I have had my k40 for 6 months and read article after article about focusing. This explained it perfect in 6 minutes instead of pages and articles and blogs about it. No fluff and no BS.....thanks!
I have probably watched 10 different guy show 10 different ways to do this. but your way is by far the best way I have seen yet. thank you so much for sharing your idea.
4 year old video and still relevant! You just saved me from hours of trying to figure out why my K40 wouldn't cut through 1/8" light plywood! Once I found the height difference I designed and 3D printed holders to hold the ply at the correct height and it started ripping through in one pass! ++ for you sir!
WOW....first video I saw of yours, subscribed halfway through. Absolutely perfectly edited and clearly explained to be the perfect balance of concise and informative. And it may save me from tossing my K40 out a window! ThankyoU!
Awesome job thank you, you explain things so well 😊 your the only one Ive found so far that makes sense and using the same software as the rest of us. Once again thank you top video.
thank you. this video was easy to follow and will help me out. Im new to laser engraving and only got my laser last Friday (19.02.21) and am having so much fun so far. all you videos have been great thank you
So glad I found you! I have a 100W Omtech but my son brought me home a k40 just like yours! it's been used but looks in great condition. The water tubing is yucky though and I want to replace it before I even try to power it up. What do you suggest for tubing? I only have farm supply stores in my area and I doubt they have this kind...would regular tubing work? Thank you for your easy to follow vids!
Great stuff, thanks for that Travis, I learned a lot about Inkscape and scroll sawing from you a few years back, glad to see you with the K40 and look forward to more videos from you.
Great Video! After upgrading to air-assist nozzle and 18 MM lens, I was having an issue the laser firing a 4mm curved line. I am going to try your suggestion. What did you use to label the plane. I heard you mentioning turning a knob. Thank you!
I read that, the focal point should be set to the middle of material's thickness. So what is the correct setting? The focal point what I get with ramp test should be on the surface like in your video or I have to set it to the middle of material"s thickness?
If you're cutting, I'd try to get it in the middle of the material you're cutting. If you're engraving, I'd want it at the very top. I basically set my focal length to the top, and if I need to cut, I just raise it a tish (or a smidgen if you're using metric).
Great informative video. If I had one suggestion, you have a laser, you could mark up the piece of timber with that instead of a pencil, :) I know there's technically no difference but you know...laser beams !!!
now is there any different steps when say setting focal distance for cutting vs engraving? i usually work with .187" material , and going to engrave and cut some .5" material now . i can understand adjusting focal for the thicker material , but as far as cutting goes , would it be better to set focal for platform height ? or top surface of material ?
@@LaserPop thanks for the tip . I ended up making a whole bunch of test passes. Found the sweet spot for height , and cut pretty accurately at 95% power and 4.5 inches / minute with lots of air haha
Very well explained. One question, I cut balsawood sheets for model airplanes, what table do you recomend to use for cutting balsa? I see you have a solid table but this wouldn't be a good idea for cutting. Any SIMPLE suggestions? Thanks EDUARDP
Yup. It works really good on Balsa. I've cut some parts out for a friend who does balsa planes. You can grab my shop notes (www.laser-pop.com/laser-settings/) if you're looking for speeds/power that I used. I can't remember if I used air assist or not. One thing I noticed, though, the parts are so light and will fly out and get sucked into the exhaust fan. So I'd rubberband a piece of cheesecloth or pantyhose over the exhaust.
Never tried it. Not sure if I would mess with it, though. I did put a cap of bleach into the water to kill algae. But I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
The video pretty much shows exactly how I measure between the material and laser. The back end of the video shows how I use a adjustable square to set my distance. I hope this helps.
You ran this ramp test at 20 mm/s which is a sort o CUTTING speed. IF you run the same test at ENGRAVING speed 200 to 300mm/s you will find you have a different focus. The ramp test is not finding the fixed OPTICAL focus set by the lens manufacturere but an INTENSITY focus that will change with speed, power and material. Check it out for yourself.
Can't you just cut a piece of wood/acrylic that is the distance from the laser head to the material? And then just put that on top of whatever you're cutting and raise the bed until it hits?
Hello there.. This is a good idea, since you don't have to insert a wedge dial to measure the distance between the material and the nozzle where the laser comes out, which may damage the rail carriage bearing repeatedly. But one thing i noticed when cleaning the lens and then reinstalling the nozzle head; the focus may change a lot just by lowering or raising the nozzle body with respect to # 3 mirror (Gantry mirror). So you have to readjust everything one more time and then do a ramp test and get the focus right.
Thank you for this video !! i found this wrong.. if you want engrave something is perfect but for cutting its wrong i think .. if you have a 3 mm wood lets say the right focus on top is 50.8. this means you have 50.8+1.5 ( the half thickness of the wood) then the focus in middle is 52.3. allright lets say now you have a 6mm wood and you want to cut it. The focus must be in the center, then you have 50.8 on top like your measurement but in middle 50.8+3=53.8. you are 3mm wrong !! i use to cut 3mm wood 49.3mm from/to top and 6mm wood 47.8mm focus distance!! Am i right ? ( sorry for my English its like Greek to me :P )
If you want to cut, try to get the focal length toward the middle of the material. Once you know the focal length, you can raise it a fish to get a nice cut.
I use a similar method to get better cutting. I take a sample of the the material I want to cut and put it at the angle. I will cut through the material and see where I got the best cut through. That is where I will set my bed.
I have had my k40 for 6 months and read article after article about focusing. This explained it perfect in 6 minutes instead of pages and articles and blogs about it. No fluff and no BS.....thanks!
I'm glad it was helpful!
I have probably watched 10 different guy show 10 different ways to do this. but your way is by far the best way I have seen yet. thank you so much for sharing your idea.
Glad it helped
Thanks! Equally impressed that this is 5 months old and no dislike trolls :)
I'm glad you liked it!
4 year old video and still relevant! You just saved me from hours of trying to figure out why my K40 wouldn't cut through 1/8" light plywood! Once I found the height difference I designed and 3D printed holders to hold the ply at the correct height and it started ripping through in one pass! ++ for you sir!
Just what I needed, got myself a K40 yesterday and finishing getting set up, all good to go now, thanks buddy
You’re so clear in your videos. I heard a mess of a ramp test before this video. Thank you for your clear concise videos.
WOW....first video I saw of yours, subscribed halfway through. Absolutely perfectly edited and clearly explained to be the perfect balance of concise and informative. And it may save me from tossing my K40 out a window! ThankyoU!
Thank you very much. I was having trouble adjusting the laser focus distance
please keep the videos coming...best explanations out there for us newbies. thank you for taking the time:)
Thanks, will do! I try to knock one out as time allows. :)
Awesome job thank you, you explain things so well 😊 your the only one Ive found so far that makes sense and using the same software as the rest of us. Once again thank you top video.
Awesome! Thank you!
cheers man, ive been struggling to even draw a line on inkscape, super helpful.
thank you. this video was easy to follow and will help me out. Im new to laser engraving and only got my laser last Friday (19.02.21) and am having so much fun so far. all you videos have been great thank you
Glad it helped
Realy trivial, yet genius :D thanks a lot!
Glad you liked it!
Very clever thinking, I will be using this method as it's a manual adjustment & virtually foolproof.😃
nice and simple, thank you for that
Glad you like it!
How does this guys only have 118 subs? Every vid is to the point and great tips. Keep it up...new sub.
I appreciate that!
Totally agree. I have been sharing his link in all the FB groups I belong too about K40's
Awesome, great instructions and very clearly explained. Thank you
Thank you. I’m glad it was helpful.
Hi thanks for very informative videos. A quick tip to resize page to drawing is Control, Shift R. Keep up the good work.
Cool, thanks
Amazing thankyou! Everyone kept telling me to do a ramp test but I had no vlue what it was.
I’m glad it was helpful!
So glad I found you! I have a 100W Omtech but my son brought me home a k40 just like yours! it's been used but looks in great condition. The water tubing is yucky though and I want to replace it before I even try to power it up. What do you suggest for tubing? I only have farm supply stores in my area and I doubt they have this kind...would regular tubing work? Thank you for your easy to follow vids!
simple but brill thanks
Glad it helped. :)
Excellent! Thanks for your help!
Curious to know how much the focal length you found defers from the manufacturer’s recommended focal length? Thanks for sharing this tip.
Very good, thank you for sharing
Thank you! Cheers!
I really like your drag chain, is there a printable version somewhere?
Good Job man. Ciao from Italy.
Awesome, thank you!
Great stuff, thanks for that Travis, I learned a lot about Inkscape and scroll sawing from you a few years back, glad to see you with the K40 and look forward to more videos from you.
That's awesome! Small world, huh?
A round bubble level on the surface of the bench/lab jack might be worth an idea too. Will give you a level at all axis' that way.
What's your settings (mm/s and power) in 4mm plywood or even 3mm acrylic ?
awesome informative videos! Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Great Video! After upgrading to air-assist nozzle and 18 MM lens, I was having an issue the laser firing a 4mm curved line. I am going to try your suggestion. What did you use to label the plane. I heard you mentioning turning a knob. Thank you!
Very good videos, Keep up the good work. I see many subscribers in your future
Thank you very much!
I read that, the focal point should be set to the middle of material's thickness. So what is the correct setting? The focal point what I get with ramp test should be on the surface like in your video or I have to set it to the middle of material"s thickness?
If you're cutting, I'd try to get it in the middle of the material you're cutting. If you're engraving, I'd want it at the very top. I basically set my focal length to the top, and if I need to cut, I just raise it a tish (or a smidgen if you're using metric).
@@LaserPop Thank you :)
Where does one get this scissor jack? K40 beginner here lol I'm used a large laser that has the movable bed.
I have a link in the description to the one I use. They're also called Lab Jacks.
Great informative video. If I had one suggestion, you have a laser, you could mark up the piece of timber with that instead of a pencil, :) I know there's technically no difference but you know...laser beams !!!
now is there any different steps when say setting focal distance for cutting vs engraving? i usually work with .187" material , and going to engrave and cut some .5" material now . i can understand adjusting focal for the thicker material , but as far as cutting goes , would it be better to set focal for platform height ? or top surface of material ?
Cutting through .5" would be tough. But basically, you want to focus the laser to the middle of your workpiece.
@@LaserPop thanks for the tip . I ended up making a whole bunch of test passes. Found the sweet spot for height , and cut pretty accurately at 95% power and 4.5 inches / minute with lots of air haha
Very well explained. One question, I cut balsawood sheets for model airplanes, what table do you recomend to use for cutting balsa? I see you have a solid table but this wouldn't be a good idea for cutting. Any SIMPLE suggestions? Thanks EDUARDP
Yup. It works really good on Balsa. I've cut some parts out for a friend who does balsa planes. You can grab my shop notes (www.laser-pop.com/laser-settings/) if you're looking for speeds/power that I used. I can't remember if I used air assist or not. One thing I noticed, though, the parts are so light and will fly out and get sucked into the exhaust fan. So I'd rubberband a piece of cheesecloth or pantyhose over the exhaust.
Thanks for the Video.I just subbed to you.
Awesome thank you!
Hi sir I want to clean my lazer tube for k 40 co2 you can say me what to do ?
Never tried it. Not sure if I would mess with it, though. I did put a cap of bleach into the water to kill algae. But I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
How do you measure the amount of distance between the material and the laser what is it inches millimeters?
The video pretty much shows exactly how I measure between the material and laser. The back end of the video shows how I use a adjustable square to set my distance. I hope this helps.
You ran this ramp test at 20 mm/s which is a sort o CUTTING speed. IF you run the same test at ENGRAVING speed 200 to 300mm/s you will find you have a different focus. The ramp test is not finding the fixed OPTICAL focus set by the lens manufacturere but an INTENSITY focus that will change with speed, power and material. Check it out for yourself.
Can't you just cut a piece of wood/acrylic that is the distance from the laser head to the material? And then just put that on top of whatever you're cutting and raise the bed until it hits?
Hello there.. This is a good idea, since you don't have to insert a wedge dial to measure the distance between the material and the nozzle where the laser comes out, which may damage the rail carriage bearing repeatedly. But one thing i noticed when cleaning the lens and then reinstalling the nozzle head; the focus may change a lot just by lowering or raising the nozzle body with respect to # 3 mirror (Gantry mirror). So you have to readjust everything one more time and then do a ramp test and get the focus right.
Thank you for this video !!
i found this wrong..
if you want engrave something is perfect but for cutting its wrong i think ..
if you have a 3 mm wood lets say the right focus on top is 50.8. this means you have 50.8+1.5 ( the half thickness of the wood) then the focus in middle is 52.3.
allright lets say now you have a 6mm wood and you want to cut it.
The focus must be in the center, then you have 50.8 on top like your measurement but in middle 50.8+3=53.8.
you are 3mm wrong !!
i use to cut 3mm wood 49.3mm from/to top and 6mm wood 47.8mm focus distance!!
Am i right ?
( sorry for my English its like Greek to me :P )
If you want to cut, try to get the focal length toward the middle of the material. Once you know the focal length, you can raise it a fish to get a nice cut.
I use a similar method to get better cutting. I take a sample of the the material I want to cut and put it at the angle. I will cut through the material and see where I got the best cut through. That is where I will set my bed.
I wish you were my neighbour
You are not cutting the wood (ramp) you are just engraving? What about cutting