Testing a new laser mount

We’ll see how this one pans out. I like the fact that it fits the Dewalt 611 mount but am a little not crazy about being only 3mm off the surface of the material I am working.

3 Likes

Can the Z axis not raise up to provide more distance from the material?

It could but it’ll throw it out of focus. I could fiddle with the focus and try and get another 5-10mm of Z+. and will revisit it when I add the air assist I am working on. In the meantime I’ll go back to my old mount so I can tweak the air assist tube and nozzle.

I thought most people used the Z height to set the focus. That allows you to burn different thicknesses without having to adjust the focus on the laser itself. It also allows you to set an optimum focus distance for your laser. While you can focus the laser at different distances from the material, most lasers have an optimum distance to keep the cone shape as skinny as possible.

2 Likes

Mine is focused at 31mm, when using the mount I made for the router housing the lens height is 28mm. Which leaves me at Z3 in order to be in focus. That 3mm becomes an issue because of the alignment lasers I have in the D611 plate. They are exposed by almost 3mm and have hung up on the wood a couple of times while doing test burns. I’m going to reach out to JTech and see if they have a fixed focus lens that will get me either 40-50mm.

Keep an eye on the temperature of the laser in that enclosure

1 Like

Ah. That makes more sense. Thanks for explaining it.

Ooh, talk to me about alignment lasers. I think about doing that every time my ear is pressed against the spoilboard while I try to align things. :slightly_smiling_face:

I drilled a hole centered on the front and side of the Dewalt housing and popped two line lasers in them. When I go to align X and Y I power them up, raise Z to 50 and jog into place. The lines intersect dead center on the router housing. Tony L took my idea a step further and created a mount for a crosshair diode that slips into the Dewalt housing. The stl is here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4674034

1 Like

Thanks for the info Mike!

Very cool idea! (note to self, must try this!) Thanks for sharing!

That’s what it’s all about, right? Sharing ideas and making cool stuff!