Introduction to the Zing Laser

From Pikes Peak Makerspace Wiki
Revision as of 17:31, 4 December 2022 by Lisa (talk | contribs) (→‎Raster)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Safety

  • To avoid the risk of fire, never leave the laser running unattended.
  • Never run the Zing without the ventilation fans running. The interaction of the laser and the material generates fumes.
  • The laser wavelength is such that the glass cover protects the eyes of the user. Do not attempt to run the laser with the cover open.

Warn.png NEVER attempt to laser PVC or Vinyl

  • PVC - Poly Vinyl Chloride.
    • The laser will split the molecule and release Chlorine gas which will irritate your eyes, your lungs, the eyes and lungs of anyone else around. It will also attack the finish on the laser optics DO NOT LASER PVC

Basic Concepts

  • The Zing Laser cuts, engraves, and marks a variety of materials using a CO2 laser. The actual effect is dependent on the material, the laser power setting, the laser speed setting, and the laser resolution setting.
  • The beam path originates from a laser generator on the bottom left of the machine and through mirrors, directed to the cutting head
  • The mechanics of the machine provide the XYZ translation.
  • To the computer, Zing looks like a weird printer.
  • The Zing interprets colors and lines into the appropriate laser marking/cutting sequence

Modes of Operation

Raster

  • Raster Images are made of pixels and will be engraved. Common examples would be photos or images found online
  • The cutter software will take your raster image and convert it into greyscale with each pixel being represented by a dot
  • The laser will pulse on and off as it follows these series of dots to create the image
  • The cutter achieves fine resolution by adjusting the power of the laser dependent on the darkness/lightness of the dot

Vector

  • Vector images are made of points and lines that connect points.
  • Can be fully represented by mathematical formulas.
  • The laser will use your vector drawing as a path to follow.
  • This method of use is great for cutting out shapes from thin material.
  • Vector lines must be set to 0.001 pt in Adobe Illustrator (0.025 mm / 0.001 inches in Inkscape).

Basic Controls

  • The Keypad

Zing control.png

  • To stop the Zing press STOP
  • To reset the Zing press RESET (laser turns off, head drives back to starting point)
  • To start processing a job, press GO
  • To toggle pointer on/off press the pointer button (7)
  • To manually set origin:
    • Press X/Y Off (8) (this will disconnect the mechanical linkage between the gantry and the stepper motors allowing you to manually move the gantry)
    • Open cover and move head to the desired position (BEWARE the optics)
    • Press GO
    • Press RESET
Retrieved from "https://wiki.pikespeakmakerspace.org/index.php?title=Introduction_to_the_Zing_Laser&oldid=7324"