3.3.2 LaserGRBL Software Setup

3.3.2 Introduction to the use of LaserGRBL software

3.3.2.1 Operating instructions 

1.Connect the laser engraver to a computer with USB cable.

2.Plug in the power adapter of the laser engraving machine.

3.Open LaserGRBL.

4.Install CH340 Driver. In LaserGRBL , click < Tools > < install CH340 Driver > to install the driver, and restart the computer after installation

COM ports can be viewed in your computer's Device Manager

Select the correct port number and baud in the software - 115200 (In general, COM ports do not need to be selected manually, but if you have more than one serial device connected to the computer, it needs to do so, you can find the port of the laser engraving machine in the device manager of the windows system, or you can simply try the port numbers displayed one by one).

Click on the lightning connection button in the software. When the lightning button turns red，the connection is success. 0n the bottom-right of the LaserGRBL interface you should read "status:Idle".

If you see “ Disconnected” or “Connecting” but no message come from the engraver, you should change COM port.If you see “Status: Alarm" it means that your board is in an alarm state. The machine is connected.

Usually when the machine is in Alarm status it is necessary to execute the homing procedure(Click the HOME button）or simply press the Unlock button to acknowledge the alarm (or enter“ $X" in the command box).

3.3.2.2 Instructions of buttons

3.3.2.3 Parameter settings：Engraving and cutting

3.3.2.3.1  Engraving parameter settings

 

1. a) LaserGRBL can adjust the brightness, contrast, white clip and other attributes of the target image.

   When adjusting the parameters of the image, the factual effect will be shown in the right preview window, and adjust it to your satisfaction.

2. b)It usually chooses "Line To Line Tracking" and "1bit BW Dithering" as engraving mode. "1bit BW Dithering" is more suitable for engraving grayscale images; If you are going to cut, please select the "Vectorize" or "Centerline" mode so it will cut along thin line.The red trace in the preview box represents the laser engraving path.

3. c) Engraving quality essentially refers to the line width of laser scanning, this parameter mainly depends on the size of the laser spot of the laser engraving machine. our laser engraving machine uses rectangular compressed spot of 0.08·0.08mm, so it is recommended to use the engraving quality range of 8-10 lines/mm. Different materials respond differently to the laser, so the exact value depends on the specific engraving material. 

          The core spot of the laser is a rectangular spot of 0.08 x 0.08mm                  with   a width of 0.08mm in the horizontal direction and a length of                  0.08mm in the vertical direction, it is recommended to use the vertical            orientation for delicately engraved models.

     4.

 d) At the bottom of the preview window, the image can also be rotated,  mirrored, cut, etc.

     5.e) After completing the above settings, click <next> button to the                 settings of engraving speed, laserpower and engraving size.

Engraving speed, power and size setting

       a)Choose different speeds and engraving power according to the hardness of different materials. We have attached engraving and cutting parameters of common materials in the manual for your reference.

      b)There are two laser modes in the laser options, M3 and M4. M3-Constant power mode simply keeps the laser power as programmed, regardless if the machine is moving, accelerating, or stopped. This can lead to more consistent cuts in more difficult materials. M4-Dynamic power mode will automatically adjust laser power based on the current speed relative to the programmed rate. It essentially ensures the amount of laser energy along a cut is consistent even though the machine may be stopped oractively accelerating.

Note: If your M4 laser mode is not available, please check your GRBL configuration to make $32=1.

1. c) Set a suitable size according to the size of your engraving material.
2. d) Finally, click on the <create> button to complete the setting of all engraving parameters.

3.3.2.4 Positioning

Home laser. Click the HOME button, the laser will move forward to the front left. After homing,the default engraving origin is from the front left, and the engraving object needs to be placed along the origin.

Note: If the laser is not homed, t may cause the laser to exceed the working area.

Click the <Frame> button, the laser will start to scan the outer frame of the image.You can adjust the position of the engraving object according to the scanned frame area.

Tips for accurately positioning images and engraving objects

1. a) Move the laser to the let front of the frame.
2. b) Use a ruler and pencil to draw a center point on the engraved object.
3. c) Click on the following two buttons one after the other to move the laser so that the laser point moves to the center of the engraving, which will makes a more accurate positioning.

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3.3.2.5 Start and stop engraving/cutting

Start engraving/cutting

After completing all the above settings, click the green button as shown in the Figure 18 to start

engraving/cutting. There is an editable number next to the start button, and this number is the

times of engraving /cutting. LaserGRBL allows multiple consecutive operations on the same image.

This function is especially useful for cutting

Stop engraving/cutting

If you want to stop engraving/cutting while the machine is running, you can click the stop button as shown in the Figure 19 to stop engraving/cutting.

Feed hold and resume

If you just want to pause while the laser is running and will resume unfinished work, you can click the feed hold and resume button as shown in Figure 20

You can also follow the video below to learn the use of lasergrbl
https://gluwphy.com/pages/video-of-software