Asmbly Wiki - User contributions [en]

Supermax 25-50 Drum Sander

2022-01-12T23:19:48Z

Admin:

The SuperMax 25-50 is the largest open-ended drum sander on the market, sanding up to 25" wide in a single pass and 50" in two passes. Maximum material thickness is 2-1/4"; minimum is 1/32"

{{Required|Woodshop Safety}}

{{Hosted|Jon Eklund}}
[[Category:Woodshop]]

Laguna JX12 Jointer

2022-01-12T23:19:28Z

Admin:

The Laguna JX12 is a 5hp, 12" parallelogram jointer with a helical cutter. The bed is 88" long. The fence is 47" x 5.75" and tilts +/- 45º. The infeed roller may be extended 10".

{{Required|Woodshop Safety}}

{{Owned}}
[[Category:Woodshop]]

Delta JT360 Jointer

2022-01-12T23:19:06Z

Admin:

{{graveyard}}

The Delta JT360 is a conventional jointer with 6" cutting width. A helical head is installed.

{{ToolPhoto|Delta_Jointer.jpg}}

==Resources==
* [[Media:Delta_JT360_Jointer_Manual.pdf|Instruction Manual]]

{{Owned}}

Category:Boneyard

2022-01-12T23:18:28Z

Admin: Created page with "This page lists tools that were once at Asmbly Makerspace, but are no longer. The list of current tools may be found [https://wiki.asmbly.org/index.php/Tools here]."

This page lists tools that were once at Asmbly Makerspace, but are no longer.

The list of current tools may be found [https://wiki.asmbly.org/index.php/Tools here].

Jet 22-44 Plus Drum Sander

2022-01-12T23:16:55Z

Admin:

{{graveyard}}

The Jet 22-44Plus is a cantilevered or open-ended wide drum sander. The sanding drum is 22" long and open on one end, so parts up to 44" in width may be sanded in two passes.

{{ToolPhoto|Jet22-44Plus.jpg}}

==Materials==
While some sandpaper can often be found in the base cabinet, it's recommended that users bring their own. Sandpaper is available online or may be picked up locally at Woodcraft.
{| class="wikitable"
!Grit || Jet Part Number || Buy Online
|-
|36||60-2036||{{AmazonBuy|B0009MZJIM}}
|-
|60||60-2060||{{AmazonBuy|B0006IHIVA}}
|-
|80||60-2080||{{AmazonBuy|B0009H5HY8}}
|-
|100||60-2100||{{AmazonBuy|B0009H5DMO}}
|-
|120||60-2120||{{AmazonBuy|B0009H5HYI}}
|-
|180||60-2180||{{AmazonBuy|B0009H5HYS}}
|-
|220||60-2220||{{AmazonBuy|B0032U7JBS}}
|}

More frugal or prolific users may choose to cut their own wraps from bulk 2" sandpaper; cutting templates and jig plans may be found online.

==Resources==
* [https://content.jettools.com/assets/manuals/649005K_man_EN.pdf PDF Manual]
* [https://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/proper-drum-sander-use/ Using a drum sander]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny-vH6VhvLQ Changing the paper (video)]

{{Hosted|Joe Ngo}}

File:SharkHD3.jpg

2022-01-08T21:00:57Z

Admin: Admin reverted File:SharkHD3.jpg to an old version

File:SharkHD3.jpg

2022-01-08T21:00:35Z

Admin: Admin reverted File:SharkHD3.jpg to an old version

File:SharkHD3.jpg

2022-01-08T21:00:06Z

Admin: Admin uploaded a new version of File:SharkHD3.jpg

Wish List

2021-12-23T04:54:35Z

Admin: /* Metal Shop */

Asmbly is always interested in acquiring quality tools and machinery for use by its members. This page includes a selection of our priorities for 2022.

If you own one of these machines and would be interested in donating or hosting it at Asmbly for members to use, please email workshop@asmbly.org for more information.

==Wood Shop==

* Four variable-speed midi lathes: eg [https://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/jwl-1221vs-12-x-21-variable-speed-wood-lathe/719200 Jet 1221VS]. Our woodturning classes are always popular and expanding our lathe fleet will allow us to accommodate more students.

* Good quality, variable-speed drill press: eg [http://www.powermatic.com/us/en/p/pm2800b-drill-press-1hp-1ph-115-230v/1792800B PM2800b] or [https://www.teknatool.com/products/drill-presses/nova-voyager-dvr-drill-press/ Nova Voyager]. Our woodshop drill press is used for all kinds of projects so ability to change speeds conveniently accommodates quick changes among multiple users.

* Large oscillating edge sander: eg [https://www.grizzly.com/products/south-bend-6-x-108-vs-oscillating-edge-sander/sb1097 SB1097]. Our tiny benchtop edge sander isn't really useful for furniture-sized projects commonly made in our wood shop.

* Tilting spindle sander: eg [https://lagunatools.com/classic/sanders/ss-24/ Laguna SS-24]. Our benchtop spindle sander isn't really useful for furniture-sized projects, and a tilting spindle allows sanding bevels without the brute strength sometimes required to maneuver a large workpiece on a tilting table.

==Metal Shop==

* 3-in-1 sheet metal machine at least 36" wide: eg [https://www.baileigh.com/shear-brake-roll-sbr-4020 Baileigh SBR-4020]. We only have a benchtop brake now; basic sheet metal tooling would be useful to a lot of members.
* two (ideally matching) AC/DC MIG+TIG outfits: eg [https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/miller-multimatic-220-ac-dc-multiprocess-welder MultiMatic 220] We currently have one MIG and one TIG in our shop. Being able to run two concurrent MIG or TIG operations would help immensely with classes, and make it more convenient to have two bookable slots in the fab shop.

* Knee Mill, X&Y power feed and 3-axis DRO greatly preferred: eg Bridgeport. Our manual mill *works* but it's not amazing. We're not inclined to invest a bunch of money on repairs and improvements. We're relatively open to options here; we'd consider a contemporary mill with the bells and whistles or great vintage iron that could be updated with modern accessories.

* Metal Lathe, geared head, at least 14x40. Same situation as our manual mill - our lathe *works* but it's not amazing, and we're not inclined to invest much money in it. We're likewise open to either modern or vintage options.

* Drill press, geared head or variable-speed, with coolant system: eg [https://www.baileigh.com/variable-speed-drill-press-dp-1200vs Baileigh DP-1200VS] Enthusiastic members tend to burn up drill bits in the metal shop. Easy speed changes and coolant support will help cutter life, especially when juggling multiple users.

* Mobile gantry crane, at least 1000lbs capacity. Electric hoist and lifting magnet definitely a plus but perhaps not strictly necessary. This would come in handy for a bunch of applications, but will be needed soon for a single operator to load material in the fiber laser.

== Electronics Lab ==

== Autobay ==
* Portable hydraulic lift, 6000lbs capacity or greater: eg [https://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/portable-car-lifts/bl-7000slx/ QuickJack]. We'd like a safer and more convenient lifting option than jack stands, but we can't afford the floor space for a fixed lift setup. Whatever we get must be easy to move and store when not in use. Difficulty: must also be ANSI/CE safety rated with mechanical interlocks to protect against pressure loss.



As a rule, Asmbly accepts hosting or donation of working, ready-to-use equipment. If you have a candidate machine that needs some attention before use, we may be able to arrange volunteer support for repairs prior to or concurrent with transfer to Asmbly.

[[Category:Operations]]

Wish List

2021-12-23T04:16:26Z

Admin: /* Metal Shop */

Asmbly is always interested in acquiring quality tools and machinery for use by its members. This page includes a selection of our priorities for 2022.

If you own one of these machines and would be interested in donating or hosting it at Asmbly for members to use, please email workshop@asmbly.org for more information.

==Wood Shop==

* Four variable-speed midi lathes: eg [https://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/jwl-1221vs-12-x-21-variable-speed-wood-lathe/719200 Jet 1221VS]. Our woodturning classes are always popular and expanding our lathe fleet will allow us to accommodate more students.

* Good quality, variable-speed drill press: eg [http://www.powermatic.com/us/en/p/pm2800b-drill-press-1hp-1ph-115-230v/1792800B PM2800b] or [https://www.teknatool.com/products/drill-presses/nova-voyager-dvr-drill-press/ Nova Voyager]. Our woodshop drill press is used for all kinds of projects so ability to change speeds conveniently accommodates quick changes among multiple users.

* Large oscillating edge sander: eg [https://www.grizzly.com/products/south-bend-6-x-108-vs-oscillating-edge-sander/sb1097 SB1097]. Our tiny benchtop edge sander isn't really useful for furniture-sized projects commonly made in our wood shop.

* Tilting spindle sander: eg [https://lagunatools.com/classic/sanders/ss-24/ Laguna SS-24]. Our benchtop spindle sander isn't really useful for furniture-sized projects, and a tilting spindle allows sanding bevels without the brute strength sometimes required to maneuver a large workpiece on a tilting table.

==Metal Shop==

* 3-in-1 sheet metal machine at least 36" wide: eg [https://www.baileigh.com/shear-brake-roll-sbr-4020 Baileigh SBR-4020]. We only have a benchtop brake now; basic sheet metal tooling would be useful to a lot of members.
* two (ideally matching) AC/DC MIG+TIG outfits: eg [https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/miller-multimatic-220-ac-dc-multiprocess-welder MultiMatic 220] We currently have one MIG and one TIG in our shop. Being able to run two concurrent MIG or TIG operations would help immensely with classes, and make it more convenient to have two bookable slots in the fab shop.

* Knee Mill, X&Y power feed and 3-axis DRO greatly preferred: eg Bridgeport. Our manual mill *works* but it's not amazing. We're not inclined to invest a bunch of money on repairs and improvements. We're relatively open to options here; we'd consider a contemporary mill with the bells and whistles or great vintage iron that could be updated with modern accessories.

* Metal Lathe, geared head, at least 14x40. Same situation as our manual mill - our lathe *works* but it's not amazing, and we're not inclined to invest much money in it. We're likewise open to either modern or vintage options.

* Drill press, geared head or variable-speed, with coolant system. Enthusiastic members tend to burn up drill bits in the metal shop. Easy speed changes and coolant support will help cutter life, especially when juggling multiple users.

* Mobile gantry crane, at least 1000lbs capacity. Electric hoist and lifting magnet definitely a plus but perhaps not strictly necessary. This would come in handy for a bunch of applications, but will be needed soon for a single operator to load material in the fiber laser.

== Electronics Lab ==

== Autobay ==
* Portable hydraulic lift, 6000lbs capacity or greater: eg [https://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/portable-car-lifts/bl-7000slx/ QuickJack]. We'd like a safer and more convenient lifting option than jack stands, but we can't afford the floor space for a fixed lift setup. Whatever we get must be easy to move and store when not in use. Difficulty: must also be ANSI/CE safety rated with mechanical interlocks to protect against pressure loss.



As a rule, Asmbly accepts hosting or donation of working, ready-to-use equipment. If you have a candidate machine that needs some attention before use, we may be able to arrange volunteer support for repairs prior to or concurrent with transfer to Asmbly.

[[Category:Operations]]

Category:Lasers

2021-12-20T03:35:47Z

Admin:

This category includes all of Asmbly's laser cutter/engravers.

=== Laser Summary ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Laser
!Power
!Air Assist?
!Rotary?
!Camera?
!Bed Size
!Workflow
|-
|'''[[Blue]]'''
|60W
|N
|N
|N
|18x32
|ULS Print Driver
|-
|'''[[Pearl]]'''
|100W
|N
|Y
|N
|18x32
|ULS Print Driver
|-
|<s>[[Red]]</s>
|<s>120W</s>
|<s>Y</s>
|<s>N</s>
|<s>N</s>
|<s>24x48</s>
|<s>ULS Print Driver</s>
|-
|'''[[Dorian]]'''
|150W
|Y
|Y
|Y
|36x51
|LightBurn
|-
|'''[[Tarkin]]'''
|220W
|Y
|N
|Y
|<s>39</s>34x631
|LightBurn
|}

# Tarkin has a 39"x63" bed, but 5" are currently (Nov 2001) unreachable due to temporary configuration of a homing sensor. Until that's fixed, it's effectively a 34x63 bed.

[[Category:Tools]]

Blue Laser Class

2021-12-20T03:34:43Z

Admin: Redirected page to Small Lasers Class

#REDIRECT [[Small Lasers Class]]

Small Lasers Class

2021-12-20T03:34:14Z

Admin: Created page with "This class is an introduction to our small ULS lasers, Blue and Pearl. We will cover laser basics, materials to cut or not cut, basics in CorelDraw, and proper settin..."

This class is an introduction to our small ULS lasers, [[Blue]] and [[Pearl]]. We will cover laser basics, materials to cut or not cut, basics in CorelDraw, and proper settings and troubleshooting.

{{ClassFooter}}

Pearl

2021-12-20T03:32:22Z

Admin:

Pearl is a Royal Mark RSX-1832. It's the same chassis as [[Blue]] (it even has ULS badges on the back) but slightly stronger at 100W and has air assist like [[Red]].

Pearl also has a rotary fixture, so you can use it to engrave round things like glassware.

Pearl is online and bookable, but air assist isn't functional at this time (October 2021)

{{Required|Small Lasers}}

Pearl is so similar to Blue that when Blue went down we're just steering trained Blue users over here with this guide. It cuts faster and cleaner than Blue, too.

{{ToolPhoto|PearlLaser.jpg}}

==Pearl Setup==
Turn on chiller, wait for 22C (or whatever is labeled above the display) which will take under 5 min and the chiller will auto-regulate there. The chiller must be on to run the machine. It’s not harmful to start running earlier, but its power is going to increase as temp drops and it will be inconsistent

Turn on the blower, currently with a switch on a power strip. There is no protection against not turning on the blower but that could damage stuff, so don’t. Will make automatic pretty soon
==Set the Machine Origin==
(this might be due to the coin cell backup not working, it resets when powered down)

If this is not done, the work will be offset or shifted off the bed entirely and the laser may do weird things on the edges.
[[File:PXL 20211109 061933365 (1).jpg|center|thumb]]
<nowiki>#</nowiki>1 Press the X-Y button to enter jog mode

<nowiki>#</nowiki>2 use the arrows to job to the top left of the bed, the LCD should read "POS 0.000x 0.000y" as the second line
[[File:PXL 20211109 061947068 (2).jpg|center|thumb]]

<nowiki>#</nowiki>3 The LCD should have the cursor on "SET NEW ORIGIN", so hit "SELECT", ok the "are you sure?", display should now also read ORG 0x 0y as the first line, as shown above.
==Set Z for your stock==
Pearl has a powered Z axis, but unlike Blue/Red, it is not controlled by driver settings. You lift or lower it to the correct location for your stock thickness and it will always run your job wherever the Z is. It will never move it automatically by the software.

The Z is moved by panel buttons using the Z height shown on the panel's LCD. However, for some reason the Z height and/or focus keeps being incorrectly calibrated, we don't know why (possible user error), so we are NOT using this method until further notice. You need to use the stick, which many users did anyways.

<nowiki>#</nowiki>4 To move the Z, first press the "Z" button on the right once.
[[File:Pearl move z.jpg|thumb|alt=|center]]

The carriage will jump to a focus location. Place YOUR stock UNDER the carriage. Locate the FOCUS STICK in a hole on the left of the bed under the lid.

[[File:Pearl_focus_stick.jpg|alt=|center]]
Locate the RAMP on the stick, just so you understand. This is the measurement point that will contact the BOTTOM LIP of the FRONT of the carriage at the perfect focal distance. Not the side of the carriage, pics are from the left. The stick's step is sloped so it does not pinch or jam against the carriage if adjusted too high, but just tips away.

[[File:Pearl stick on stock.jpg|thumb|alt=|center]]

Place the focus stick ON TOP OF YOUR STOCK LOADED IN THE BED, against the FRONT of the carriage. This is shown LOW, you need to Z UP.
<nowiki>#</nowiki>5 Use the Z UP/DOWN arrows to move the bed. Again, the "Z position" LCD display keeps getting changed somehow so just don't use it for now. When done, just leave it, you don't need to set anything[[File:Pearl z display.jpg|thumb|alt=|center]]

[[File:Pearl z high.jpg|thumb|alt=|center]]This is now too high, the ramp tilts the stick away. Go DOWN.
[[File:Pearl Z perfect.jpg|center|thumb]]

This is perfect. The Z UP/DOWN button deals in 0.1" steps and that's good enough for most apps.

<nowiki>#</nowiki>6 Press the "Z" button on the far right a second time to send the carriage home and return the stick to its hole.

[[File:Pearl stick.jpg|center|thumb]]
The official ULS manual diagram
==Printing From Adobe Illustrator==
Like all ULS machines, VECTORS must be very thin or they will be reinterpreted as RASTER graphics. ("HAIRLINE" in Corel, or >=0.001 inch thick).

In Illustrator, change to inch units:

Illustrator->Edit->Preferences->Units->Stroke=Inches to enable Inch units

Change all vector lines to 0.001" stroke

[[File:Pearl illustrator.jpg|alt=|center|frameless]]

When you print in Illustrator:

Media size: DEFINED BY DRIVER

Orientation: PORTRAIT

Print Layers: ALL LAYERS

Placement: CENTER, right beside that enter X=0 Y=0 (this seems to override the Placement, entering X=0 Y=0 might be what you really need)

Scaling: DO NOT SCALE

If you set this differently, the job may shift a bunch in +/- X or Y, or may disappear off the workspace all together. The Preview window should appear correctly as shown, however if you did not select CENTER for PLACEMENT, it will shift your job when cutting but unfortunately will NOT appear differently on the Preview window.

“THE CATCH” of using Illustrator: every time you go to ULS’ “Setup” to change your power and print or save from there, Illustrator has been seen resetting Orientation back to Landscape, it must be Portrait. So, reselect Portrait and recheck the above entries after visiting the ULS setup window. The Preview window does not seem to update correctly at this point but the laser will get it correctly.

If anyone knows how to keep Illustrator from reverting like this, that would be great.

==ULS's Print Driver Menu==
When you do hit SETUP, you see the familiar ULS print driver settings, needed to set speed, power, rastering settings, etc
[[File:Pearl print driver.jpg|thumb|alt=|center]]

The difference vs Red and Blue is there's no entry for Z, because it just runs wherever you left it after adjusting with the stick.
PPI is now relevant, as this laser uses a pulse-mode source. PPI may change the appearance of the cut edge, becoming serrated if very low. Low settings (150PPI) may cut at greater speed than a higher PPI as the pulsing may be more intense peaks.

150 PPI for cutting and maybe 500 for rastering or fast engraving is a good suggested starting point.

==Laser Cutter Settings==
1/8" plywood 11% speed 150 PPI
0.2" plywood 8% speed 150 PPI

==Running==
Send job, press START. If you immediately hear TWO BEEPS, your job is EMPTY. Either ORIGIN was not set to 0x 0y (step #1 above), the Orientation is wrong and it shifted all the content off the workspace, or you have VECTOR selected but the LINE WIDTH inside Illustrator, etc WAS NOT SET TO 0.001" WIDTH

If RED LIGHT is FLASHING, CHILLER IS OFF or LID IS OPEN

The beam flashes with an intense flicker when it hits the honeycomb. Don’t freak out this seems normal

==Shutting Down==
Turn off. Peal’s power switch, the chiller, the exhaust blower. In any order.

Please remove small debris from the honeycomb and vacuum if necessary

{{Hosted|Danny Miller}}
[[Category:Lasers]]

Blue

2021-12-20T03:31:56Z

Admin:

Asmbly owns a '''Universal Laser Systems PLS 6.60 laser cutter''' colloquially known as "Blue". It is a 60W CO2 laser with 32" x 18" bed capable of cutting, engraving, and marking a number of different materials quickly and accurately when driven from CAD software such as CorelDraw and Inkscape.

{{Required|Small Lasers}}

{{ToolPhoto|BlueLaser.jpg}}

== ULS 6.60 Laser Cutter ==

Inside the laser cutter there is a very powerful CO2 infrared laser that is bounced off of a few mirrors and is finally directed towards the material being cut or etched by a moving mirror and lens that aims the focused beam. These mirrors and lenses are gold coated to provide the best possible transmission of infrared energy.

There are two main variables that the laser uses to cut and etch: speed and power. When cutting, the laser power is increased and the speed is decreased so that the cutting beam spends a longer time hitting the material in order to cut though. While etching the speed is increased and the power reduced, this way the laser only removes a little material from the surface, leaving just the etching.

== Usage ==
To be fair to other users, each member may only have one "active" reservation at a time in (maximum) three hour blocks. Additionally, we only allow one "active" reservation at a time for these machines. An "active" reservation is defined as a reservation that will occur at some point in the future. A second active reservation may be made with "bumpable" in the Booking Title field. This indicates a soft reservation that another member may bump if they need the time.

== Materials ==
There are a wide range of materials that the Laser Cutter can cut, etch or mark - but some simply don't work (eg metals) and some are extremely hazardous to either humans or the machine itself. It is therefore imperative that you check the list of [[Laser Cutter Materials]] before attempting to cut materials that you have not worked with before.

[[Laser Cutter Materials]]

== Laser Cutter Settings ==
Recommended settings for a variety of materials: [[Blue Laser Cutter Settings]]

Don't press the focusing on button the machine(white button) or adjust the focus setting in the software. These settings are calibrated regularly by the people authorized to work on the machine and are not intended for users to change. Doing this messes up other people's work and it's NOT COOL. As with everything in the space, when you're done, leave things as they were when you started. Changing this setting means the laser is not right when the next person comes to use the machine.

== Manuals ==
Engravers Network has [http://www.engraversnetwork.com/support/support_uls_manuals.html an online archive that includes many ULS laser system manuals].

These appear to be the relevant manuals for our laser:

*[http://www.engraversnetwork.com/support/pdf/PLS375_475_675_6150D%20Installation%20and%20Setup.pdf PLS Installation Manual]
*[http://www.engraversnetwork.com/support/pdf/PLS_User_Guide.pdf PLS User Guide]
*[http://www.engraversnetwork.com/support/pdf/Advance-Manual%20Control%20Panel%20(48-60).pdf Print Driver-Advanced Manual Control]
*[http://www.engraversnetwork.com/support/pdf/UCP-All%20Systems%20(24-41).pdf UCP-Universal Control Panel]
*[http://www.atxhs.org/wiki/File:PLS_Service_Manual.pdf PLS Service Manual]

== Theory: How it Works ==
Inside the laser cutter there is a very powerful CO2 infrared laser that is bounced off of a few mirrors onto a moving head and is finally directed towards the material being cut or etched by a moving mirror and lens that aims the focused beam. These mirrors and lenses are gold coated to provide the best possible transmission of infrared energy.

The infrared (IR) light that the laser cutter produces would blind you instantly if you were to look directly at it - and it's so bright that even you were only looking at the light reflected off the material that's being cut, it could still blind you. The IR light is also totally invisible. Fortunately, IR light doesn't pass easily through the window of the cutter that is made of a Polycarbonate plastic (which strongly absorbs light in those wavelengths). For this reason, if the lid (and the front panel) of the laser are not properly shut, then the IR laser will turn off automatically. The intense white light that you sometimes see when the cutter is operating is actually visible light that's being emitted by the material that the laser is burning off (it's literally 'white hot'!). There is also a red "guide laser" that is not dangerous to look at which allows you to see how the head is moving even when the IR laser is turned off. You can tell when the lid isn't properly shut because there is a red light on the control panel that flashes when there is a problem.

For carbon-based (organic) materials (like wood, paper, cloth and leather), you see the material being burned away and there may be black residue left behind. For plastics like Acrylic, the material is chemically decomposed by the laser and you don't see that white hot trail as it cuts. However, when the laser hits the metal grid beneath the material, there will still be bright flashes of light from that.

== IMPORTANT: Dirty optics and other problems ==
First and foremost, repair and servicing of the laser cutter may only be performed by persons designated by the Asmbly's Director of Facilities.

If the laser cutter is operating particularly poorly, then dirty optics is a likely cause. Smoke and debris can stick to the lens and mirror and build up slowly over time.

It's a good idea to inspect the laser optics before you start work. Use the mirror and lamp provided (both are supposed to be sitting on top of the laser cutter). Carefully place the mirror onto the vector table, underneath the cutting head and shine the lamp down onto it to illuminate the underside of the head: 
[[File:InspectingLaser1.jpg|300px|link=Special:FilePath/InspectingLaser1.jpg]] 
When it's dirty, it looks dull and greyish-brown like this: 
[[File:InspectingLaser2.png|300px|link=Special:FilePath/InspectingLaser2.png]] 
It should be a golden yellow color because the lens is coated with a thin layer of gold.

It's also possible that one or more of the three mirrors is dirty - but this is a rarer situation because they aren't in the direct stream of smoke that is kicked up when the laser is working.

* '''Don't use the laser when the mirror and/or lens are dirty''' - especially not at high power settings - because doing so causes the dirt to get very hot and that can permanently ruin the gold coating or even crack the optics - which cost hundreds of dollars to replace and could result in the laser cutter being offline for weeks.
* '''Don't touch or attempt to clean the lens/mirror unless you've been properly trained to do so'''. The procedure for cleaning these delicate parts is described in [[LaserCleaning|Cleaning the Laser Cutter]], but this is a task that should not be undertaken without specific training because these parts are fragile (they're made of a surprisingly soft material) and it's easy to damage the thin gold coating by cleaning them even slightly incorrectly.

The correct procedure if you believe that the lens is dirty is:

# Enter your suspicions into the log book.
# eMail the issue to the mailing list.
# Do not operate the laser cutter or you could end up with...
[[File:DestroyedLaserLens.jpg|150px|link=Special:FilePath/DestroyedLaserLens.jpg]]

== Making drawings for the Laser Cutter ==
To tell the cutter how to cut/etch/raster, you make your drawing in various colors. Generally we do this in CorelDraw (which is installed on the laser cutter's computer) or by importing SVG files from Inkscape.

By convention:

*Draw raster objects as image files in shades of grey (darker means more laser power, lighter means less)
*Lines to be cut all the way through should be drawn in red.
*Lines to be etched in either blue or green.

However, these are only conventions - you can actually set the laser power, speed, raster/vector, points-per-inch and Z-depth independently for each of the colors Black, Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow. The laser cuts things out in the order of those colors - so it'll do all of the black things before all of the red things, then all of the green and so on - this can sometimes be useful to know (eg if you have small parts or springy material that may move once they've been cut out - then you'll want to etch and raster before cutting).

== External Links ==

Some helpful laser related links. Need to organize:

*[http://www.induflex.dk/Plast_Laserskaering_acryl.aspx?Lang=en-GB Laser Cutting Plastic]
*[http://regal-plastics.com/ Regal Plastics - Local supplier]
*[http://www.instructables.com/id/Pure-Decadence---Laser-Etched-Chocolate-Bar/ Laser etched Chocolate]
*[http://engraversnetwork.com/support/pdf/Advance-Manual%20Control%20Panel%20%2848-60%29.pdf Advanced Laser Manual]
*[http://www.thorlabs.us/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=330 Tissues for cleaning optics]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq3G9zu0ick ULS 3D calibration]
*[http://www.ulsinc.com/markets/woodworking/ Woodworking]
*[http://jerryarutherford.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-years-laser-fire.html Why not to leave the laser]
*[http://www.buildlog.net/blog/2011/02/buildlog-net-2-x-laser/ Buildog DIY Laser]
*[http://hacknmod.com/hack/diy-mini-desktop-laser-engraver/ DIY laser engraver]
*[http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/05/27/fabfont-a-typeface-for-lasercut-stencils/ Typeface for stencils]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arjRtCjI9AQ Laser Origami]
*[http://www.instructables.com/id/Round-stoolstype-all-rounds/ Laser cut round stools]
*[http://www.epiloglaser.com/tl_wood_residue.htm Removing wood residue]
*[http://boxmaker.rahulbotics.com/ Tabbed box maker]
*[http://www.thermark.com/ TherMark laser bonded marking]
*[http://www.ulsinc.com/cp/en/scordato-sales/materials-library USL Materials Library]
*[http://tuckbox.gameupdates.com/ Tuck box generator]
*[https://github.com/timur-tabi/svg-tuckbox Tuck box python script]
*[http://www.lasersaur.com/ Lasersaur DIY laser cutter]
*[http://blog.ponoko.com/2010/06/17/how-to-make-snug-joints-in-acrylic/ How to make snug joints in acrylic]

== Maintenance and Parts ==

Replacement lens are usually purchased on ebay. Search for "ZnSe Lens 19.05mm". The key properties are that it should be 19.05mm in diameter, have a focal length of 2.0 inches, and be a ZnSe lens for IR laser cutters / engravers. An example ebay item is: http://www.ebay.com/itm/172251072909 .

{{Owned}}
[[Category:Lasers]]

Big Lasers Class

2021-12-20T03:31:15Z

Admin:

In this class you will be introduced to laser cutters and learn the process of going from a design to cutting/etching on our Ruida-controlled lasers, including [[Tarkin]] - a large format laser capable of cutting through materials up to 1.5" thick. You will practice this procedure several times and even make your own personalized first project. The software you'll use with our lasers is [http://lightburnsoftware.com LightBurn] and the process you'll practice is generally usable across most laser projects.

When you've finished the class you'll walk away with a step-by-step guide to using the big Asmbly lasers, a personalized project you'll have cut by yourself, and the certification to use Asmbly's Ruida-controlled laser cutters going forward.

Big Lasers Class

2021-12-20T03:31:05Z

Admin: Created page with "In this class you will be introduced to laser cutters and learn the process of going from a design to cutting/etching on our Ruida-controlled lasers, including [Tarkin] - a la..."

In this class you will be introduced to laser cutters and learn the process of going from a design to cutting/etching on our Ruida-controlled lasers, including [Tarkin] - a large format laser capable of cutting through materials up to 1.5" thick. You will practice this procedure several times and even make your own personalized first project. The software you'll use with our lasers is [http://lightburnsoftware.com LightBurn] and the process you'll practice is generally usable across most laser projects.

When you've finished the class you'll walk away with a step-by-step guide to using the big Asmbly lasers, a personalized project you'll have cut by yourself, and the certification to use Asmbly's Ruida-controlled laser cutters going forward.

Tarkin

2021-12-20T03:29:34Z

Admin:

Tarkin is the new large-format laser cutter in the space. It's a hot-rod custom-built laser cutter based on an RF CO2 10.6um laser and the latest in C-rail linear motion system with a Ruida RDC6445G controller running Lightburn software. It features 225W of power on a 1.6M x 1.0 M (63"x39") cutting bed, powered Z, 8MP alignment camera, and air assist.

It's quite large and capable -- we don't think there's anything like it in central Texas.

Use as per https://wiki.asmbly.org/index.php/Covid_Policies#Equipment-specific_time_limits

{{Required|Big Lasers}}

[[File:PXL 20211129 043716473.jpg|center|thumb|700x700px]]

== Setup ==

=== 1. Locate Fire Extinguisher ===
Please locate the 2 HALOTRON fire extinguishers as you enter the laser room. These are the preferred extinguishers as Halon is a clean smothering gas that leaves no residue. The other extinguishers outside the laser room are ABC, which smother by spraying a great deal of baking soda powder that is difficult to clean out of the laser. These may still be used in an emergency, but the HALOTRON extinguishers should be tried first.

=== 2. Main Power Switch ===
Powers on laser. Currently also powers on exhaust fan and air assist pumps, however, these may soon be moved to a different switch so they do not need to be left on all the time. If so, an interlock will prevent the machine from running if they are not also activated at that time.

The lowest switch operates an LED light bar inside the bed
[[File:PXL 20211121 044820300.jpg|thumb|Tarkin's chiller switch]]

=== 3. Chiller switch ===
Starts chiller, required for all work. The machine will refuse to run and give a "WATER PROT" error if the chiller is not pumping.

=== 4. Locate E-STOP button ===
Backup safety feature, cuts power to Ruida, motor drives, and disables laser power supplies. The regular STOP button is preferred.

Once E-STOP is tripped, it will mechanically latch down and must be twisted 90 deg clockwise to allow it to release

The E-Stop button does NOT remove all power from the chassis. The chassis will be partially live unless all 3 plugs are unplugged from the wall

==== 5. NEVER leave the laser while running ====

== Important Terms ==
(just proposed for now, following documentation needs editing to use these consistently)

=== ''Machine bed'' ===
the physical machine's actual work area.

=== ''Control Panel (Ruida control panel)'' ===
the Ruida hardware panel on the physical machine. Small color LCD and membrane keys. Not to be confused with the Lightburn software running on the PC.

=== ''Material'' ===
your physical stock- a piece of plywood, acrylic sheet, etc. You'll be placing it on the machine bed and cutting your job on it.

=== ''Lightburn'' ===
the software on the PC for CAD, specifying what to cut and how, and has control for some live interaction with the machine. Your job is created within a workspace inside Lightburn.

=== ''Workspace'' ===
Lightburn's work area on the PC. This is the same as the machine bed only if you make the workspace size the same as machine bed size and operate in absolute coordinates. Otherwise, where your job is placed on the workspace is not necessarily where the job will be when you go to the machine bed, and your workspace can be declared in a different size than the machine bed. Note that in either case, your job (the actual content) will probably be smaller than the whole declared workspace, and cannot be located outside the workspace when you actually want to send it to the laser.

=== ''Job'' ===
your content- vector/raster operations you want the laser to do. The location of the job on the machine bed is flexible and can be moved from the control panel, or it can be fixed. Your job exists in two forms- on the workspace (Lightburn software), and on the machine bed (physical machine). In the case of user origin, they may not be in the same place.

=== ''User origin'' ===
your job's origin. It is not used in absolute coordinate operation. The user origin also has two forms- it is represented on the workspace with a green square, and can move in relation to your job. At the control panel, you will set the user origin to the current head position with the ORIGIN button, which moves your job so that the green square will be at that point.

=== ''Vector Cutting'' ===
The most common operation, the goal is to cut out your shapes

=== ''Vector Engraving'' ===
The goal is to mark the surface with a vector, but not cut all the way through. Amount of burn per inch is limited by raising Speed and/or reducing Power to avoid cutting through

=== ''Rastering'' ===
The goal is to mark the surface, or produce a 3D depth carving. The head will move back and forth many times, and step over via Line Interval each pass.

Rasters may begin as a form of bitmap graphic, or a solid Fill of any closed shape

== Focusing ==
Focusing is currently done manually (this may change). For reference, the focal point is 6mm from the tip of the cone.

Although the head, like most designs, has an adjustable tube, we do not operate by adjusting the tube. Please ensure to tube is all the way up before continuing.
[[File:PXL 20211121 044745165.jpg|thumb|Focus tool]]
Place your material on the machine bed

jog the head above the material

Place focus tool on top of material as shown

Use the Z+/Z- keys to raise and lower the bed until the focus tool corner, as shown on the tool, aligns where the corner of the conical part of the cone turns into the cylindrical part.

Once you reach the proper height, nothing else needs to be pressed and you can continue to use the machine. The control panel will read out around "Z 3000mm". This number is not important. In cases where you need to deal with thick material, you may raise the bed from this point by as much as -5mm. If so, this readout can be used to measure simply by relative values. e.g. "Z 3002.7" after using focus tool. To achieve focus -2, press Z UP until the display reads "Z 3000.7"

Conversely, rastering time can be greatly reduced by lowering the bed after using the focus tool to increase the spot size and increasing the line interval by the corresponding amount. Lowering by 7mm corresponds to roughly 0.5mm line interval and 14mm is 1mm line interval.

Quirk: The machine bed can shift laterally by several millimeters in the X and Y, when Z is moved. Please adjust the Z BEFORE making any precision placement of origin. Until this is fixed, the Z should not be moved to different places within a job as the XY alignment may shift.

== Origins ==
Tarkin's origin is commonly set in one of three ways:

=== Absolute coords ===
using a workspace the size of the machine bed. The location of your job is fixed and the user does not operate the ORIGIN button on the panel, as there is no user origin. The camera may or may not be activated

=== User origin ===
Your material is placed anywhere on the bed that is convenient, and the user moves the head to the desired origin point and presses "ORIGIN" to work around that spot. In this case, it is not important where the user places their job on the PC's workspace, or that the workspace be of the size of the laser's bed at all. Lightburn will automatically create a bounding box around all the user's job within the workspace, whether or not it is designated to be sent at that time. The user can specify the work origin to be in the center, any of the 4 corners (top left most common), or 4 sides (uncommon). It is possible to place the origin in a way that the job will eventually run off the machine bed, this will result in "FRAME SLOP ERROR" and will not run. Correct the origin position and use the FRAME button to verify its bounding box. Note that moving your job around the machine bed via the user ORIGIN button does not move your job on the workspace.

User Origin, CENTER, is the safest option if you are using clamps. The head will return to that origin at the end. So, that origin point being in the center of your job, no clamps should be in the way. However, the head will of course have to travel in a line from wherever it is to the start point, so if the user origin was not set correctly or the head is for some reason located outside the job before starting, it might still be possible to strike a clamp. Currently we do not think head strikes will be a big problem for the machine, mostly it would mean your material gets knocked around and your job could be spoiled.

=== Camera-placed absolute coords ===
Your material can be placed anywhere visible to the alignment camera, the Lightburn workspace is set to the full machine bed size, the user jogs the gantry out of the line of sight (not obscuring your material), and then Lightburn takes a camera snapshot of the machine bed that shows up as a graphical background with your material on the workspace. The very rear of the machine bed is not visible to the camera for alignment purposes, as the lid is hinged closer than that. The user moves and aligns the vectors/raster job across the workspace so it is over the actual material by moving the job in XY and, if necessary, rotation and resizing may also be done. Lightburn will automatically change to absolute coordinates in camera mode, and the user does not operate the ORIGIN button. This method can also be used for hybrid work- for example, color printing paper graphics that were glued to plywood earlier, this material is then placed and aligned via camera and cut out into desired shapes with the laser, or an existing manufactured object is placed on the bed and the job aligned over it. There is no auto-recognition of printed registration marks, but printed registration marks do make alignment easier and more accurate. Another example might be a unique horizontal slice of a tree can be traced and artwork can flow with that arbitrary shape in size and alignment. So far, the accuracy has been better than 2mm, and may be improved with further calibration.

== Power Settings (in Lightburn layers) ==
Lightburn has a sizable and growing database of known-good values for cutting and rastering on Tarkin, listed by material. Feel free to use them, but these can only be created or modified by admin. If you want a new entry, please submit the parameters and if possible a piece of that material and we can include it. Pearl will also have a Lightburn material database after it is converted to that controller, but it will have different values as the beam's power is different.

In general, if you have a material which is not listed exactly, scale speed and/or power proportionally.

e.g. if you only had a setting for cutting 6mm acrylic but you have 8mm, you need about 8/6= 1.333x the "burn" per mm. First off, if the power is not 100%, scale up the power- however, for most cutting we already max out the power and increase speed to the max that will still cut cleanly through the material. So the existing setting might be 6mm acrylic, 100% power, 35 mm/sec. In general you would scale proportionately- 35 mm/sec for the thin, fast 6mm divided by 1.333x gets us 26mm/sec on the thicker, slower 8mm.

The machine's top axis speed is set well over 1500 mm/sec, but this is not likely to be important for vectoring as this sort of speed is not commonly used. If the user's job asks for a speed higher than the machine can travel, the machine will limit its speed and proportionately scale back the % power to deliver the same energy per mm of length.

In general, Tarkin should be used to cut at 100% power. The amount of burn per inch is controlled by increasing the Speed parameter to the fastest travel that still consistently cuts through the material.

In cases of very light cutting (paper), vector engraving, or rastering, it is necessary to reduce power from 100% since it will cut all the way through the material even with very high Speed.

To test new material, the simplest thing is a line 20mm or longer. Less than 20mm may not get into constant-velocity mode and does not accurately represent the primary cutting ability.

Multiple passes are NOT useful

== Rastering ==

=== MAX RASTER ===
Rastering limit is 1500mm/sec. In general, rastering at 1500mm/sec is a good choice. This requires approx 100mm of Extend Space on either side.

=== Types of Rastering: ===

==== FILL ====
just marking/carving out even blocks. Line intervals <0.15mm cut deeper (typically not of value, just slows down job). WARNING: FILLS created by making a rectangle and using "LINE+FILL" or just "FILL" DO NOT use the grayscale or dithering parameters and should not be used as a test to calibrate those modes. The Materials Library raster settings cannot be loaded for a Fill, it will not go into those parameters.

==== GRAYSCALE 2D ====
Laser power is modulated by grayscale shade. Goal is not depth, but shading. Line intervals <0.15mm cut deeper (typically not of value, just slows down job). Grayscale works if your material can show good dynamic range (shade darkens proportionally with beam). Dynamic range of material must be investigated carefully- for example, plywood veneer may start light, burn darker with more beam, but past a certain point we cut through the veneer and briefly get a red shade from the glue and then a totally different shade from an inner ply. This would be a very poor dynamic range to allow the power to pass the point where it becomes darkest.

Some materials such as black marble would have an inverted dynamic range- unburned is black, but it becomes white when burned. In this case, Invert Image button may be desired.

Note: grayscale 2D is not effective with most CO2 lasers and guides may advise against it. Tarkin is NOT an ordinary CO2 laser in this regard and does amazing things!
[[File:PXL 20211120 053155109 (1).jpg|thumb|DiCaprio in grayscale, line interval 0.150mm]]
[[File:PXL 20211120 053719092.jpg|center|thumb|Closeup of DiCaprio's eye in grayscale, line interval 0.150mm]]

==== GRAYSCALE 3D RELIEFS ("depth map") ====
Same mode, but different goal. Laser power is high enough to carve into the material. We are not trying to produce varying shades, but varying depth. Works very well with wood and acrylic. Homogenous materials like acrylic have a very constant power-to-depth ratio. Wood, however, has bands of hard and soft grain. The higher density of the hard grain bands leave a shadow that will not be cut as deep. This is part of the character of 3D cutting wood. This also affects all FILL.

A bitmap used for this purpose is called a "depth map", but it is essentially a grayscale image with depth represented as darker pixels. But this is still fundamentally different from a picture- if a photograph of a light-skinned person were cut as a depth map, it would appear grossly distorted- the whites of the eyes are highest, the hair would be cut deep, and pupils cut deepest.
[[File:Depth Map.jpg|thumb|Depth Map|alt=|left]][[File:PXL 20211121 010329469.jpg|thumb|Cut depth map, negative image cut from rear in acrylic|alt=|center]]If you want to avoid creating obvious unburned areas where the shading is very light, set MIN POWER parameter >0%. While in the raster area, this rescales the laser output. Black is MAX POWER %, white is MIN POWER %. In acrylic we often allow the lightest shading to remain untouched clear acrylic for contrast.

3D may utilize smaller line intervals effectively, it will just burn deeper as lines overlap. However, in general increasing the power may be more practical.

STL model files can be turned into depth maps via https://www.meshlab.net/

Note that STL files generally need to be designed as 3D reliefs to produce good results. Reliefs are an artistic style that trick your perception into seeing a much deeper scene than the actual material. Simply flattening a 3D scene by 99% may not yield usable reliefs.

3D reliefs have difficulty scaling. 15mm acrylic cut a max depth of 8mm might produce a great quality image when rendered in a 100mm x 100mm frame. However, when increased to 200mm x 200mm, the same 15mm acrylic cannot be burned twice as deep. If burned to the same depth, the image will be relatively flat in the Z dimension. In order to maintain the original scale, the acrylic stock would need to be 30mm thick!

Reliefs in clear acrylic look MUCH better when mirrored, the shading changed to "negative image", and cut from the BACK side. When edge lit, the look is fantastic!
==== DITHER/HALFTONING 2D ====
Most common choice for photographic work. The basic scheme of dithering is we have the original unburned surface and burned "brown" areas and nothing in between. The appearance of "shading" is created by a ratio of these, not by turning the laser intensity up and down.

The beam is often turned down quite a bit- 8% on wood is a good starting point.[[File:PXL 20211110 035206778.jpg|thumb|DiCaprio in halftoning, line interval 0.150mm]]
[[File:PXL 20211120 053808481.jpg|center|thumb|Closeup of DiCaprio's eye in Halftoning, line interval 0.150mm]]
[[File:PXL 20211203 073540415.jpg|thumb]]

===== Proper Line Interval =====
Dithering/halftoning MUST use correct Line Interval that matches the beam width.

The first gradient shown has line interval set 33% too high. Visible white lines separate the dithering pixels.

The lower gradient is too low, 67% of what it should be, and this has mostly broken the dithering scheme. The rows are overlapping, resulting in completely burned-out areas past around 50% gray; there is little midrange.
[[File:Dithering.jpg|center|thumb]]
The middle is just right! Raster lines abut but do not overlap.

The width of the beam at good focus is approximately 0.15mm. The width of the burn mark does go up slightly with power, so recheck the line interval after changing power.

===== Rastering with Focus+ =====
Large rasters benefit greatly from running out of focus to enlarge the spot size and reduce the number of raster lines needed.

Running the Z lower will widen the spot in a predictable, consistent way. +15mm will yield a 1mm spot size. Start by focusing for the top as usual using the tool, note the value of "Z" on the panel, it should be around 3000mm, but this is only used as relative value. Write down the number for the focal point and add 15mm to it- e.g., if the panel reads 2998.2mm after setting Z with the focus tool, you would jog down to 2998.2 + 15 = 3013.2.
[[File:Jarvis Dithering.jpg|thumb|Jarvis Dithering at Focus+14mm. Slight overlap, line interval could be slightly higher for this distance]]
The spot is widened to 1mm at this point, so the Line Interval will be set to 1mm. Since the beam is spread over a larger area, it will be able to use all the power without blasting through the wood. 100% power 1000mm/s 1mm Line Interval and Jarvis dithering yields this. Despite its massive size, 839mm x 644mm, it was done in just over 12min.
[[File:PXL 20211122 044306653.jpg|center|thumb|Giant raster based on 1mm spot size]]

=== Determining Best Raster Power ===
Most jobs cutting with the "Fill" seek depth, not color change. Such as carving out block lettering with depth for signs.

But the goal of most grayscale or dithering is to produce the desired color change- typically the deepest color change possible. Initially, color typically deepens with more power. However, after a certain point the material may instead become lighter or change color entirely, and it may not be clearly evident until the wood is being cleaned of debris. This can happen because wood may pass a point where it starts to disintegrate into char and instead is removed entirely. In plywood, this may even reverse the color deepening trend because a veneer or ply of one type of wood is penetrated, exposing a different layer.

The possible color change varies based on the material type. Wood gives much more dramatic color changes when pretreated with a light spraying with a contrast solution of baking soda, a drop of dish soap, and water and allowed to fully dry before lasering (this may take hours so best to do ahead of time). Some have tried boric acid solution, however, while it initially appears even blacker, it is mostly a char that comes off.

Tarkin's Material Database has examples of raster settings as well for different materials at focus and and different focus+ points. If you wish to generate your own, here is a suggested procedure for creating new settings.

Tarkin is VERY powerful. At focus, most plywood yields optimum color change with 1500mm/sec 8% power. If we use focus+ methods to increase spot size and yield a faster raster, the optimum power will increase as its energy is spread out over a wider swath. The limit is roughly focus+15mm which yields a 1mm line interval and will take 100% power. This is excellent for huge graphical burns.

Are there other speeds? Yes. but we are already speed-limited, not power-limited. For example, 750mm/sec and 4% power should yield a virtually identical burn, but this job will take twice as long so there is no clear value to it.

If instead you want to develop your own settings, possibly for a focus+ situation, here is the method:

Load Lightburn project "tarkin_raster_calibration.lb2", and try with the enclosed power settings on a test piece of your material. This essential testing step for determining speed, power and line interval burn settings that must operate in GRAYSCALE MODE, EVEN IF YOU ULTIMATELY INTEND TO DITHER. At best focus (not focus+), line interval is known to be roughly 0.15mm, so we have a 0.1mm, 0.15mm, and 0.20mm line interval rows here to verify.

We increase the power in 10 steps from left to right columns, and show the color change as shading increases the beam to the full power setting. Although done in grayscale, this calibration is necessary for dithering modes as well.
[[File:PXL 20211206 030100158.jpg|center|thumb]]

This is a shot in the dark with 1500 mm/s and 40% power. The % in font represents the fractions of the 40% power. The rows represent 0.10mm, 0.15mm, and 0.20mm line intervals. At a distance, the color seems similar, but the blasting of soot at the higher powers is a bad sign. After a cleaning of loose, dusty soot particles, we have this:
[[File:PXL 20211206 030321034.jpg|center|thumb|Overburn apparent on cleaning]]
Overburn apparent on cleaning. The top ply stopped getting darker after the first couple of panels. This is OVERSHOOTING the power, removing the surface ply entirely and exposing the glue and inner layers which are somewhat lighter and not even brown. The reddish look is the glue layer. Let's back off from the 40% power down to 1/4 of that, changing 10% power=full scale.

The line interval is appearing to favor the 0.15mm middle row, but let's look closer.
[[File:PXL 20211206 030104899.jpg|center|thumb|zeroing the scale at 10% power]]
Now the scale has 10% power for the 100% of grayscale, total black square of the original graphic. But, wood being wood, our dynamic range is poor. The 80% of that shows approx the point of max color change, a net of 8% power. At this point, the strength of the beam produces a beam width that hits the sweet spot of no gaps but minimal overlap at 0.15mm. That should be our line interval for this net 8% power, let's verify in the next step.

Now that we know 8% power 0.15mm line interval produces the best color change, let's change this entire graphic from grayscale to stucki dithering, which will decide when to fire or not based on shade, but when it fires it will always be at 8% power 0.15mm
[[File:PXL 20211206 030112672.jpg|center|thumb|Dithering at correct power, but with different line intervals]]
Let's take a closer look at the raster's lines
[[File:PXL 20211206 030621906.jpg|center|thumb|0.1mm, too close ]]
0.1mm line interval, these rows are too close and overlapping the dither patterns, breaking the effect. Everything starts to look a similar shade of brown as the rows of pixels overlap, more so at the deeper grays. So the dynamic range is all in the lower % and then turns all similar-looking brown after 50% gray.
[[File:PXL 20211206 030624961.jpg|center|thumb]]
<blockquote></blockquote>0.15mm line interval at 8% power= net 5%. The columns are just short of overlap. This is a correct raster target!
[[File:PXL 20211206 030628624.jpg|center|thumb|0.2mm line interval, gaps appear between rows]]
On the other hand, 0.2mm line interval is showing gaps between rows. The line interval is too wide.

We have successfully determined our ideal numbers a dithering raster for standard focus- 1500mm/s, 8% power, 0.15mm line interval.

=== Adjusting the image for rastering ===
At this point, the optimum burn settings determined and and should NOT be adjusted at all to change the appearance.

Rather, let's look at the original bitmap image itself. Select the image, then Tools->Adjust Image. There are sliders, dithering methods, and live, zoom-able preview of the image. Any changes here are DYNAMIC- it keeps the original bitmap and a list of these adjustments, rather than overwriting the bitmap with the adjusted image and forgetting the settings that adjusted it. If you OK out of this window, the design workspace shows the adjusted image. If you later enlarge the image size in the workspace, the line interval won't widen with it, it will be re-rendered with more lines, not wider intervals. If you return to Adjust Image, the original is still there along with all the adjustment sliders and dithering where you last set them.

This allows you to see what sort of detail the rastering will be able to do. We should not change our line interval, that will NOT add detail, just create overlap that breaks dithering by collapsing the dynamic range. If the detail cannot render, and we are already using the best focus, the only choice is to increase the image size to see the detail. But we contrast, brightness, gamma, and radius enhancement will enhance greatly. There is no fixed formula for this, it works off the exposure settings of the original image along with looking for the the specific detail you want to make most prominent. ''Adjust Image settings apply only to the selected image, not necessarily the entire Image Layer which may have multiple images in it. and are NOT saved in the Materials Library entry''. The Materials Library only stores the speed, %power, dithering type, and line interval. The Adjust Image settings used on each image will save in the project, however.

=== Focus+ rastering for fast, large raster jobs to amaze people ===
As noted, 1500mm/sec 8% power 0.15mm is a common spot for burning wood. That's max speed of the machine axis. We can't change the line interval without breaking dithering. 750mm/sec 4% power would yield approximately the same burn, but pointless as it is twice the machine time.

Rather, we can lower the Z to increase the focal distance, "focus+". This increases the burn width, and we will increase line interval to match that The cap is focus+15mm produces approximately a 1mm line, and is an approximate limit of benefit because power increases to about 100% to maintain the burn intensity over the wider line. Net benefit is the job runs 7x faster. Anything further would require slowing the raster to keep the same burn intensity, no longer speeding up the process thus defeating the point.

This decreases the vertical lines of resolution per mm, but its greatest value is in huge poster-scale rasters that have large numbers of vertical lines in the entire image due to the large scale, so detail can still be represented.

Focus+ works only on Tarkin, since it has advanced, fully adjusted beam collimation that produces a totally consistent shaped beam width anywhere on the bed. It will yield distorted images on most other machines as the line width will vary across the bed.

=== RASTER EXTEND SPACE: what's that? ===
All rastering is done when the laser head is at the specified constant velocity, for image consistency. This requires "extend space" on the margins of the raster for the head to brake to a stop and accelerate back, and the amount of extend space required scales up with raster speed. For this reason, rastering cannot be done at the far left/right margins of the machine bed. If your job requires extend space that exceeds the machine bed, it will abort with a "NOT ENOUGH EXTEND SPACE" error when you press Play. Move the raster work from the edge or reduce raster speed to shrink the extend space needed.

Extend space creates a slightly complicated relationship with raster speed and ultimate job time. 500mm/sec is very little extend space, 1500mm/sec requires 100mm on either side. For example, with a raster image only 25mm wide, running 1500mm/sec will actually take longer than 500mm/sec as it must use a wide margin of extend space to brake and reverse up to that high speed that is only used for 25mm. However, for a 1 meter wide raster, 1500mm would be substantially faster. The time wasted braking and reversing through the extend space on each pass is a fixed time per line, but the bulk of the time per line is spent on the 1 meter raster job which goes twice as fast.]

[TBD: testing shows we can increase that accel quite a bit and the Extend Space at 1500mm/s is much smaller]

[TBD: determine inflection point for width where going below 1500mm/s will reduce job time]

However, 1500mm/sec is generally the best speed to be rastering at.

Inside Lightburn, the Preview window will show you the effects of raster speed on runtime for your specific job.

The FRAME button does NOT show the bounds of Extend Space. Take care when placing clamps to the left or right of a raster. There is no easy way to guess how much Extend Space will be used. The amount of Extend Space also depends on the machine parameters, which may be tweaked from time to time. In general these future improvements should reduce, not increase, the amount of Extend Space needed

Lightburn Preview will NOT warn you if your job's Extend Space would run into the limits of the X axis, even if Tarkin's accurate machine setup file was loaded. You will get an error on the panel after loading the file.

== Shutdown ==
Clean the machine bed. Please try to avoid allowing small debris entering the honeycomb if possible, it is difficult to get underneath to clean out. Vacuum out small debris instead with the vacuum nearby

Turn off main power

Turn off chiller

Order is NOT important

== Materials ==

=== Usable ===
Acrylic, plywood, wood, MDF, cardboard always cut cleanly.

==== Plywood quality and "Patches" ====
Most plywood sold as a particular surface, such as "oak plywood" or "walnut plywood" are a thin veneer on the external cosmetic face only. The internal plies are almost always poplar, spruce, or birch.

Patches are flaws in the plies that are filled with more wood and extra glue. Patched areas in plywood are mechanically weaker, which may result in breakage with thin sections. Most patching is on internal plies and not readily apparent from the surface. Patched areas require slower speeds to fully cut, so the fastest speed that works on an initial cut test on one small section may work but fail to cut out completely in patched spots unless the entire laser job is slowed down to anticipate the worst areas. Therefore, patch-free plywood can be cut more consistently and thus faster.

Russian Baltic Birch is the best type of plywood for lasering. The plies are always the same thickness and there are no major "patches". The surface readily takes stain evenly. RBB not sold in hardware stores but available at Austin Fine Lumber and Plywood, about a mile from Asmbly. It comes in 5'x5' (1525mm x1525mm) sheets in 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, and 15mm.

Some plastics tend to melt or char rather than produce clean cuts.

Carbon fiber and fiberglass tend to char rather than cut and are generally inappropriate

Glass and stone can be etched, but they cannot be cut

Paper and other light materials may be susceptible to being blown around by the air assist. This may result in a piece flying out and laying across the material, taking an extra hit and shielding that material from the beam on a later cut.

Tarkin cuts lumber up to 1.5" thick (actual dimension), very successfully. The edges are very clean and straight
[[File:Lumber cats.jpg|center|thumb]]

1/2" black acrylic has cut very well. Thicker may be possible.

=== Prohibited ===

==== NO PVC ====
NO PVC or ANY FORM OF "VINYL", INCLUDING TRADITIONAL VINYL RECORDS. This is 60% chlorine atoms by weight, and the fumes are corrosive to the equipment. Do not attempt!

==== NO Polycarbonate ====
NO POLYCARBONATE ("LEXAN"). This includes CDs, DVDs, and BluRay disks. Although it looks very much like acrylic, polycarbonate does not cut. It turns brown and cracks and produces a ton of soot chains that dirty the optics.

==== NO METAL ====
Currently, NO METAL. This included removing paint, aluminum anodization, or fusing Cermark/moly dry lube to steel, aluminum, brass, and copper. While we can normally mark (not cut) metal with a a beam of this power, the reflections may be capable of damaging the laser. If you have such a project, please contact workshop and we can supervise and see how this works.

=== NO FOOD ===
The laser cutter is full of unknown toxic chemicals from other materials that may contaminate the food, and food may leave residue that contaminates the machine. It typically smells awful too.

=== Copper Wire Flame Test ===
When in doubt, there is a copper wire "flame test":

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=laser+cutter+flame+test

== Machine Errors ==

=== FILE TRANSFER FAILED (seen on the PC) ===
The machine is currently running a job, or the panel was navigated to a menu screen that cannot accept jobs, or the machine is off. However, about 5% of the time the jobs do get this error from a network prob that is not well understood, but the job simply needs to be re-sent.

=== WATER PROT ===
coolant flow not detected. Most likely, the chiller is not turned on.

=== SYS ALARM, MACHINE PROTECTED ===
Likely causes:

# Door is open - just close the door
# Chiller is in Alarm state (not turned on, temp out of range, chiller detects no-flow).
# Head crash or excess raster speed has tripped a fault in the drive. Ensure the head is unobstructed and cycle main power

=== FRAME SLOP ===
The job sent, with the current user origin, would go outside the bounds of the machine bed. Move the user origin.

=== NOT ENOUGH EXTEND SPACE ===
The raster's extend space will go outside the bounds of the machine bed, even if the raster art does not. Move the raster or reduce the rastering speed.

== Setup of your personal copy of Lightburn ==
Lightburn is a very reasonably priced annual subscription and often used by members as their own CAD software for their designs. A member's LB installation is not to be used to control Tarkin directly, but create project files to load into Asmbly's workstation

It is cross-platform and has Windows, iOS, and Linux versions. There is a fully capable 30-day-limit trial version.

After installation, Lightburn asks which machine you have. It is sufficient to simply enter "Ruida" and bed size 1600x885.

However, a better alternative would be to download the current Tarkin machine profile here [TBD] and load that on to your machine on startup, or add under the Laser Panel->Devices. LB will create a copy of the machine profile file in its own directory so the file you pointed to is no longer necessary and can be moved. This has all the parameters that will allow you to get accurate time predictions in the Preview window. The machine parameters may be updated periodically so be sure you have the latest file

A Lightburn Material Database for Tarkin's material settings ready to install on your machine is located here [TBD]

There is a very useful class of single-line fonts called SHX that are free but not included with the standard download. Instructions to install are included here: https://forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/shx-font-collection/25298

== Current Quirks ==

=== Table shifting when moving Z ===
X and Y can shift slightly when Z is moved. Be sure to move the Z ''before'' placing the origin. This will be corrected soon.

=== Excess power in vector start/stop/cornering ===
By design, the motion controller should scales back the beam power when it is not able to achieve the specified velocity, due to acceleration limitations. However, the Ruida is not scaling back enough and can deliver excess power where vectors start, stop, or sharply corner or perform very tight curves. This appears to be a limitation of the Ruida controller and has no immediate way to correct.

This may affect vector engraving, producing excess depth. This occurs roughly 6mm before and after full stops. This depth inconsistency is more noticeable on clear acrylic, but usually would only be noticeable upon close inspection.

This is a nonissue for normal cut-throughs, the extra power will not affect the cut. It will mean that vector start/stop points may achieve a full cut-through near the start/stop points even though the speed is set too high to produce a full cut. To ensure a test line accurately represents the cut, perform test cuts at least 20mm long.

This issue does not exist when rastering, which the controller always runs in constant-velocity mode

Possible Resolution

Tweaking of cut parameters, more technical solution may be called for.

=== Fixed air assist ===
Air assist is a strong flow and has no adjustment yet, and cannot be turned off as that would quickly overheat the lens. This may present a problem for cutting light things like paper, especially thin pieces. Small pieces of thin. light material (including plywood) can also be moved. Inside Lightburn, be sure to select "Cut Inner Shapes First", and manage the cut order in Layers so a piece is not cut free and then something else lasered inside it after it might have shifted in the air flow.

Expected resolution

A mechanical valve is on order that will be added to dial in the flow. It will always allow some air to flow even when closed so there is some flow to protect the lens. In general this should be left full-on.

=== Limit on Y size ===
The far side of the Y is not accessible due to a limitation of where the homing sensor could be easily placed. The current available work area is 1600mm x 886 mm. This will be corrected soon.

=== Drive Faulting ===
If the motor drive capabilities are exceeded and a drive fault occurs. the machine will stop immediately, and throw a generic "System Protected" error, the same as if the lid is open. This error might occur if we crashing the head into the material, clamp, or jig. One notable symptom, the faulted axis cannot be jogged with the control panel, even though the panel coordinates increment. The other axis moves normally. This fault is resolved by cycling Main Power on Tarkin and letting it rehome. If this fault occurs due to rastering or any case other than crashing the head, please contact workshop with details about settings and, if possible, a copy of the Lightburn project with the settings that led to the fault.

=== Cone clipping ===
If the machine is not cutting as fast as usual, please check the temperature of the air assist cone immediately after cutting. Be careful, it can be hot. It is normal to be warm, however, if uncomfortably hot to the touch, the final mirror may need realignment. Please contact workshop immediately, as operation while badly misaligned may damage the lens. This has not been a problem yet. {{Hosted|Danny Miller}}
[[Category:Lasers]]

Dorian

2021-12-20T03:28:45Z

Admin:

Dorian is our new Laguna EX-C 150W laser cutter. We expect to take delivery Dec 2021.

Dorian also has a rotary fixture, so you can use it to engrave round things like glassware.

{{Required|Big Lasers}}

{{ToolPhoto|DorianLaser.png}}

{{Owned}}
[[Category:Lasers]]

Template:Fee Monthly

2021-12-20T02:05:11Z

Admin: Replaced content with "$75.00"

$75.00

Template:Fee Monthly

2021-12-20T02:04:45Z

Admin:

<includeonly>$75.00</includeonly>
<noinclude>
Use this template to include the current monthly subscription cost ({{Fee_Monthly}}) in a wiki page.
</noinclude>

CoWorking

2021-12-20T02:04:24Z

Admin:

A limited number of CoWorking cubicles in a restricted access office are available for rent by Asmbly members.

==Pricing==
'''{{Fee CoWorking plus Membership Monthly}} per month'''
* {{Fee_CoWorking_Monthly}} Private Office plus {{Fee_Monthly}} Membership
* Month-to-Month
* Auto-pay required
* 30 day termination notice required

----
[[Image:SingleCubicle.jpg | coworking cubicle]]
----

==Benefits==
* 6' x 6' cubicle, individual lighting as well as overhead lighting.
* Cubicles are dedicated, not shared.
* Cubicle walls are provided.
* Each cubicle has two wired ethernet ports and outlets
* VOIP can be set up on the cubicle's second wired ethernet port.
* The private office area is secured so only office holders and Asmbly management have access..
* Shop facilities available around the clock. Time can be scheduled in advance for laser cutter and 3-D printers.

==For More Information==
We are located at '''9701 Dessau Road, Building 3, Suite 304, Austin TX 78754'''.
 '''Or you may contact the [mailto:facilities@asmbly.org Facilities Director]
To learn more about Asmbly Makerspace, [https://asmbly.org start here].

Template:Fee Monthly

2021-12-20T02:03:45Z

Admin: Replaced content with "$75.00"

$75.00

CoWorking

2021-12-20T02:01:24Z

Admin: /* Pricing */

A limited number of CoWorking cubicles in a restricted access office are available for rent by Asmbly members.

==Pricing==
'''{{Fee CoWorking plus Membership Monthly}} per month'''
* {{Fee_CoWorking_Monthly}} Private Office plus + {{Fee_Monthly}} Membership
* Month-to-Month
* Auto-pay required
* 30 day termination notice required

----
[[Image:SingleCubicle.jpg | coworking cubicle]]
----

==Benefits==
* 6' x 6' cubicle, individual lighting as well as overhead lighting.
* Cubicles are dedicated, not shared.
* Cubicle walls are provided.
* Each cubicle has two wired ethernet ports and outlets
* VOIP can be set up on the cubicle's second wired ethernet port.
* The private office area is secured so only office holders and Asmbly management have access..
* Shop facilities available around the clock. Time can be scheduled in advance for laser cutter and 3-D printers.

==For More Information==
We are located at '''9701 Dessau Road, Building 3, Suite 304, Austin TX 78754'''.
 '''Or you may contact the [mailto:facilities@asmbly.org Facilities Director]
To learn more about Asmbly Makerspace, [https://asmbly.org start here].

CoWorking

2021-12-20T02:00:54Z

Admin: /* Pricing */

A limited number of CoWorking cubicles in a restricted access office are available for rent by Asmbly members.

==Pricing==
* '''{{Fee CoWorking plus Membership Monthly}} per month'''
** {{Fee_CoWorking_Monthly}} Private Office plus + {{Fee_Monthly}} Membership
** Month-to-Month
** Auto-pay required
** 30 day termination notice required

----
[[Image:SingleCubicle.jpg | coworking cubicle]]
----

==Benefits==
* 6' x 6' cubicle, individual lighting as well as overhead lighting.
* Cubicles are dedicated, not shared.
* Cubicle walls are provided.
* Each cubicle has two wired ethernet ports and outlets
* VOIP can be set up on the cubicle's second wired ethernet port.
* The private office area is secured so only office holders and Asmbly management have access..
* Shop facilities available around the clock. Time can be scheduled in advance for laser cutter and 3-D printers.

==For More Information==
We are located at '''9701 Dessau Road, Building 3, Suite 304, Austin TX 78754'''.
 '''Or you may contact the [mailto:facilities@asmbly.org Facilities Director]
To learn more about Asmbly Makerspace, [https://asmbly.org start here].

CoWorking

2021-12-20T02:00:20Z

Admin:

A limited number of CoWorking cubicles in a restricted access office are available for rent by Asmbly members.

==Pricing==
* '''{{Fee CoWorking plus Membership Monthly}} per month''' = {{Fee_CoWorking_Monthly}} Private Office plus + {{Fee_Monthly}}
** Month-to-Month
** Auto-pay required
** 30 day termination notice required

----
[[Image:SingleCubicle.jpg | coworking cubicle]]
----

==Benefits==
* 6' x 6' cubicle, individual lighting as well as overhead lighting.
* Cubicles are dedicated, not shared.
* Cubicle walls are provided.
* Each cubicle has two wired ethernet ports and outlets
* VOIP can be set up on the cubicle's second wired ethernet port.
* The private office area is secured so only office holders and Asmbly management have access..
* Shop facilities available around the clock. Time can be scheduled in advance for laser cutter and 3-D printers.

==For More Information==
We are located at '''9701 Dessau Road, Building 3, Suite 304, Austin TX 78754'''.
 '''Or you may contact the [mailto:facilities@asmbly.org Facilities Director]
To learn more about Asmbly Makerspace, [https://asmbly.org start here].

Template:Fee Monthly

2021-12-20T01:59:43Z

Admin:

<includeonly>$75.00</includeonly>
<noinclude>
Use this template to include the current monthly subscription cost ({{Fee_Monthly}}) in a wiki page.
</noinclude>

Template:Fee Monthly

2021-12-20T01:56:39Z

Admin:

<includeonly>$75.00</includeonly>
<noinclude>
Use this template to include the current monthly subscription cost in a wiki page.

<nowiki>
{{Fee Monthly}}
</nowiki>
{{Fee Monthly}}
</noinclude>

Template:Fee Monthly

2021-12-20T01:55:37Z

Admin:

<includeonly>
$75.00
</includeonly>
<noinclude>
Use this template to include the current monthly subscription cost in a wiki page.

<nowiki>
{{Fee Monthly}}
</nowiki>
{{Fee Monthly}}
</noinclude>

CoWorking

2021-12-20T01:50:53Z

Admin:

A limited number of CoWorking cubicles in a restricted access office are available for rent by Asmbly members.

==Pricing==
* '''{{Fee CoWorking plus Membership Monthly}} per month''' = {{Fee_CoWorking_Monthly}} Private Office + {{Fee_Monthly}} Membership
** Month-to-Month
** Auto-pay required
** 30 day termination notice required

----
[[Image:SingleCubicle.jpg | coworking cubicle]]
----

==Benefits==
* 6' x 6' cubicle, individual lighting as well as overhead lighting.
* Cubicles are dedicated, not shared.
* Cubicle walls are provided.
* Each cubicle has two wired ethernet ports and outlets
* VOIP can be set up on the cubicle's second wired ethernet port.
* The private office area is secured so only office holders and Asmbly management have access..
* Shop facilities available around the clock. Time can be scheduled in advance for laser cutter and 3-D printers.

==For More Information==
We are located at '''9701 Dessau Road, Building 3, Suite 304, Austin TX 78754'''.
 '''Or you may contact the [mailto:facilities@asmbly.org Facilities Director]
To learn more about Asmbly Makerspace, [https://asmbly.org start here].

Template:Fee CoWorking plus Membership Monthly

2021-12-20T01:49:54Z

Admin:

$375.00

Template:Fee CoWorking Monthly

2021-12-20T01:49:15Z

Admin:

$300.00

Organization

2021-12-17T04:20:11Z

Admin:

Asmbly's organization structure consists of two main groups: the board, who are in charge of strategy and governance, and volunteer leaders, who are in charge of getting stuff done. Sometimes an individual volunteer serves in multiple roles, but this isn't always the case.

== The Board ==
Asmbly's board consists of a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and (as of 2021) two "at large" board members with no specific duties. Board terms are staggered so not everybody's up for replacement in the same year.

Officially board terms are two years, but people can be replaced mid-term by either resignation or ejection.

At this time, new board members are elected by majority of the current board.

;President
: The board president owns the agenda and generally runs board meetings. Asmbly's president is a voting member of the board.
;Secretary
: The board secretary is responsible for meeting minutes, governing documents, and official policies of Asmbly.
;Treasurer
: The board treasurer is responsible for Asmbly's overall budget. As of now the treasurer is also responsible for day-to-day accounts receivable and payable, but could be a staff or assistant volunteer responsibility in the future.
;At-Large Board Members
: An At-Large board member doesn't have any specific responsibilities beyond participating in board work and voting on motions before the board.

== Volunteer Leaders ==
The day-to-day operation of Asmbly is driven by volunteer leaders. Some of these roles are filled by board members but none of them need be. Each volunteer leader is essentially the top of an ad-hoc pyramid; they may manage their teams and delegate as they see fit, but are ultimately responsible that stuff gets done.

;Executive Director
: The Executive Director has overall authority over all staff and volunteers at Asmbly, answering only to the board.
;Director of Operations
: The Director of Operations has authority over all goings-on in the space, including tool acquisition/disposition, project planning and execution, member onboarding and discipline, operational policies and procedures. Volunteer stewards report to the Director of Operations.
;Director of Facilities
: The Director of Facilities has authority over the space and its infrastructure, including space planning, networks, utilities, HVAC, and access controls.
;Director of Education
: The Director of Education has authority over everything related to classes and training, including instructors, curricula and scheduling.

== Unfilled Roles ==
Asmbly is interested in filling additional leadership roles if/when we can find the right volunteers

;Director of Development
: The Director of Development has authority over Asmbly's public interactions, including partnerships and sponsorships, marketing, advertising, and fundraising.
;Director of Membership
: The Director of Membership would pick up all membership-related responsibilities currently divided amongst Operations and the Executive Director, including processes, onboarding, and discipline.

[[Category:Operations]]

Wish List

2021-12-16T05:04:37Z

Admin:

Asmbly is always interested in acquiring quality tools and machinery for use by its members. This page includes a selection of our priorities for 2022.

If you own one of these machines and would be interested in donating or hosting it at Asmbly for members to use, please email workshop@asmbly.org for more information.

==Wood Shop==

* Four variable-speed midi lathes: eg [https://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/jwl-1221vs-12-x-21-variable-speed-wood-lathe/719200 Jet 1221VS]. Our woodturning classes are always popular and expanding our lathe fleet will allow us to accommodate more students.

* Good quality, variable-speed drill press: eg [http://www.powermatic.com/us/en/p/pm2800b-drill-press-1hp-1ph-115-230v/1792800B PM2800b] or [https://www.teknatool.com/products/drill-presses/nova-voyager-dvr-drill-press/ Nova Voyager]. Our woodshop drill press is used for all kinds of projects so ability to change speeds conveniently accommodates quick changes among multiple users.

* Large oscillating edge sander: eg [https://www.grizzly.com/products/south-bend-6-x-108-vs-oscillating-edge-sander/sb1097 SB1097]. Our tiny benchtop edge sander isn't really useful for furniture-sized projects commonly made in our wood shop.

* Tilting spindle sander: eg [https://lagunatools.com/classic/sanders/ss-24/ Laguna SS-24]. Our benchtop spindle sander isn't really useful for furniture-sized projects, and a tilting spindle allows sanding bevels without the brute strength sometimes required to maneuver a large workpiece on a tilting table.

==Metal Shop==

* two (ideally matching) AC/DC MIG+TIG outfits: eg [https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/miller-multimatic-220-ac-dc-multiprocess-welder MultiMatic 220] We currently have one MIG and one TIG in our shop. Being able to run two concurrent MIG or TIG operations would help immensely with classes, and make it more convenient to have two bookable slots in the fab shop.

* Knee Mill, X&Y power feed and 3-axis DRO greatly preferred: eg Bridgeport. Our manual mill *works* but it's not amazing. We're not inclined to invest a bunch of money on repairs and improvements. We're relatively open to options here; we'd consider a contemporary mill with the bells and whistles or great vintage iron that could be updated with modern accessories.

* Metal Lathe, geared head, at least 14x40. Same situation as our manual mill - our lathe *works* but it's not amazing, and we're not inclined to invest much money in it. We're likewise open to either modern or vintage options.

* Drill press, geared head or variable-speed, with coolant system. Enthusiastic members tend to burn up drill bits in the metal shop. Easy speed changes and coolant support will help cutter life, especially when juggling multiple users.

* Mobile gantry crane, at least 1000lbs capacity. Electric hoist and lifting magnet definitely a plus but perhaps not strictly necessary. This would come in handy for a bunch of applications, but will be needed soon for a single operator to load material in the fiber laser.

== Electronics Lab ==

== Autobay ==
* Portable hydraulic lift, 6000lbs capacity or greater: eg [https://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/portable-car-lifts/bl-7000slx/ QuickJack]. We'd like a safer and more convenient lifting option than jack stands, but we can't afford the floor space for a fixed lift setup. Whatever we get must be easy to move and store when not in use. Difficulty: must also be ANSI/CE safety rated with mechanical interlocks to protect against pressure loss.



As a rule, Asmbly accepts hosting or donation of working, ready-to-use equipment. If you have a candidate machine that needs some attention before use, we may be able to arrange volunteer support for repairs prior to or concurrent with transfer to Asmbly.

[[Category:Operations]]

Organization

2021-12-16T04:54:35Z

Admin: Created page with "Asmbly's organization structure consists of two main groups: the board, who are in charge of strategy and governance, and volunteer leaders, who are in charge of getting stuff..."

Wish List

2021-12-12T23:20:47Z

Admin: Created page with "Asmbly is always interested in acquiring quality tools and machinery for use by its members. This page includes a selection of our priorities for 2022. If you own one of the..."

Asmbly is always interested in acquiring quality tools and machinery for use by its members. This page includes a selection of our priorities for 2022.

If you own one of these machines and would be interested in donating or hosting it at Asmbly for members to use, please email workshop@asmbly.org for more information.

==Wood Shop==

* Four variable-speed midi lathes: eg [https://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/jwl-1221vs-12-x-21-variable-speed-wood-lathe/719200 Jet 1221VS]. Our woodturning classes are always popular and expanding our lathe fleet will allow us to accommodate more students.

* Good quality, variable-speed drill press: eg [http://www.powermatic.com/us/en/p/pm2800b-drill-press-1hp-1ph-115-230v/1792800B PM2800b] or [https://www.teknatool.com/products/drill-presses/nova-voyager-dvr-drill-press/ Nova Voyager]. Our woodshop drill press is used for all kinds of projects so ability to change speeds conveniently accommodates quick changes among multiple users.

* Large oscillating edge sander: eg [https://www.grizzly.com/products/south-bend-6-x-108-vs-oscillating-edge-sander/sb1097 SB1097]. Our tiny benchtop edge sander isn't really useful for furniture-sized projects commonly made in our wood shop.

* Tilting spindle sander: eg [https://lagunatools.com/classic/sanders/ss-24/ Laguna SS-24]. Our benchtop spindle sander isn't really useful for furniture-sized projects, and a tilting spindle allows sanding bevels without the brute strength sometimes required to maneuver a large workpiece on a tilting table.

==Metal Shop==

* two (ideally matching) MIG+TIG outfits. We currently have one MIG and one TIG in our shop. Being able to run two concurrent MIG or TIG operations would help immensely with classes, and make it more convenient to have two bookable slots in the fab shop.

* Knee Mill, X&Y power feed and 3-axis DRO greatly preferred: eg Bridgeport. Our manual mill *works* but it's not amazing. We're not inclined to invest a bunch of money on repairs and improvements. We're relatively open to options here; we'd consider a contemporary mill with the bells and whistles or great vintage iron that could be updated with modern accessories.

* Metal Lathe, geared head, at least 14x40. Same situation as our manual mill - our lathe *works* but it's not amazing, and we're not inclined to invest much money in it. We're likewise open to either modern or vintage options.

* Drill press, geared head or variable-speed, with coolant system. Enthusiastic members tend to burn up drill bits in the metal shop. Easy speed changes and coolant support will help cutter life, especially when juggling multiple users.

* Mobile gantry crane, at least 1000lbs capacity. Electric hoist and lifting magnet definitely a plus but perhaps not strictly necessary. This would come in handy for a bunch of applications, but will be needed soon for a single operator to load material in the fiber laser.

== Electronics Lab ==

== Autobay ==
* Portable hydraulic lift, 6000lbs capacity or greater: eg [https://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/portable-car-lifts/bl-7000slx/ QuickJack]. We'd like a safer and more convenient lifting option than jack stands, but we can't afford the floor space for a fixed lift setup. Whatever we get must be easy to move and store when not in use. Difficulty: must also be ANSI/CE safety rated with mechanical interlocks to protect against pressure loss.



As a rule, Asmbly accepts hosting or donation of working, ready-to-use equipment. If you have a candidate machine that needs some attention before use, we may be able to arrange volunteer support for repairs prior to or concurrent with transfer to Asmbly.

[[Category:Operations]]

Template:Boneyard

2021-12-12T20:44:09Z

Admin:

<includeonly>
{{huge|This tool is no longer at Asmbly Makerspace}}
 The following information is maintained for historical purposes only. Currently operable tools are listed in the [[:Category:Tools|Master Tools List]] 

[[Category:Graveyard]]

----

</includeonly>
<noinclude>
This template displays a banner for tools that are no longer in the shop and includes the "Graveyard" category. Any page using this template should remove other category templates such as Woodshop, Owned, or Hosted.

<nowiki>
{{Graveyard}}
</nowiki>
{{huge|This tool is no longer at Asmbly Makerspace}}
 The following information is maintained for historical purposes only. Currently operable tools are listed in the [[:Category:Tools|Master Tools List]] 

</noinclude>

Template:Boneyard

2021-12-12T20:42:42Z

Admin:

<includeonly>
==This tool is no longer at ATXHS==
 The following information is maintained for historical purposes only. Currently operable tools are listed in the [[:Category:Tools|Master Tools List]] 

[[Category:Graveyard]]

----

</includeonly>
<noinclude>
This template displays a banner for tools that are no longer in the shop and includes the "Graveyard" category. Any page using this template should remove other category templates such as Woodshop, Owned, or Hosted.

<nowiki>
{{Graveyard}}
</nowiki>
{{huge|This tool is no longer at Asmbly Makerspace}}
 The following information is maintained for historical purposes only. Currently operable tools are listed in the [[:Category:Tools|Master Tools List]] 

</noinclude>

Template:Huge

2021-12-12T20:42:09Z

Admin: Created page with "<includeonly> {{{1}}} </includeonly> <noinclude> <!-- Template idea borrowed from MediaWiki https://en.wikipedia.or..."

<includeonly>

{{{1}}}
</includeonly>
<noinclude>


Formatting helper to increase font size without making the text a headline.

<nowiki>
{{huge|This is big text!}}
</nowiki>

{{huge|This is big text!}}

</noinclude>

Template:Boneyard

2021-12-12T20:21:39Z

Admin: Created page with "<includeonly> ==This tool is no longer at ATXHS== The following information is maintained for historical purposes only. Currently operable tools are listed in the :Cat..."

<includeonly>
==This tool is no longer at ATXHS==

 The following information is maintained for historical purposes only. Currently operable tools are listed in the [[:Category:Tools|Master Tools List]] 

[[Category:Graveyard]]

---

</includeonly>
<noinclude>
This template displays a banner for tools that are no longer in the shop and includes the "Graveyard" category. Any page using this template should remove other category templates such as Woodshop, Owned, or Hosted.

<nowiki>
{{Graveyard}}
</nowiki>
==This tool is no longer at Asmbly Makerspace==

 The following information is maintained for historical purposes only. Currently operable tools are listed in the [[:Category:Tools|Master Tools List]] 

</noinclude>

Red

2021-12-12T20:12:49Z

Admin:

Our ULS-XL1200, colloquially known as "Big Red", has been retired after a long life of service to the space. Since this model was an evolutionary dead-end and service parts have largely become unobtainable, Asmbly's board decided to stop feeding the money pit after a tube fritzed out and the controller started randomly flaking out during rastering.

Red's capabilities are more than matched by [[Dorian]] and [[Tarkin]]

{{Graveyard}}

The '''Universal Laser Systems XL-12000 laser cutter''' is a powerful, industrial-grade laser engraving and cutting system engineered to handle advanced engraving, cutting, and marking applications. It features a 48" x 24" working area, 120 watt output CO2 laser, and air assist to keep both optics and cutting zone clean. The XL-12000 is driven by servo motors, making it faster than its less powerful cousins which are driven by stepper motors.

{{ToolPhoto|ULS_XL-12000_Red_Laser_Cutter_onsite.jpg}}

== Some Specifications and Features of "Big Red" ==

* Engineered to handle advanced laser engraving, cutting and marking needs
* Front door and overlapping, wraparound top door with sloping front provide easy access for loading and unloading
* Active matrix color screen on XL control panel displays preview of each job and allows user to recall and repeat any print job
* 24" x 48" cutting area
* 120 watt laser ( 2 beam combined 60 watt tubes )
* Advanced beam indicator that precisely indentifies the point of laser impact
* Built-in protection for optics from air compressor
* Automatic detection of installed options
* The honeycomb bed should be replaced with 24" x 48" and 1" thick aluminum honeycomb, 1/4# cells. The bed actually extends a bit beyond the 24" x 48" cutting area, so a slightly oversized piece of honeycomb is desirable.

== Materials ==
[[Laser Cutter Materials]]

== Manuals ==
[[Media:XL1200_Manual.pdf]]

== IMPORTANT: Avoiding cone crashes and other problems ==

Never raster at faster than 70%, you will loose y-steps and your image will be smeared.

Never change the "Tuning" parameter in the laser settings from zero, from Danny:

It's there to create an offset to compensate for a machine offset where the left-going and right-going raster cuts are lagging (in different directions) because they thought that might result from the belt being loose. That never actually happens though, even if the belt is loose that doesn't happen.
The parameter is useless and should never be used, it'll just create an offset between left and right cuts, resulting in a double image on rastering. Put it at zero.
I'd disable it if I could, but the software isn't open-source. If anyone sets it, it doesn't automatically go away when a new user enters new speed/z-height and all that. Only if they load a settings file.'''

[[image:RedLaser_settings_tuning.png]]

Category:Lasers

2021-12-06T20:55:25Z

Admin: /* Laser Summary */

This category includes all of Asmbly's laser cutter/engravers.

=== Laser Summary ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Laser
!Power
!Air Assist?
!Rotary?
!Camera?
!Bed Size
!Workflow
|-
|'''[[Blue]]'''
|60W
|N
|N
|N
|18x32
|Print Driver
|-
|'''[[Pearl]]'''
|100W
|N
|Y
|N
|18x32
|Print Driver
|-
|<s>[[Red]]</s>
|<s>120W</s>
|<s>Y</s>
|<s>N</s>
|<s>N</s>
|<s>24x48</s>
|<s>Print Driver</s>
|-
|'''[[Dorian]]'''
|150W
|Y
|Y
|Y
|36x51
|LightBurn
|-
|'''[[Tarkin]]'''
|220W
|Y
|N
|Y
|<s>39</s>34x631
|LightBurn
|}

# Tarkin has a 39"x63" bed, but 5" are currently (Nov 2001) unreachable due to temporary configuration of a homing sensor. Until that's fixed, it's effectively a 34x63 bed.

[[Category:Tools]]

Category:Lasers

2021-12-06T20:54:59Z

Admin:

This category includes all of Asmbly's laser cutter/engravers.

=== Laser Summary ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Laser
!Power
!Air Assist?
!Rotary?
!Camera?
!Bed Size
!Workflow
|-
|'''[[Blue]]'''
|60W
|N
|N
|N
|18x32
|Print Driver
|-
|'''[[Pearl]]'''
|100W
|N
|Y
|N
|18x32
|Print Driver
|-
|<s>[[Red]]</s>
|<s>120W</s>
|<s>Y</s>
|<s>N</s>
|<s>N</s>
|<s>24x48</s>
|<s>Print Driver</s>
|-
|[[Dorian]]
|150W
|Y
|Y
|Y
|36x51
|LightBurn
|-
|'''[[Tarkin]]'''
|220W
|Y
|N
|Y
|<s>39</s>34x631
|LightBurn
|}

# Tarkin has a 39"x63" bed, but 5" are currently (Nov 2001) unreachable due to temporary configuration of a homing sensor. Until that's fixed, it's effectively a 34x63 bed.

[[Category:Tools]]

Category:Lasers

2021-12-06T20:54:37Z

Admin:

This category includes all of Asmbly's laser cutter/engravers.

=== Laser Summary ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Laser
!Power
!Air Assist?
!Rotary?
!Camera?
!Bed Size
!Workflow
|-
|'''[[Blue]]'''
|60W
|N
|N
|N
|18x32
|Print Driver
|-
|'''[[Pearl]]'''
|100W
|N
|Y
|N
|18x32
|Print Driver
|-
|<s>[[Red]]</s>
|<s>120W</s>
|<s>Y</s>
|<s>N</s>
|N
|<s>24x48</s>
|<s>Print Driver</s>
|-
|[[Dorian]]
|150W
|Y
|Y
|Y
|36x51
|LightBurn
|-
|'''[[Tarkin]]'''
|220W
|Y
|N
|Y
|<s>39</s>34x631
|LightBurn
|}

# Tarkin has a 39"x63" bed, but 5" are currently (Nov 2001) unreachable due to temporary configuration of a homing sensor. Until that's fixed, it's effectively a 34x63 bed.

[[Category:Tools]]

File:DorianLaser.png

2021-12-06T20:52:16Z

Admin:

Dorian

2021-12-06T20:52:06Z

Admin:

Dorian is our new Laguna EX-C 150W laser cutter. We expect to take delivery Dec 2022.

Dorian also has a rotary fixture, so you can use it to engrave round things like glassware.

{{ToolPhoto|DorianLaser.png}}

{{Owned}}
[[Category:Lasers]]

Dorian

2021-12-06T20:51:22Z

Admin: Created page with "Dorian is our new Laguna EX-C 150W laser cutter. We expect to take delivery Dec 2022. Dorian also has a rotary fixture, so you can use it to engrave round things like glassw..."

Laguna JX12 Jointer

2021-12-01T15:13:42Z

Admin:

Supermax 25-50 Drum Sander

2021-12-01T15:13:29Z

Admin:

Main Page

2021-12-01T15:12:05Z

Admin:

Welcome to the Asmbly Makerspace Wiki. If you're just browsing, here are some popular categories:

<tagcloud>exclude=Danny_Miller_Owned,Joe_Ngo_Owned,Pages_with_broken_file_links,Training_Required,NoResources,James_Manley_Owned,Scott_Wynd_Owned,Jon_Eklund_Owned,Extra_Cost</tagcloud>If you can't find what you're looking for, it may still be on the old [http://wiki.atxhs.org ATXHS Wiki].