould from the air connection dont ask me how or what happend. I was fiddeling to fix it now is my pulse 3 mm of my light point on the wood what should i do
Question: at around 23.57 in the video, you talk about adjusting the laser tube up and down to get the laser pulse in the centre of mirror 3; why not move the laser head up with the Allen key bolt that is under mirror 3 instead of using tape to shimmy the tube up and down at the back
If your laser has the capability to move up/down and/or left to right then that will be an option for you. Although my laser head had the ability to move up/down, it doesn’t have have to ability to move left or right and I wanted to show a way on how to adjust for that (even though it was mainly up/down). Keep in mind, this method is just “a way” of making adjustments. It’s not the only way. If you find an opportunity to make adjustments for yourself that are quicker or easier, then take the chance and see if it works. My goal is to guide folks in a direction to where they understand the alignment process and can ultimately complete it as well.
Hopefully I'm not dead in the water, but when trying to adjust mirrors 2 to 3, I can get a dot to appear on the tape when it is close range. When I move to the farthest point, I cannot get a dot to appear on the tape so far. Is there a best process of where to start to try and get it to hit the tape? I feel like I'm chasing a ghost in the sense that I don't want to keep over adjusting one way or trying to come back the other way, all while not knowing which way to truly go. I've tried putting a small piece of wood in front for a greater surface area, but still no luck. Starting at the tube to mirror 1 and then mirror 1 to mirror 2 went great according to the steps provided, but having a heck of a time with adjusting mirror 2. Thanks in advance for any possible help!
It shouldn’t. If you think about it, the beam is traveling across some distance and bouncing off a series of mirrors before finally focusing through a lens. I usually tell people about an inch away so they have clearance to clean the semi transparent mirror at the end of the tube.
I'm new to CO2. I'm wondering why you would shim the close end of the laser. You are wanting to basically drop the tube a little bit to get your centered alignment. Is there a reason you don't shim the back of the tube up.instead of taking the rubber mounts out on the front and dropping the tube at the close end? Additionally; is there a reason you don't shim the tube to be going through the dead centre of the first hole before adjusting the mirror alignments?
There are multiple ways to achieve the desired end result. If that means shimming the end of the tube versus the front, then try it out. I don't have any scientific reason why I went with the front other than it achieved my needs. For me center of the mirror 1 and 2 isnt as important as mirror 3. The beam needs to enter mirror 3 at the center so it can hit at a 90 degree angle down the center of the laser nozzle opening. If it doesn't come down centered then you can end up having and angled or beveled cut.
your video is excellent but I have a question. you showed how to shim the tube up and down but my tube needs to come left. I have adjusted the tube bracket as far left as it will go and am still a ways off center. Any suggestion there?
Hi, I am not correct in thinking that when you adjust the laser tube's position at only the front you are now making it fire the laser at a slight angle? Would it not make more sense to adjust the tube's position exactly the same amount at both the front and the back so that it is still pointing exactly in the same direction only shifted in position but not angle?
Changing the angle is the same as changing the point of aim. Don’t get caught up in that. The whole idea is to get your beam to travel parallel to gantry so you have to adjust your point of aim (or angle) to do so. The mirrors different lasers won’t always give you the greatest adjustability
We’ve been partnered with OMTech for over three years creating content for them and running their social platforms. OMTech is actually owned by Oceania international LLC headquarter in Shanghai China. OMTech products were formerly known as Orion Motor Tech, followed by preenex, and finally OMTech. I helped launch their Anaheim office. The more you know.
Question. When shimming the tube, why didn't you just leave the front of the tube normal, and just shim the very bottom of the rear of the tube? That way you could have left the stock shims in the front, and only put a thin shim on the stock rear shim. Unless I'm not seeing it right...
You can definitely do it that way too! Shim the front mount or shim the rear mount. Whatever you can do to aim the pulse in the direction you need to go. Shim it where it Makes it easy for you. Remember, my way is just showing the methodology behind the alignment process. If you can make the same adjustments by doing something different, and it works, then I’d say you’re still successful.
QUESTION -- I'm new to co2 lasers. But Been using Diode lasers for a while now. my question is my speed and power settings that I put into lightburn are not loading into my omtech 2028-80 controller. and, I have been setting the parameters into the controller manually... How do I make the settings from Lightburn transfer into my laser controller ?? Thank you for any help with this...
Did you upgrade your lightburn license from gcode to DSP. Diodes run off the gcode license where the OMTech lasers with ruida controllers run off the DSP license. Once you upgrade you’ll have access to both. If you did upgrade, it sounds like your controller isn’t communicating with lightburn. For further help, please join our FB community linked in the description
@@EdmondsWoodshop I did upgrade to DSP but for some reason it was losing communication with the laser I am using Cat5 cable for coms. I switched out the cable for a new cable and I am no longer having that issue... Thank you so much for your response and for all the great videos you have to help Newbies like me out !!!
@@EdmondsWoodshop Thank you. I ended up getting things figured out. I was having issues with the far right corner not cutting. ( I made sure the beam was coming out of mirror 3 to the nozzle at the 90 degrees.) your video was a huge help!!
Why not just adjust mirror #2 until it hits #3 dead center instead of adjusting the laser tube itself? It seems the outcome is the same either way, no?
If you can achieve center at mirror 3 by making adjustments at mirror2, then yes it’s the same thing. I find that you’ll have a harder time chasing your pulse mark to align right on top of each at the center of mirror 3 rather than just reorienting the tube. Most people have a hard time grasping the concept of alignment as a process so if I can get get them to get the pulses to fall on top of each other, its easier to teach someone to aim their tube.
Good morning, i followed every single step of this video witch is simple to do. But, I'm having a little issue on the last step,on the back far write corner, It does not hit the center. It hits almost 1cm to the left in comparison to the other targets witch do hit the center. What am i supposed to do now? Left far corner perfect, left close corner perfect, right close corner perfect, write far corner BAD, 1CM TO THE LEFT.
I just got my omtech 2440 I cannot get the laser to fire I put the tape on their nothing! I have my chiller on everything's plugged in and the power is up I turned on the laser and press pause and nothing happens are the green and red lights on the top both supposed to be on because they are I have my power set like they stated I don't know what's wrong.
we had a laser stop pulsing.... b/c we forgot to turn the key to power the laser. each wattage of tube has a different minimum power (our 70 watt says 10% is min)
@@EdmondsWoodshop i'm following your tutorial sir, i'm worried at mirror 3 adjusting because you adjust the tube, not the screw thumb of mirror 2, just like as what you did at mirror 1 and 2, you just adjust the screw thumb of mirror 1 to be, both of them be level.. so i think i should not adjust the screw thumb of mirror 2 then, but i should adjust the laser tube, now i'm worried i might screw up, in adjusting the tube,
@@EdmondsWoodshop mirror 2 to 3, but i think mirror 3 down to the nozzle might not be a problem.. cause we just adjust the screw thumb, of the mirror 3.., thanks for your reply sir.., because i'm having a hard time now in aligning our cnc mirrors, i want to master of learning on it..
In moving the bed up and down ,my laser is in center but is not coming in one dot , at some point is big circle and at some point is the dot . It is my first time using co2 laser
If the laser head is too close or too far away from the material you will always get a big dot. That's because it's not at the best focal. When it's at the right distance it should be a very small dot.
Thanks @@Jay.perez1, so a material with thickness more than 10mm , the front will be in focus while the back will not ,and someone told me i have to readjust the laser head again , but even for a canson paper my head is only 5mm away from the paper for a perfect dot or cut
Good morning, Yes that's correct. I cut some 10mm acrylic yesterday and intentionally raised the table after adjusting the height to move the focus point closer to the middle of the stock to compensate for this. We only have lens with a 2 inch focal point but I probably wouldn't have had to do that if we had a lens with a longer focal length.
Cam, this is the most detailed and comprehensive video about mirror alignment I've seen. Thank you!
That means a lot. I tried to be as detailed as I could be without being super confusing. I was worried about it being too long.
I want to chime in here. I don’t often leave RUclips comments, but I’m hoping the right channels of authority happen to see this.
So, I’m going to start out by saying this updated tutorial in this video on beam alignment (especially when you get to the part where you want the beam to hit center on mirror 3 and then make adjustments from there) is absolutely fantastic! And I’d bet that the majority of us, thank you for that, Cam! :)
So, thank you! All around, GREAT VIDEO!!!!
That said, I’ve had Omtech’s in the past and very rarely had alignment issues. Call it good luck? But when I did, it was pretty straight forward with the manual provided or a simple RUclips video (because back in 2019/2020) the amount of options available wasn’t as saturated or aggressive as it is today).
Furthermore, I have jumped back into the game after a 14 month hiatus, and I acquired a 2028 MF 80 watt (red and black laser - Omtech), and it’s been nothing but nightmares from the start. Bad PSU, bad tube (even though they’re “QC’d” from the factory)… they sent me the incorrect power supply even though they had my serial number (to know what to send me) but claimed the bigger PSU wouldn’t cause issues.
I digress. It’s truly MIND-NUMBING and baffling that people like us are spending $3500+ on a machine with accessories (if not more) when it’s all said and done and we still have to do stupid sh*t like use sticky notes to help align the beam from the tube!? Like, what are we doing here!?!?!?! $3K+ on any machine isn’t something to scoff at, it’s an investment! OMTECH could certainly have mitigated this problem by making set adjustments screws, cams, etc. built into the tube brackets to negate this problem. At the end of the day, OMTECH’s customer service has always been nice and pleasant with me, but whoever is making the decisions on what machines they want manufactured and from what factories overseas, etc. is dropping the ball! They’re pumping out too many machines at any given time with different parts, components, electrical connections, controllers, etc. That by the time someone makes a solid tutorial such as this, chances are it’s probably outdated within 4-6 months. NOTHING IS EVER consistent with any of the machines!
Example: My instruction manual that came with my machine gave instructions in broken English, and the Omtech website had instructions written out very well from a “tech”, Patrick S, from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Phenomenal! HOWEVER, even though what he wrote was fantastic! There were things that contradicted what the manual stated and, of course, contradicted what was even posted on OMTECH’s RUclips channel. Mind you - if you’re looking for quality tutorials from Omtech’s RUclips channel, DON’T! Just don’t. Let me save you the time. THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY with any of their videos or the models they’re showing you!
OMTECH if you’re reading this... If another variation of a model comes out (albeit with parts from a different manufacturer), then it’s NOT THE SAME MODEL! PERIOD! Because it makes RUclips tutorials (for the most part) null and void, as well as the “batched” worthless manuals you supply us with.
Omtech, update the manual for the user. It’s simple. NO ONE wants a “blanket” manual for 3-5 different machines, and when I say different, they are because of the above information mentioned.
I truly regret my latest OMTECH purchase, and it’s unfortunate. (As, I truly did love your products in the past).
Lastly, I’ll leave you all with this: Going forward, when I’m in the market for a new laser when this one peaces out (I expect it to be sooner than later for lack of QC), I’ll do more extensive research and find a company that’s clear, cut, concise, and consistent with model changes and manual updates, etc. Mind you, I also come from the CNC world, and I’m very knowledgeable in that area and only use companies that hold up to the standard that most people who spend 3K+ on a machine should deserve and expect.
It’s 2024, none of us should be using f*cking sticky notes to level a tube. That’s a problem that could have easily been remedied before it left the factory.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
*Let me be clear. I’m not angry or upset. I’m just giving all of you an honest opinion from personal experience and how I think one company could do better from listening to customer feedback.*
Think this is the BEST alignment video I have seen to date. Now, If you happen to have the American Photonics Reverse Alignment Tool, A video such as this one showing how it can be used would be awesome. :)
Awesome! Glad to hear. I do have the AP reverse alignment tool. That’s something I can definitely put together.
@@EdmondsWoodshop yes please make that next I have that tool and still dont know how to use it and the manufacturer video is terrible .... one thing I loved is how your system was out of whack and you showed how to tune it great work
This is the most complete, well explained video I've see. Now I'll get to work! Thank you!!!
Awesome! That was the intent. Alignment is a pain in the rear so hopefully this process helps make it less painful. HA!
We’re new to the laser world and jumped right in with an Omtech 80W Turbo 758. The machine worked for all of 2 minutes before we hit a wall. After 2-3 weeks of back and forth with Omtech, they told us to change the tube. We did that, but still nothing! They sent a new power supply, and finally, we had a working laser-but then the mirror alignment was way off. We followed the Omtech instructions, but no luck! After hours of searching, I stumbled upon your tutorial. Thank you so much! Here’s hoping we can get everything sorted tomorrow and avoid turning our laser into a fancy table. Your clear instructions are a lifesaver for us newbies!l
Glad they helped. Join our official OMTech group on Facebook where all our videos and tutorials are posted as well. OMTech is sending a lot of their help to China which isn’t really helpful at all.
I have been lasering for about 8 years...the catch to that is that I had a GF so never had to worry about mirror alignment. I got my new OMtech a few days ago, and was terrified at relearning everything. Thanks sincerely for taking the time to share your knowledge. You made my first bump in the road so much easier to figure out. If someone isn't paying you for your knowledge, they should be.
Hi, I also have a setup guide at laser-guys.com/setup
Hope it helps
So I am building my own laser, doing alignment tonight. Don't know why but your video just clicked. Thank you so much!
Building a laser from scratch and getting it freshly aligned can be a little different as you are aligning the actual mirror mounting plates first (which I don’t show), but the concept of near and far alignment is still the same. Glad it made sense to you! Thanks for the feedback
@@EdmondsWoodshop oh yeah, huge p.i.t.a. lol. I took a piece of 2020 extrusion, set it on top of the mirrors and used a torpedo level on top to get them level, then used the same piece of extrusion to eyeball them in line.
Thank you so much! I watch this video every time I do maintenance on my laser. Instructions are clear and concise. Tried using reverse alignment tool and ended up trashing it. Thanks again.
Awesome. Glad to hear. Tried to break it down as much as I could. I too threw away the reverse alignment tool.
Thanks for the feedback
Thank you. I have an old cheap Chinese laser and have been struggling to get the alignment sorted. You really help me.
Glad it helped you!
This is the best video out there on mirror and laser alignment! Thanks for such a clear video instruction.
Thanks for the feedback!
@@EdmondsWoodshop Thank you again for showing me how to do so clearly. The tip for adjusting the Co2 tube to center the pulse on the third mirror is great. Now it takes 30 percent power to do the job that was taking 42 percent once I centered the pulse!
We just moved our laser about 160 miles. When we got all the electrical ran, it cut great. But today it wasn’t working too well. This is the first time I’ve used it since we moved. So I am going to do an adjustment on it. Your video looks like it will be a huge help. Will update my results. Thanks man.
Best alignment instruction video by far . . thank you!
Thank you for the feedback!
Your setup videos are fantastic! Very detailed yet well-explained. You do a great job! Thank you!
Was trying to make it as easy as possible…even though it’s long
This video in my opinion is the best out there for mirror alignment. It works for not only Omtech but for many co2 lasers. I have a Monport snd I learned how to align from this video. Only thing it could improve is to show how to align the mirrors if it completely out of alignment! Like the screws are too loose behind the mirrors. I loosened screws on my mirrors too much. I reached out to Monport and they showed me what to do it is way off.
Thank you for the comments and feedback. There’s regular alignment and then there’s alignment in more extreme situations when it’s totally off. I covered just basic alignment for the general understanding. Alignment can be a big topic to cover. Perhaps something suitable for a multi part video.
Hey man. I just purchased the laser yesterday and need to get everything aligned. It's a used unit so I'm going to get everything cleaned up but this is exactly what I needed to try to get that process moving
Good luck! Hopefully this video helps make the entire process come together and make sense
This is video is just what I needed, by far is the best alignment video I've seen. Gracias!!
Thank you for the feedback!
bro from one content creator to another you nailed this process I have seen tons of videos and never quite got the swing of it even still to this day...your video is by far what I have been needing and is the best, I have ever seen made in detail .. even over some actual manufacturer videos like Boss for example, great job and I have now subscribed, looking forward to future content
It took me a couple days and few reshoots to do this one. Its hard to explain alignment to someone who has never done it before. I tried to create this video as if the person didn't know anything. Thank you for taking the time to provide some feedback. A lot of work went into this one.
BEST video on alignment.....ive watched several. Lol.
Thank you!
Maybe all that was needed to shim the tube was to tighten the hex nut on the near tube clamp till the two jaws barely touched? That would orient the front of the tube down a bit which is what you were trying to do. Thats how I did mine and it worked perfectly.
Great video btw. You're a natural teacher!
Absolutely! My way is definitely not the only way. It’s just a way to show how to get the desired intent. If you have another method to do the same thing, then that’s perfectly okay.
Thank you for the comment! Glad it made sense for you.
@@EdmondsWoodshop I posted a comment but not sure where it went - was it deleted because of the link?
I have, what I think, is a mechanical issue on my OMTech 100W MF2028 but can't figure out a solution. I'm seeing lines down the edges of cut pieces and these are very noticeable on edges where the y-axis travel is greater and much less so when there's little to no y-axis travel. I tightened the y-axis belts but that didn't help at all - not sure what else I can try. I'd appreciate any advice you could give.
Hopefully this comment doesn't get deleted - here are some images of what I'm seeing: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dMLQLfUUACqxAWgtHkzZbXiqOd7uY5VK?usp=drive_link
I swear this isn't spam - I'm on the OMTech facebook page as well but my question got buried.
@@EdmondsWoodshop 2nd time that comment was deleted - the link might be the culprit. No link this time.
I have, what I think, is a mechanical issue on my OMTech 100W MF2028 but can't figure out a solution. I'm seeing lines down the edges of cut pieces and these are very noticeable on edges where the y-axis travel is greater and much less so when there's little to no y-axis travel. I tightened the y-axis belts but that didn't help at all - not sure what else I can try. I'd appreciate any advice you could give.
Really awesome video, I never try to do alignment, with your well descriptive tutorial will help so much, thanks again , cheers
Good luck. Hope it helps!
Thank you. We constantly struggle with this at our Makerspace because we haven't had a clear understanding of how to align the mirrors. Sending a link to your video to our Discord channel for people to reference.
You’re a lifesaver, thank you!
Glad you found it helpful!
Wow wow sir, you did an excellent Work, congratulations
Thank you
Awesome video.....greatly appreciated.
Thanks for watching!
I have hunted and hunted for good alignment videos for years (suffering the consequences of bad alignment all this time). Your video is BY FAR THE BEST ONE I HAVE EVER SEEN!! No one has ever even explained the adjustment screws going L/R vs Up/Down, let alone had such good footage of the details inside the machine. I can't begin to thank you! One question - how did you determine that 13% was needed for your pulse? What makes a good pulse power?
I’m so happy that you found it helpful!
In regard to the power, I started at 10% and adjusted 1% higher at a time until I got a burn mark. When you hit the pulse button, it should be a quick tap. Don’t hold it down otherwise it will continuously fire. You should be able see a nice round pulse mark when it hits. If it ends up being a white spot on the blue tape, I’d bump it up 1% higher. You may have noticed that I had to hit pulse a couple times just to see the mark show up. You want it strong enough to burn, but not too powerful to blast a hole through it
Thank You, this is just what I was looking for. Very informative and easy to follow along. My Monport K40 is getting closer and closer to getting set up properly. This helped out tremendously.
Awesome!
My voyage into new horizons which included this machine, a CNC machine, a 3D printer and a Cricut I purchased all within a few months, I retire next year and I wanted something to do to keep me busy, I didn't think it was going to be this hard to figure out, IT guy I'm not.
It's people like you that help people like me get things together. Kudos
Just ordered my omtech 2028/80w and could not find any vids for alligning the mirrors, just to be on the safe side, but i ran into your vid and wow! It is perfect! Thankd a mil!, have had a 10,20 and 40w laser "diode" which it sure is different so im trying to get as much info as i can b4 mine arrives 🤗 thank you!!
Make sure to follow our setup guide on laser-guys.com/setup and get yourself an in-line fan (you’re going to need it) from our upgrade recommendations list on laser-guys.com/upgrades
If you’re not a member of our FB community, please join.
@@EdmondsWoodshop since i didnt get the AF model. Is it possible to get the auto focus kit afterwards ? I seen a few do the installation as an upgrade afterwards just not sure if i can do it for the one i have..🤔
They have external AF kits where it adds a z axis motor, a z axis driver, and an auto focus wand, however these types of kits are prone to failure. I don’t really recommend them. I have both the MF and AF models. Manually focusing is actually faster than autofocusing because of how slow the z axis motor is.
Nice uncomplicated vid, thank you.👌
Glad it helped
Great video on alignment, thanks so much
Hi I am ajay you video is long but very knowledge full thank
You nice to meet to you keep it up
Thank you for the feedback. I tried to make it as informative as possible while showing the process
Great video, realy help me out! Next step is setting the correct hight of the laser.. Searchlight for a good video on this now..
Greetings from the netherlands.
Thanks Cam. Very informative.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching
Great video Cam! Very helpful. It appears my laser has adjustments on the laser tube. I have the AF 130 watt
mirror 3 down the tube is kicking my butt...back at it tomorrow
Do you have your pulse hitting the center of the mirror opening at mirror 3? If not then you’ll never get it to hit 90 degrees down the center of the tube.
If it is center to the opening, I’d reset my mirror plate so all the adjustment screws are out and then start fresh.
@@EdmondsWoodshop got in the middle and set adjustment screws all out..eventually got aligned (I think --- samples coming out fine
Very clear explanation. Thanks!
Thank you for the feedback!
Your video is really helpful, super easy to understand, thank you!! How do you press the pause button with the lid open?
I assume you mean the pulse button. It’s a setting in lightburn. With your laser connected to lightburn go into Edit>machine settings>vendor settings> say yes at the dialogue box>go to where it says enable door protect>toggle it to false> hit write >okay>reset on your control panel. Now you’ll be able to pulse with the door open.
Amazing video! But this is the #1 reason why I am hesitant in getting a CO2 Laser! Thanks.
The first time you go through alignment made take you a little while, but after you go through the video and understand the process, it may take 15 minutes.
Good to know...thanks! I think I'm leaning towards the Polar 350, this is purely for fun for me and my 16 year old daughter to make cool stuff with...no selling.@@EdmondsWoodshop
fantastic video, i had yesterday a problem i burned the bould from the air connection dont ask me how or what happend. I was fiddeling to fix it now is my pulse 3 mm of my light point on the wood what should i do
Question: at around 23.57 in the video, you talk about adjusting the laser tube up and down to get the laser pulse in the centre of mirror 3; why not move the laser head up with the Allen key bolt that is under mirror 3 instead of using tape to shimmy the tube up and down at the back
If your laser has the capability to move up/down and/or left to right then that will be an option for you. Although my laser head had the ability to move up/down, it doesn’t have have to ability to move left or right and I wanted to show a way on how to adjust for that (even though it was mainly up/down).
Keep in mind, this method is just “a way” of making adjustments. It’s not the only way. If you find an opportunity to make adjustments for yourself that are quicker or easier, then take the chance and see if it works. My goal is to guide folks in a direction to where they understand the alignment process and can ultimately complete it as well.
@@EdmondsWoodshop thank you for filling in these details, great video!
Fantastic job best on here
Thanks for watching!
Hopefully I'm not dead in the water, but when trying to adjust mirrors 2 to 3, I can get a dot to appear on the tape when it is close range. When I move to the farthest point, I cannot get a dot to appear on the tape so far. Is there a best process of where to start to try and get it to hit the tape? I feel like I'm chasing a ghost in the sense that I don't want to keep over adjusting one way or trying to come back the other way, all while not knowing which way to truly go.
I've tried putting a small piece of wood in front for a greater surface area, but still no luck. Starting at the tube to mirror 1 and then mirror 1 to mirror 2 went great according to the steps provided, but having a heck of a time with adjusting mirror 2. Thanks in advance for any possible help!
Thanks very much
Hi, I have an omtech 50w. How do i know how much my machine fires at for power pulses, for the purpose of max power 1 # input. Ty in advance
I have never seen any comments on this, but does it make any differance how far the tube is from mirror one?
It shouldn’t. If you think about it, the beam is traveling across some distance and bouncing off a series of mirrors before finally focusing through a lens. I usually tell people about an inch away so they have clearance to clean the semi transparent mirror at the end of the tube.
Thanks that was verry informative.
I'm new to CO2. I'm wondering why you would shim the close end of the laser. You are wanting to basically drop the tube a little bit to get your centered alignment. Is there a reason you don't shim the back of the tube up.instead of taking the rubber mounts out on the front and dropping the tube at the close end?
Additionally; is there a reason you don't shim the tube to be going through the dead centre of the first hole before adjusting the mirror alignments?
There are multiple ways to achieve the desired end result. If that means shimming the end of the tube versus the front, then try it out. I don't have any scientific reason why I went with the front other than it achieved my needs.
For me center of the mirror 1 and 2 isnt as important as mirror 3. The beam needs to enter mirror 3 at the center so it can hit at a 90 degree angle down the center of the laser nozzle opening. If it doesn't come down centered then you can end up having and angled or beveled cut.
So basically we are trying to match the far position to be same with near position? If the near position is not centered what we do first?
Great!
Thanks
your video is excellent but I have a question. you showed how to shim the tube up and down but my tube needs to come left. I have adjusted the tube bracket as far left as it will go and am still a ways off center. Any suggestion there?
I’m a visual person. Can you join our FB page (link in the description) and post pictures?
Cam, when checking alignment of mirror 2 to mirror 3 should I check all four corners (far & near) or is it ok to check mid bed (far & near)?
If you have your mid bed near and far alignment spot on then theoretically your 4 corners should match
@@EdmondsWoodshop Roger That!......up and running .....running a test on 3mm Baltic Birch now. Brother, Thank You for the videos, you made this easy!
Just curious...is there a reason to not move the mirror 3 up since there is slotted openings? Instead if swimming the tube?
There isn’t a reason not to. If you can move the head in the direction that you need then that may be easier to do.
when you add the thickness to the tube. do you do it only on the front? on the back is it not necessary?
I did it only in the front, but if it makes sense to do it in the rear you can do that for yourself and see if you have better results
Hi, I am not correct in thinking that when you adjust the laser tube's position at only the front you are now making it fire the laser at a slight angle? Would it not make more sense to adjust the tube's position exactly the same amount at both the front and the back so that it is still pointing exactly in the same direction only shifted in position but not angle?
Changing the angle is the same as changing the point of aim. Don’t get caught up in that. The whole idea is to get your beam to travel parallel to gantry so you have to adjust your point of aim (or angle) to do so. The mirrors different lasers won’t always give you the greatest adjustability
You know tech is a US company based out of Anaheim California right?
We’ve been partnered with OMTech for over three years creating content for them and running their social platforms. OMTech is actually owned by Oceania international LLC headquarter in Shanghai China. OMTech products were formerly known as Orion Motor Tech, followed by preenex, and finally OMTech. I helped launch their Anaheim office.
The more you know.
Question. When shimming the tube, why didn't you just leave the front of the tube normal, and just shim the very bottom of the rear of the tube? That way you could have left the stock shims in the front, and only put a thin shim on the stock rear shim. Unless I'm not seeing it right...
You can definitely do it that way too! Shim the front mount or shim the rear mount. Whatever you can do to aim the pulse in the direction you need to go. Shim it where it Makes it easy for you.
Remember, my way is just showing the methodology behind the alignment process. If you can make the same adjustments by doing something different, and it works, then I’d say you’re still successful.
Great question by the way!
@@EdmondsWoodshop Agreed. By the way, excellent explanation on how to do this. Much easier than most of the videos I have seen on this.
I appreciate your comments and question!
Do you have a video or any info on the beam combiner? How to install?
why shim the tube? doesn't mirror 3 have adjustments available on it where you can move the part to center the beam in the hole?
Because every laser head isn’t the same. Not every laser head has the ability to move left/right or up/down. Shimming the tube will work for everyone.
QUESTION -- I'm new to co2 lasers. But Been using Diode lasers for a while now. my question is my speed and power settings that I put into lightburn are not loading into my omtech 2028-80 controller. and, I have been setting the parameters into the controller manually... How do I make the settings from Lightburn transfer into my laser controller ?? Thank you for any help with this...
Did you upgrade your lightburn license from gcode to DSP. Diodes run off the gcode license where the OMTech lasers with ruida controllers run off the DSP license. Once you upgrade you’ll have access to both.
If you did upgrade, it sounds like your controller isn’t communicating with lightburn.
For further help, please join our FB community linked in the description
@@EdmondsWoodshop I did upgrade to DSP but for some reason it was losing communication with the laser I am using Cat5 cable for coms. I switched out the cable for a new cable and I am no longer having that issue... Thank you so much for your response and for all the great videos you have to help Newbies like me out !!!
did you set your max power 1 back to 50 after you were done? or does that really make any difference.
I left it. Whatever power % you enter in lightburn for your design will override whatever setting is on the controller when you go to start the laser
Hi, Does it matter where your gantry is located when aligning mirror 2 to 3?
I usually do it in the center of the Y axis
@@EdmondsWoodshop Thank you. I ended up getting things figured out. I was having issues with the far right corner not cutting. ( I made sure the beam was coming out of mirror 3 to the nozzle at the 90 degrees.) your video was a huge help!!
I just want to know where you got the Beam combiner. 😂
It comes with the AF2028-80 OMTech model
@@EdmondsWoodshop thanks!
Do you think the reverse alignment is worth it?
Not really. If you understand this video then you don’t need it.
@@EdmondsWoodshop Thanks
Why not just adjust mirror #2 until it hits #3 dead center instead of adjusting the laser tube itself? It seems the outcome is the same either way, no?
If you can achieve center at mirror 3 by making adjustments at mirror2, then yes it’s the same thing.
I find that you’ll have a harder time chasing your pulse mark to align right on top of each at the center of mirror 3 rather than just reorienting the tube. Most people have a hard time grasping the concept of alignment as a process so if I can get get them to get the pulses to fall on top of each other, its easier to teach someone to aim their tube.
Good morning, i followed every single step of this video witch is simple to do. But, I'm having a little issue on the last step,on the back far write corner, It does not hit the center. It hits almost 1cm to the left in comparison to the other targets witch do hit the center. What am i supposed to do now? Left far corner perfect, left close corner perfect, right close corner perfect, write far corner BAD, 1CM TO THE LEFT.
Either your M1 or M2 is still off or something int square.
@@EdmondsWoodshop Thanks, it's your second opción, I think.
This afternoon i'll know It for shure.
I just got my omtech 2440 I cannot get the laser to fire I put the tape on their nothing! I have my chiller on everything's plugged in and the power is up I turned on the laser and press pause and nothing happens are the green and red lights on the top both supposed to be on because they are I have my power set like they stated I don't know what's wrong.
Join my FB community linked in the description and post your question there.
we had a laser stop pulsing.... b/c we forgot to turn the key to power the laser. each wattage of tube has a different minimum power (our 70 watt says 10% is min)
mirror 3 is to tricky and seems hard to aline..
Mirror 2 to 3 or mirror 3 down to the nozzle?
@@EdmondsWoodshop i'm following your tutorial sir, i'm worried at mirror 3 adjusting because you adjust the tube, not the screw thumb of mirror 2, just like as what you did at mirror 1 and 2, you just adjust the screw thumb of mirror 1 to be, both of them be level.. so i think i should not adjust the screw thumb of mirror 2 then, but i should adjust the laser tube, now i'm worried i might screw up, in adjusting the tube,
@@EdmondsWoodshop mirror 2 to 3, but i think mirror 3 down to the nozzle might not be a problem.. cause we just adjust the screw thumb, of the mirror 3.., thanks for your reply sir.., because i'm having a hard time now in aligning our cnc mirrors, i want to master of learning on it..
In moving the bed up and down ,my laser is in center but is not coming in one dot , at some point is big circle and at some point is the dot .
It is my first time using co2 laser
If the laser head is too close or too far away from the material you will always get a big dot. That's because it's not at the best focal. When it's at the right distance it should be a very small dot.
Thanks @@Jay.perez1, so a material with thickness more than 10mm , the front will be in focus while the back will not ,and someone told me i have to readjust the laser head again , but even for a canson paper my head is only 5mm away from the paper for a perfect dot or cut
Good morning, Yes that's correct. I cut some 10mm acrylic yesterday and intentionally raised the table after adjusting the height to move the focus point closer to the middle of the stock to compensate for this.
We only have lens with a 2 inch focal point but I probably wouldn't have had to do that if we had a lens with a longer focal length.
What AF are you using?
AF2028-80 from OMTech. It has an integrated autofocus built into the laser head.
chiller water colour changed how can replace
This is an alignment video. If you want help please join our FB community. The link is in the description.
This is one off the best video's on allignment of laser mirrors. Thnx.
Thank you! Hope it helped!
@@EdmondsWoodshop works great now, thnx