About Me

[Gene Uselman]

Russ' ramp files are here viewtopic.php?f=97&t=3439#p20241

[Matt Stark]

So... I was WAY over thinking the nozzle height part. For some reason, I was think that could vary form material to material.

Where I bought it, they did tell me I have a 2.5" lens and the focal length was 13mm.

Is there a cheat sheet for power/speed settings that will put me in the right ballpark to test with?

[Gene Uselman]

I have a some tests for cutting and engraving- I try them on all the materials I use. Each machine will be different, my 130w maxes out the safe current at 45%- that will differ with each tube and high voltage power supply, and there are a ton of them. Do you have a mA meter and know what your max and safe current are? That is most important. Also look at our FAQ section about saving your laser setting files as it can be difficult to replicate if they are erased... and it does happen.

[Jeffrey Aley]

So... I was WAY over thinking the nozzle height part. For some reason, I was think that could vary form material to material.

Where I bought it, they did tell me I have a 2.5" lens and the focal length was 13mm.

Is there a cheat sheet for power/speed settings that will put me in the right ballpark to test with?

For what it's worth, a 2.5" lens has a focal length of ... (wait for it...) 2.5". This is a very common lens for these lasers. It is sometimes called F63.5 because 63.5mm = 2.5".

13mm is probably the diameter, but I don't know if that's a common size. The ones I just looked up are 12, 18, 19, 20, or 25mm in diameter.

[Pete Cyr]

Is there a cheat sheet for power/speed settings that will put me in the right ballpark to test with?

viewtopic.php?f=104&t=3475

[sebastien laforet]

13mm is probably the diameter, but I don't know if that's a common size. The ones I just looked up are 12, 18, 19, 20, or 25mm in diameter.

i think 13mm is the empty space to leave between the nozzle bottom and the material. i've never heard of 13mm lenses.

you should probably try this height for your first focus test.

in my opinion, 13mm is not a very good height for cutting, because the airflow will be poorly blown on the cut part. on my bodor with the normal head, the height was 6-7mm, pretty ok for cutting, but i changed for a slightly longer nozzle, and now i have only 4mm of empty space : i have noted that the cut is far better as the airflow is directly in the cut and blow the fumes away more efficiently.

also, depending on your machine, you can easily change the nozzles and lens holders to change the nozzle height or the lens (you may like a 1.5" lens for engraving, for example). they are available for cheap at the cloudray web store (and many other chinese sellers on aliexpress)

[Matt Stark]

13mm is probably the diameter, but I don't know if that's a common size. The ones I just looked up are 12, 18, 19, 20, or 25mm in diameter.

i think 13mm is the empty space to leave between the nozzle bottom and the material. i've never heard of 13mm lenses.

you should probably try this height for your first focus test.

in my opinion, 13mm is not a very good height for cutting, because the airflow will be poorly blown on the cut part. on my bodor with the normal head, the height was 6-7mm, pretty ok for cutting, but i changed for a slightly longer nozzle, and now i have only 4mm of empty space : i have noted that the cut is far better as the airflow is directly in the cut and blow the fumes away more efficiently.

also, depending on your machine, you can easily change the nozzles and lens holders to change the nozzle height or the lens (you may like a 1.5" lens for engraving, for example). they are available for cheap at the cloudray web store (and many other chinese sellers on aliexpress)

Yes, that is the spacing they said to start with for the space between the end of the nozzle and the material. With what you said, I think it was a little high. After lowing to 10mm and testing, I got a better cut. I will try a little lower as well.

I know the lens tube diameter is 25mm, but is there anything specific I need to look for when adding new nozzles? I have been looking through the Cloudray store already. Even there shipping to the US wasn't bad at all!

[Gene Uselman]

Matt- if you have a 2" lens that will focus closer so the gap between the nozzle and the work will be closer- I would try that before getting other nozzles. I have several nozzles and while the thread on the nozzles seems to be the same there are several sizes of the lens tube diameters. The curved side of the lens goes up BTW.

[Matt Stark]

Quick question on lens.

On the Cloudray site, I am wondering what the difference is between the 2 versions here:
- CVD ZnSe
- HQ ZnSe

https://www.cloudraylaser.com/collectio ... ing-lens-1

I know mine uses the 20mm diameter, just wondering what the difference is between the two???

[Gene Uselman]

I am sure Russ could tell you about all the various coatings - I suspect the HQ is high quality- you can spend a lot on lenses but I usually avoid the cheap ones and go with the mid price on most everything - mirrors and lenses. If you have a 40w tube [that actually is 30w] you need to be more careful with mirrors and lenses, with 100w it is not quite as important. It is good to have an extra lens and maybe a set of mirrors but mine have lasted a long time. When you are fresh there are a few things that can damage them.