Hey Ya’ll,
still getting the hang of working with lasers, one thing I have yet to work out is how to accurately etch in a precise spot each time.
I have some very small projects I am etching, say 3cm wide, and at that scale precision is necessary. I have been wasting a lot of setup time and material doing test runs trying to get it as lined up as possible on Pearl, and I would love to hear if anyone has any advice for maybe creating a jig of some sort, or any other ideas to be able to quickly replicate these prints from one day to the next?
I’m assuming these are small blanks you already have cut?
It is often best to start with a frame of cardboard or cheap plywood, secure it to the bed, and cut templates for blanks on it, with a tab cut out at some point so you can reach with a pick to pull the work out when done. Then don’t move it
You drop blanks into the cutouts, laser them, replace the blanks, repeat. At the end of the day you’ll probably throw out the template since it’s difficult to realign accurately
If you’re on Tarkin or Dorian, you can reuse a precut template by having two fiducials as far apart as possible and use Print and Cut.
Dorian is a bit more problematic in that the honeycomb is floating, if you bump it then it’s not aligned anymore. Pearl can’t do Print and Cut and it’s got aluminum honeycomb so the mag clamps can’t be used to hold it
A second option would be to use the jig as mentioned by Danny but place it in the upper left corner. That side of the table frame does not move and you can re-use the jig. You must make sure the table is situated against that corner as when people take the cutting table, often they do not put it all the way back. Also lock your images on Corel Draw so yo don’t accidentally move them on the screen.