LV-180 Laser Engraver/Cutter
By continue with this document, we will assume you have basic knowledge on: Adobe Illustrator and Roland’s LV Laser systems.
If you are unfamiliar with how to use Adobe Illustrator, please see Adobe’s User Guide: here https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/user-guide.html
If you are unfamiliar with how to use Roland Laser System, please refer to Chapter 5 on your user’s manual.
Creating a test document for each metal piece
In this next step we will be creating a file to use for our testing on each material.
· - Start by creating an art board the size of the test area.
· - Then create a filled square that is .25” x .25”. See image below
Prepping the Metals Surface
· Clean the top surface of the metal. Make sure that all grease and oil has been removed from the top of the surface.
· Spray an even coat of LaserBond 100 on the metal and allow to dry.
Testing Power and Speed Settings
In this section we will be using the file that we created to test each material’s settings for speed and quality.
· Go to the LaserBond website to get “starting settings” for your laser. For this example, we will be using Aluminum.
o Image below of LaserBond’s website. < https://www.laserbondingtech.com/laser-settings >
Tech Tip: The type of metal you are using makes a difference. Material that is a better conductor of heat will need a longer dwell time under the laser. Example: Copper will need to be run at 15% speed using 100% power and Stainless Steel can be run at 70% speed and 100% power using Roland’s LV-290.
· Now you are ready to change the settings for outputting. Increase or decrease your speeds to ensure you have a good chemical reaction. Looking for a bright white light at the point where the laser is hitting the surface of the material. Below are examples of good and bad settings.
Once you have the correct settings for your machine. You are ready to start your production runs.