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| == Orientation == | | == Orientation == |
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| The order of this document is to give some basic information of what will happen in the Clean Room during the training. This orientation assumes that they have gone through our general space orientation.<p>Do not operate any power equipment if you are under the influence of anything, in a hurry, are tired, or are not feeling well.</p> | | The order of this document is to give some basic information of our laser cutting capabilities, and to serve as a repository for notes given during orientation. '''This is not a replacement for an orientation, only a helpful set of notes!''' |
| <p>Inspect the equipment before using it.</p>
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| | Do not operate any power equipment if you are under the influence of anything, in a hurry, are tired, or are not feeling well. |
| | Inspect the equipment before using it. |
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| == Equipment == | | == Equipment == |
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| [[File:ThunderNova51.png|200px|right|middle]] | | [[File:ThunderNova51.png|200px|right|middle]] |
| ==== Laser Overview ==== | | ==== Laser Overview ==== |
| ===== Power Switch Panel =====
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| [[File:Thunder laser - power switch panel.png|200px|thumb|Thunder Laser 51/100 - Power Switch Panel]]
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| The main power switch is located on the right side of the machine about knee height. This is where the machine is powered on and communication with the laser takes place. Here are the functions of the panel.
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| '''Main Switch:''' Turns power on to laser for movement, communication and set up. This does not control the laser firing.
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| '''Laser Switch:''' Turns on laser power which includes water chiller, laser tube firing and air assist. If this is not on when you start your file the red light will be illuminated on the Machine Operation Status light located on the back top right of the machine.
| | *Engraving Area: 51.2" x 35.4" x 9.1" |
| ===== Control Panel =====
| | *Wattage: 100w |
| [[File:Thunder Laser - Control Panel.png|200px|thumb|Thunder Laser 51/100 - Control Panel and E-Stop]]
| | *Max recommended cutting thickness: 3/8" with standard head |
| | *Orientation required: '''yes''' |
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| The control panel is located on the right side of the machine. It controls all the functions of the laser including the following:
| | ==== Orientation Notes ==== |
| | See page: [[Thunder Nova_Laser|Thunder Nova Laser]]<br> |
| | === Wiseley Fiber Laser === |
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| '''Reset:''' Moves the laser head back to it’s home position. (Make sure it’s path is clear of obstructions!)
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| '''Pulse:''' When held this will pulse the laser, used for laser alignments and ensure the laser is functioning.
| | ==== Laser Overview ==== |
| | | *Engraving Area: 100x100, 200x200 (dependent on lens installed) |
| '''Speed:''' Sets the traverse speed during manual operation. Should be 200mm/sec, please do not change! Also will change the speed during operation, you can change this.
| | *Wattage: 60w |
| | | *Great for: engraving and marking metals and polymers |
| '''File:''' This allows you to load files from the machine itself and run. In Lightburn you will send the file using wifi from the design computers to the machine. Pressing the file button will show your file to run.
| | *Orientation required: '''yes''' |
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| '''Origin:''' This button will set the starting point of the laser, you can choose this in lightburn if you would like to use origin and where the origin is on your design.
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| '''Frame:''' Laser head will move to outline your design on the bed of the laser so you know exactly where it will create the design. Also helpful for aligning material not using the camera.
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| '''Start-Pause:''' This will run a file or pause an existing job. Useful if there is an issue you can correct during running of the job.
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| '''Esc:''' This will back out of a menu and is sometimes something you are asked to do after error of machine on main panel screen.
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| '''Enter:''' Confirm your selection in any menu.
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| '''Up and Down Arrows: '''Control the bed height of the machine.
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| '''Movement Arrows:''' Controls the laser head assembly position.
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| ===== E-Stop ===== | |
| E-Stop immediately shuts off laser and power to the machine. Use in an emergency; use start/pause button or press reset to stop a job without taking down power.
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| ===== Status Light =====
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| [[File:Thunder Laser Status Light.jpg|200px|thumb|Thunder Laser 51/100 - Status Light]]
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| *Green means ready for operation.
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| *Red means in operation or failure to start. Review your setup if red light appears at start. | |
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| ===== Air Assist =====
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| [[File:Thunder Laser - Air Assist.png|200px|thumb|Thunder Laser 51/100 - Air Assist]]
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| This panel shows what air assist is on during operation. The green lights glow, and can be pushed to test for air prior to running. High volume is used for line (cut) and low volume is used for fill (engrave)
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| '''Do not adjust needle valves below.'''
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| ===== Water Chiller =====
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| [[File:Thunder Laser Water Chiller.png|200px|thumb|Thunder Laser 51/100 - Water Chiller]]
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| The tube water chiller is controlled by the laser. It will automatically control the temperature to the tube. Operation is usually between 15-21C.
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| The fill level is on the back right side of the unit and the level should be somewhere in the green area.
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| Check level prior to starting the machine for your scheduled time. If low, contact please report to our #shop-laser channel on Slack.
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| ===== Honeycomb / Knife Bed =====
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| [[File:Thunder Laser Honeycomb Bed.jpg|200px|thumb|Thunder Laser 51/100 - Honeycomb Bed]]
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| The honeycomb bed will be used for most applications. Items can be placed on the bed and fixtured using the tools located on the left side of the laser in the accessory storage.
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| Acrylic when cut can appear with marks, especially clear - this is the laser reflecting off of the honeycomb. To prevent that, you can remove the honeycomb to expose knife edges or use the stand offs in the accessory storage.
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| ===== Laser Head Assembly =====
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| [[File:Thunder Laser laser head.jpg|200px|thumb|Thunder Laser 51/100 - Laser Head Assembly]]
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| The laser head assembly is made up of several parts that provide focusing, air assist and the cutting and engraving beam.
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| *Lense 3 (1) is located at the top and reflects the beam from the laser tube to the focusing lense.
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| *The air assist (2) provides air to keep the lense clear during engraving as well as flame management during cutting operations.
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| *The focusing lens tube (3) height is controlled by the brass knob (4) that adjust the focus.
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| '''Periodic removal of parts is necessary for cleaning and maintenance.'''
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| ===== Pass-through and Clean-out Doors =====
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| [[File:Thunder Laser Front Doors.jpg|200px|thumb|Thunder Laser 51/100 - Passthrough and Cleanout Doors]]
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| The laser is equipped with a pass-through (above clean-out doors) to do larger material. This door is opened using the keys located in the storage accessory box on the left of the laser and there are two socket head cap screws that need to be removed inside the machine on the back side of the door.
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| Be careful when removing screws as the door will fall if unlocked.
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| Once removed you can slide a piece into the machine through the opening. Use an adjustable rolling stand from the shop for support.'''BEAMS CAN ESCAPE SO BE CAREFUL OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO YOUR EYES COULD HAPPEN!'''
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| Using the key provided in the accessory storage, open the lower doors and carefully lower. This will expose two rolling trays that catch debris from the cut. Remove all debris using the clean room vacuum.
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| ===== Laser Tools =====
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| [[File:Laser tools.png|200px|thumb|Thunder Laser 51/100 - Laser Tools]]
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| The laser tool caddy on the left side of the laser holds the tools you need for operation and daily maintenance of the machine.
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| The lowest tier holds the focusing guides, 6mm (standard) and 8mm (out of focus engraving). Keys to access the pass through and scrap trays is also included.
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| The second tier holds work holding options. The orange hold downs go into the honeycomb to secure materials. The pointed objects magnetically mount to the honeycomb for acrylic. Heavy duty magnets are included to secure lighter materials.
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| The top tier holds tools for layout and cleaning. Layout tools include marking tools for different materials, a 6’ tape measure for measuring your material, and a utility knife with blades for items that may not cut all the way through. The cleaning items under the acrylic include tools to remove the lenses, lens cleaner, q tip swabs, microfiber wipes and a set of tweezers.
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| [[File:Co2 laser rulers.png|200px|thumb|Thunder Laser 51/100 - rulers]]
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| The right front of the machine holds two centering scales. Centering scales make it easy to find the exact center of your material without math involved.
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| Please be courteous of the other members and return everything to its proper space after you are done with the machine.
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| ==== What to (and not to) use in the CO2 Laser ====
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| Please see [[Laser Cutter Materials]]
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| On Lightburn, under the Library tab at the bottom of the screen, is a list of materials with sub folders that hold starting settings for some materials. Some have been tested and some have not - so it is always best to run the test material pattern on a scrap piece of the material you plan to run. Once you dial in a setting you are free to add that to the library under the appropriate material for future use.
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| ==== Operating the Laser ====
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| #Turn on the Main Switch and Laser Switch on the right side of the machine. Turn on the top, then the bottom switch.
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| #If the laser head is not in the back left corner of the machine, press the red reset button on the laser control panel. If the head does not move to the rear left of the machine manually jog the head using the up and left arrows on the keypad. When it is fully back, press the origin button to set the home.
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| #Open the lid of the laser to the full-up position.
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| #Load material onto the honeycomb bed in the center of the machine. Align with rods or honeycomb if necessary.
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| #Using the keypad on the right side of the laser to move the head over the material to set the laser focus.
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| #*'''MAKE SURE TO LOWER THE LASER BED IF THE MATERIAL IS THICKER THAN ¼” OR THE BED IS RAISED HIGHER THAN THE FRAME AROUND THE HONEYCOMB.'''
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| #Using the highest point of your material if it is not flat, carefully raise the bed until the material is slightly farther away from the nozzle than the thickness of the focus guide (the focus guide is 6mm thick)
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| #*If your material has a bow or is not exactly flat it '''will''' affect the focus of the laser. This can cause issues with engraving and ''especially'' cutting through material properly. Use the 3D printed hold downs in areas where they won’t interfere with the laser head movement or if possible, cut your material smaller to remove the bow
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| #Put the focus guide on your material under the nozzle and loosen the brass knob on the laser head assembly. Carefully lower the nozzle down to the top of the focus guide and tighten down the knob. Remove the guide and press reset to send the nozzle back to the home position in the back left of the machine. '''(MAKE SURE PATH TO HOME IS CLEAR!)''' The machine is now focused for the correct height of your material.[[File:Laser Focus.png|200px|center|Thunder Laser 51/100 - Focusing the Laser]]
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| ===== Lightburn - Job Origin =====
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| Lightburn official documentation: [https://docs.lightburnsoftware.com/CoordinatesOrigin.html Coordinates and Origin]
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| <p style="text-align: center;">[[File:Lightburn Origin 1.png|200px]] [[File:Lightburn Origin 2.png|200px]]</p>
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| #Open Lightburn on the computer.
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| #Ensure the start from is set to ''user origin'' and choose where on your design you would like the job origin to be. Any corner, any edge - bottom left and center are two common starting points, but you may get creative when reusing scrap.
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| #Create your design anywhere within the Lightburn grid design space.
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| #Before sending to the machine ensure that your job origin is correctly selected, and the design shows the green dot of the origin in the correct part of your design.
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| #*To make things easier, verify that "Cut Selected Graphics" and "Use Selected Origin" are enabled.[[File:Cut Selected Graphics.png|200px|thumb|Lightburn - Cut Selected Graphics section (Make sure both of these are enabled!)]]
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| #Now that the file has been sent, return to the machine. Using either the keypad to move the laser head or moving the material to the laser head, align your chosen origin to the red dot.
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| #When the laser dot is over your marked origin, press the origin button on the keypad of the machine.
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| #Load your file, ensure everything looks correct on the screen and press frame to make sure your piece will fit in the designated area.
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| #If your area fits, then you're ready to start the program.
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| ===== Lightburn - Material Test =====
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| If it is a new material, open, resize and run the test material file located on the desktop at This PC/Desktop/Thunder Laser/Test Material Pattern.lbrn2 to determine your proper settings for fill and line.[[File:Lightburn Material Test.png|200px|thumb|Lightburn - Material Test Project]]
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| #Do not modify any cutting or engraving parameters. Size should be adjusted for the material used. We recommend deleting the material name present in the design and adding your own (before or after running the program).
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| #You can use the engraving or cutting only projects if you don't require the full suite of material tests.
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| #As mentioned before, the library tab in Lightburn contains both engraving and cutting presets for various materials. These may be a good resource if you're unable to run the material test. ''You really should just run your own tests though.''
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| ===== Lightburn - Fills, Lines and Layers =====
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| Up to 30 individual layers can be configured for different laser operations and settings therein. Colloquially, we use layers 2 and 3 (<span style="background-color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">Red</span> and <span style="background-color: rgb(45, 194, 107);">Green</span>) as our "default" Lines and Fills layers. '''PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE <span style="background-color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">LAYER 2</span> TO A FILL OPERATION, OR <span style="background-color: rgb(45, 194, 107);">LAYER 3</span> TO A LINE OPERATION'''
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| ====== Fill ======
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| Official Documentation: [https://docs.lightburnsoftware.com/UI/CutSettings/CutSettings-Fill.html Fill Mode]<p>The primary operation for engraving. Fills in the selected shape, line by line, with laser marks.</p>
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| #Highlight the areas to engrave and click on <span style="background-color: rgb(45, 194, 107);">'''Layer 3'''</span> at the bottom of the screen.
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| #Fill out the laser power, speed, and how many passes per your material test.
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| #*Air Assist is toggled off for engraving (a small amount of air is still present to keep lens clear but will not impact your cut).
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| ====== Line ======
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| Official Documentation: [https://docs.lightburnsoftware.com/UI/CutSettings/CutSettings-Line.html Line Mode]
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| The primary operation for cutting (but can be used to engraved with appropriate power settings). Follows the profile of the selected shape.
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| #Highlight the areas to cut and click on <span style="background-color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">'''Layer 2'''</span> at the bottom of the screen.
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| #Fill out the laser power, speed, and how many passes per your material test.
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| #*<p>'''Air assist should be enabled for line cutting unless under a special circumstance. Failure to set this correctly can start a fire.'''</p>
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| ====== Construction / Tool Layers ======
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| [[File:Construction Layers.png|200px|thumb|Lightburn - Construction Layers]]
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| Official Documentation: [https://docs.lightburnsoftware.com/BeginnerUITour.html#tool-layers Tool Layers]
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| Sometimes you need construction lines or designs to ensure your design is aligned or sized properly. By clicking on these designs and putting them on the T1 or T2 layer they will not be active for the cut. This can also be used when doing multiple projects in one workspace where you can activate a certain design by moving to a fill or line layer and another design to a construction layer until you are ready to cut.
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| === How to Use the Wiseley Fiber Laser === | | ==== Orientation Notes ==== |
| <p class="mwt-heading" >'''The Laser:'''
| | See page: [[Fiber Laser|Wisely Fiber Laser]] |
| </p>
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| [[File:WiselyMOPA.jpg|200px|right|middle]] | |
| *Open and create a design using Lightburn
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| *Make sure you set the ventilation system to -10
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| *Turn the Laser On using the keys
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| *Set your passes, speed, q-pulse, power, frequency, and interval
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| *Send the frame over to the machine
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| *Put your metal material within the frame
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| *Make sure the Laser is far enough away from the machine, using the button beside the machine
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| *Close the door on the machine
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| *Hit go on light burn
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| *After it is finished, carefully get it out of the machine by its sides (Be careful, because the metal could be hot)
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| *Set vent back to zero
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| *Turn the machine off using keys
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