[phylo]

I received my LC1290 yesterday and have been trying to get the thing aligned with no luck... I removed the mirror from the first mirror holder and covered it with tape and these are the results.


It looks like I need to move the whole thing a little to the left, but unfortunately the mount is maxed out in that direction and Im afraid that if I rotate the mirror mount it wont strike the second mirror.


Any ideas as to where to go from here??

Phil

[mondo50m]

How about moving or shimming the laser tube itself. Just a thought.

Milt

[phylo]

The tube itself does not appear to have any way to move it in the x/y axis. I can adjust the Z but that isnt a problem yet... I guess I could try to shim it.

[keebler303]

Unless you have the uncanny ability to bend the laser beam, you are stuck with putting your mirrors in it's path. I'm not sure what an LC1290 is but it sounds like a cheap Chinese machine? If so, it should not be surprising that you cannot adjust it properly. You will have to modify it to suit your needs. Remember to check alignment at both ends of axis travel for any moving mirrors.

Matt

[G.Weike-Abby]

hi phil,

unfortunately,i cannot see your pictures ... but, i think you could connect with our company to align it .Who sold you the machine? She will help you all.

we will always be here.

Abby
G.Weike Laser Factory.
Skype:abbylilu

I received my LC1290 yesterday and have been trying to get the thing aligned with no luck... I removed the mirror from the first mirror holder and covered it with tape and these are the results.


It looks like I need to move the whole thing a little to the left, but unfortunately the mount is maxed out in that direction and Im afraid that if I rotate the mirror mount it wont strike the second mirror.


Any ideas as to where to go from here??

Phil

[noobee]

I received my LC1290 yesterday and have been trying to get the thing aligned with no luck... I removed the mirror from the first mirror holder and covered it with tape and these are the results.


It looks like I need to move the whole thing a little to the left, but unfortunately the mount is maxed out in that direction and Im afraid that if I rotate the mirror mount it wont strike the second mirror.


Any ideas as to where to go from here??

Phil

i just went through the alignment process for a different laser machine that did not have the ability to move the first mirror, like yours. here are some o f my notes.

- getting to the center of the first mirror is not that critical. getting a consistent spot location is more important

- try setting the first mirror in neutral position and angle. move the 2nd mirror closest to the first mirror.place the paper in front of the 2nd mirror. then test fire a spot.

- plan to get the spot close to the center of the 2nd mirror, you may need to adjust the 1st mirror position (but not the angle yet), or the laser tube mount position and angle, in order to cause the beam to reflect off the 1st mirror to strike at close to the center of the 2nd mirror. again, don't adjust the angle of the 1st mirror yet.

- once the spot is close to the center of the 2nd mirror, move the 2nd mirror farthest away from the 1st mirror and fire a test spot again. this time, you want the spots to be exactly the same. it's okay if both spots are slightly off center, consistency is more important. adjust only the angle of the 1st mirror until the spot is the same when the 2nd mirror is at the closest and at the farthest distance from the 1st mirror. essentially, the beam will be parallel to the axis of travel of the 2nd mirror. you'll be bringing the gantry fore and aft, repeating this step. again, consistent (coincident) spot positions is the key. after that, you are done aligning the tube and first mirror (position and angle).

- set 2nd mirror in neutral position and angle, move the 3rd mirror closest to the 2nd mirror. repeat the process, between for the 2nd and 3rd as for the 1st and 2nd.

[phylo]

Unfortunately Im in the middle of planning my wedding and I leave for Belize in a day or so so I wont have time to get the thing dialed in before I leave.. I really appreciate all the help so far and I will be back at it on the 5th of July with a vengeance since I need to start making this thing pay for itself soon!

Phil

[geo_man]

The machine should be close to aligned from the factory.

Did you check the 2nd and 3rd mirror to see how close it was?
The first mirror is not that important to get into middle since it just reflects
to the second mirror and is stationary. As long as the beam is not hitting
the frame of the first mirror you are ok. You'll want to level and use the
legs to steady the machine so it doesn't move once you get the alignment
done.

When aligning the beam if the close strike is low, and the far strike
is high, move the mirror to bring the beam down. You want to move
the far strike to match the close strike regardless of where it is on
the mirror. Once the strikes match, then move the applicable mirror mount to
center it on the 2nd and 3rd mirrors. The chinese directions do shed
a little light on the process, but you'll learn more by doing the alignment
yourself once.

The thing to remember is that once the beam on the 3rd mirror hits the
same dot in all 4 corners of the table, you then control the Z axis by move
the laser mount up/down and you control the fore/aft beam with the 2nd
mirror mount. Moving it back makes the beam strike sooner, moving the
strike point back on the 3rd mirror. Then at the focus lens, strike a dot
with the tape close to the mount, then far away and adjust 3rd mirror until
they line up, moving the mirror to bring in the far strike to the near.

I was confused when I first did an alignment, but after trying it then
reading some more about it, I could see it working. GM