laser is leaving a trace between letters
Hi .. my laser is leaving a trace between letters - like joined up writing !!
..does anyone know please of an NC generating software that caters for laser machine - or how do I tweek settings in my current ACE converter [DXF to NC code] to generate m-code with "S" command which switches [ so I understand] the laser OFF between letters - thanxx - or does it just "de-focus between burns - and I need to fettle THAT ?
Re: laser is leaving a trace between letters
Personally, I'd look into regular expressions - just before you get the lift/rapid command, inject the relevant Mcode to turn off the laser. Do you have a sample piece of annotated Gcode? I'll happily put the regex together for you if you're not confident in doing so.
Re: laser is leaving a trace between letters
So, looking at that, you've got absolute positioning, and two different passes for the laser depth, yes? the G01 Z0.1 command is where the laser lifts, and you want the laser to turn off at that point? What's the 'laser off' Mcode that you're using, and the corresponding 'laser on' Mcode?
:edit:
OK, so really quick-and-dirty regex search and replace strings here.
I'd recommend using notepad++ for all your text editing, because it really is second-to-none in windows. In notepad++, go to Search, and click on replace. Make sure you've got the regular expression radio button selected at the bottom of the screen. Put the following text into the relevant boxes:
Code:
Find What: G00 Z0.1
Replace With: M01\r\nG00 Z0.1
where M01 is to be replaced with whatever the Mcode for turning off the laser is on your machine. Click on the Replace All button to go through the whole document.
Now, to turn the laser back on once the rapid travels have completed requires you to take note of the Z height you're setting the machine to. In the example file you sent, it was -0.5 and -0.8.
Code:
Find What: G01 Z-0.5
Replace With: G01 Z-0.5\r\nM02
Again, click on Replace all to change the whole document.
These are just examples - you'll have to change the MCode value appropriately of course, and don't forget to put in the correct depth values. Don't change any of the spacing in the text strings, because it will affect the outcome of the find/replace operation. If it's not working as expected, feel free to give me a shout.
Hope that helps.
boy that looks exactly what i need thank u so much will try it :]
boy that looks exactly what i need thank u so much will try it :]
Re: laser is leaving a trace between letters
No, not at all. So how does GRBL handle turning the laser on and off?
:edit: actually -thinking about it, have you taken a look at lightburn for running your laser? It's already got GRBL control support built in.