[lastingimage]

Hello all, I tried searching for this, as I'm sure somebody else has had this problem before. We had our laser recently serviced, and upon its arrival, I'm getting this double image appearing on thin lines. I thought it had to do with the height, so I tried high, tried low, tried in the middle, and it all gives me the same result. I'm running on plastic, and it was just really fuzzy and so I tried this aluminum and noticed the double imaging.

I also thought at one time I recall it being because the beam was hitting the side of the metal tip, and bending part of it, so I took off the tip (left the lens), and it still did it.

If anyone has any suggestions, that would be great. Thanks.

The first is the file I'm running, the se cond is what I'm getting. I've been able to run it with this accuracy in the past, I just can't seem to figure out whats wrong...

[MacGyver]

Check the cone again, and make sure the main focusing optic is seated correctly. That said, I'm going to lean towards a motor drive issue. The jagged lines makes me believe you're skipping/repeating steps. Check the drive pulleys and make sure they're tight. Make sure the pulleys and belts aren't missing any teeth. Does this happen at all point on the table or just one section. The vertical lines also look a bit cleaner than the horizontal ones, so I would check on the X-axis drive first.

[MonoNeuron]

Hi,

I had this same problem over the last few days and it's taken about 3 days to get it all sorted out.
I'm using Linkmotion and Corel X3. What are your specs?

Dhiren and the team at Solustan were very helpful with a few suggestions on what to try and I also ended up rewiring the laser table again with twisted pair shielded wires and earthed the shield to the frame to see if that made any difference. It only took about 1/2 hour to do. It still no effect on the double image or ghosting.
Do this -

Draw a rectangle then unfill it and set hairline then engrave the rectangle in Vector mode. return to to 0,0.

Then fill the rectangle and set the laser to raster engrave and set the dots per inch to a low setting of about 20 dpi.
This will separate the raster lines so you can see what is happening.
If the lines are staggered alternately down the side of the rectangle then you probably have a problem with the mechanics.

My system had the staggered lines but I couldn't detect any play in the drive system at all the first day so I went looking for other problems. I finally went back and tested the toothed belt drive cogs and REALLY gave them a good twist and to my surprise one of them moved but barely perceptibly. I tightened up the pulley using new screws that were a bit longer and tried it again. I then had a smaller ghost effect but it was only on some of the characters I was engraving. I pushed the lens trolley along by hand and noticed there was a bit if grabbing that I found was rust on the bottom rollers so I cleaned the V guides with steel wool and oil and behold the problem went away.

I had 2 problems,

1 was the loose pulley
2 was too tight a rail guide system

When engraving at 3 ipm the problem wasn't there but at 6 ipm it was. Seems as though the tight rail system and the extra inertia was enough to cause the problem.

If you engrave at 200 - 300 dpi, the lines are so close together you can't see the alternating starting and stopping from each line which looks like the double image you and I have encountered.

If your mirrors were out of alignment then your image would fade to one side or the other but you image is the same across the whole picture which looks like it is a mechanical fault.
I hope I was of some help and don't discard anything without trying it again (like I did).
Don't despair too much as there are some very helpful people here who will always get back to you with some sort of helpful advice.

[MacGyver]

If your system has an adjustment for the laser's tickle charge, try turning it down.

[dcrace]

We have the same problem on our GCC Laserpro Mercury, best advise we get from the distributor after changing out x axis motors is to buy a new laser. Most of the jobs with small detail, I have to slow down the speed to around 20% and this seems to help.

[reneisla]

Since the double image alignment is lateral, I would guess adjusting the backlash thru the software will minimize but not fix this entirely. My problem with the Redsail M500 is the double imaging exactly below the original, not to the left or right of the original image. If I engrave in a single direction from left to right, the image is perfect. Bi-directional engraving is giving me this unsolvable problem, It seems the returning head (right to left) somehow twists in a tiny angle causing the optics to hit a different target.

[SHADOW042]

Could it be one of the guide wheels so when it returns its catching or jaming
That could pull it of square

Shadow

[oneeye]

I had same problem just when i got my machine, after hours i solved it. The beam alignament, the beam was not running in center of focusing lens head,
so half the beam passing through the hole of the nozzle but the other half hit the edge of the nozzle and was reflected a few degrees, it produce two beams.

[albo]

I had the same problem.
In my case it was the rubberband between the stepmotor and the laserhat.
There was no tension on it.
After tightning the screws the problem was solved..

[hackahobby]

Hi. I'm getting a double image. I just got my x700. Can you look at my links with pictures to see if you problem was similiar. Thanks

http://littlesignshack.weebly.com/up...35598_orig.jpg

http://littlesignshack.weebly.com/up...61372_orig.jpg

[EXLASer]

Hi，
You may find if there is mechanical problems first --any gap between gears or belt problems,then if not ,try to think about the settings in software . We use laser cut software ,that can be modified by backlash .

Best regards,
Mary Lee
XYZ Machinery

[rinconchuck]

Double Imaging. While this is an old thread, I thought that I might throw in my two cents. Most of the time I have seen double imaging it has been a mechanical problem. I recently helped a young couple who had been engraving cutting boards without problem. They turned it off and the next day when they went to engrave, the laser produced two images. You can take a look at a picture of their problem.
Attachment 309906

The answer: The three Delrin laser head carriage wheels were worn down to the point that when the carriage drive belt pulled the laser carriage in one direction, one of the top carriage wheels would lift off the track and mis-align the laser head focal tube, causing a secondary image. This is a reminder to occasionally check the condition of the X, Y carriage rollers. In addition, I believe that the rollers prematurely wore down due to a lack of cleaning the X, Y carriage roller tracks. Fixed by replacing three plastic wheels and I did not have to align the optics.