Pearl

Members must complete the Small Lasers Class before using this tool

Pearl is a Royal Mark RSX-1832 laser cutter. It shares the same chassis as Blue (it even has ULS badges on the back) but runs at 100W — slightly more powerful than Blue — and a rotary fixture for engraving round objects like glassware.

Specifications

Laser Type	CO2
Power	100W
Bed Size	32" × 18" (approximate)
Controller	ULS-compatible
Software	ULS Print Driver (prints from CorelDraw, Inkscape, Illustrator, etc.)
Z Axis	Powered (manual focus adjustment via stick)
Air Assist	Yes (not functional as of October 2021 — check current status)
Rotary Fixture	Yes
Location	Laser room

Safety

Universal Safety

• Be aware of your surroundings, especially when handling large materials.
• Do not approach anyone operating equipment. Stand patiently in their field of view.
• Safety glasses and closed-toed shoes are required in the shop.

Equipment-Specific Safety

Small Lasers Class is required to use this tool.

• Never leave the laser while it is running. Fires can start in seconds.
• Locate the HALOTRON fire extinguishers in the laser room before starting.
• The chiller must be running at all times when the laser is on. If the red light on the control panel is flashing, the lid is open or the chiller is off — do not operate.
• The CO2 laser beam is invisible infrared. The polycarbonate lid blocks it, so keep the lid closed during operation.
• Do not press the white focus button on the machine or adjust focus in software — these settings are calibrated by authorized personnel and are not user-adjustable. Changing them affects all subsequent users.

Use Case

Pearl is used for laser cutting, engraving, and rastering. Its rotary fixture makes it the go-to machine for engraving cylindrical objects (glasses, bottles, pens). It cuts faster and cleaner than Blue due to its higher power.

Materials

Acceptable Materials

Check the Laser Cutter Materials page before working with any material you haven't used before. Common safe materials include: acrylic, plywood, wood, MDF, cardboard, leather, paper, fabric.

Pearl's bed size is 32"×18". Set your artboard to this size when preparing artwork.

Prohibited Materials

• PVC / Vinyl — releases corrosive chlorine gas.
• Polycarbonate / Lexan — does not cut cleanly, produces heavy soot that fouls optics.
• PTFE / Teflon — produces toxic and corrosive gases.
• Metal — contact workshop before attempting.
• Food — contamination risk.
• Materials with sticky glue backing — glue residue cannot be removed without risking lens damage.
• Epoxy — not laser-safe.
• Polystyrene and Polypropylene — catch fire and make a mess.

Recommended Settings

• 1/8" plywood: 11% speed, 150 PPI
• 0.2" plywood: 8% speed, 150 PPI
• For cutting: 150 PPI is a good starting point.
• For rastering/engraving: 500 PPI suggested.

Setup

1. Turn On Chiller

Turn on the chiller. Wait for it to reach 20°C (or whatever temperature is labeled above the display) — this takes under 5 minutes. The chiller will auto-regulate. Do not run the machine if the chiller is not at temperature.

Turn on the exhaust blower (currently a switch on a power strip). Do not run the laser without the blower on.

2. Set Machine Origin

This step is required each time the machine is powered on.

1. Press the X-Y button to enter jog mode.
2. Use the arrow keys to jog to the top-left of the bed. The LCD should read POS 0.000x 0.000y on the second line.
3. The cursor should be on SET NEW ORIGIN — press SELECT, confirm the prompt. The display should now also show ORG 0x 0y on the first line.

The LCD should read ORG 0x 0y on the first line and POS 0.000x 0.000y on the second:

3. Set Z Height (Focus)

Pearl has a powered Z axis but it does not move automatically — you set it manually for each sheet of material.

1. Press the Z button on the right once. The carriage will move to a focus position.

1. Place your stock on the bed under the carriage.
2. Locate the focus stick (stored in a hole on the left of the bed under the lid).

1. Place the focus stick on top of your stock, against the front of the carriage (not the side). The ramp on the stick is the measurement point — it contacts the bottom lip of the front of the carriage at the correct focal distance.

Focus stick placed on stock — this is shown LOW, you need to Z UP.

1. Use Z UP/DOWN arrows to move the bed. The Z position LCD display is not reliable — just use the stick.

1. If the ramp tilts the stick away, the bed is too high — go DOWN:

Too high — the ramp tilts the stick away. Go DOWN.

1. When the stick sits correctly against the carriage front, you're at the right height:

Perfect focus.

1. Press the Z button a second time to send the carriage home and return the stick to its hole.

The official ULS manual diagram

Updated Focus Tool

There is a newer 3D-printed focus tool that form-fits the carriage front — clearer to use than the original stick. This is also the correct tool for rotary use, as the foot aligns inline with the laser focal point and the top of the work on the rotary chuck.

Updated 3D-printed focus tool

Warning: Do not power off the machine with the bed jogged all the way down. Jog it up at least 0.5" first or the firmware will be confused on next startup. (See Z-Bottom Recovery in Troubleshooting if this happens.)

4. Prepare Your File

Pearl uses the ULS print driver. Send your job by printing from CorelDraw, Inkscape, Illustrator, or another supported application.

For Illustrator users:

• Change stroke units to inches: Edit → Preferences → Units → Stroke = Inches
• Set all vector lines to 0.001" stroke width (hairline). Thicker lines are interpreted as raster.
• Print settings: Media size = DEFINED BY DRIVER; Orientation = PORTRAIT (Illustrator may reset this to Landscape when you visit Setup — recheck each time); Placement = CENTER, X=0, Y=0; Scaling = DO NOT SCALE.
• Verify in Preview before sending.

In the ULS Setup window, set speed, power, PPI, and rastering settings.

ULS print driver settings — note there is no Z entry (Pearl runs wherever you left it after the stick)

Pearl does not have a Z setting in the driver (unlike Red/Blue) — it runs wherever the Z was left after your manual focus adjustment.

5. Enable Rotary Fixture (if applicable)

If using the rotary fixture, enable ROTARY ENABLED on page 2 of the print driver settings. Ensure it is unchecked for all non-rotary jobs.

6. Send Job and Run

Send the job from your application. Press START on the machine.

If you hear two beeps immediately, the job is empty. Check: origin is set to 0x 0y, Orientation is Portrait, vector lines are 0.001" stroke, Rotary Enabled is off (if not a rotary job).

If the red light is flashing: chiller is off or lid is open.

Cleanup

Universal Cleaning Guide

• Return the equipment to neutral.
• Sweep up debris around the tool, your table, and the floor.
• Clear the floor of tripping hazards such as power cords.
• Empty trash cans and dust collectors that are halfway full or more into the Asmbly dumpster.
• Leave the shop 110% better than you found it.

Tool-Specific Cleaning Guide

1. Remove small debris from the honeycomb — vacuum rather than brushing into it.
2. Wipe down the interior of the machine if needed.
3. Turn off the machine, chiller, and exhaust blower. Order does not matter.
4. Return the focus stick to its storage hole.
5. Replace the honeycomb if removed.

Resources

Software

• ULS Print Driver (installed on the laser room computer)
• CorelDraw and Inkscape available on the laser room computer

Discourse Links

• Laser Space Team

Manuals

• ULS PLS Installation Manual
• ULS PLS User Guide
• UCP — Universal Control Panel

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely Cause	Fix
Two beeps on start	Empty job — origin wrong, wrong orientation, vector lines not 0.001", or rotary enabled on non-rotary job	Check all print settings; re-send
Red light flashing	Chiller off or lid open (front panel switch may also trip this)	Turn on chiller; close lid securely
Job shifted in X or Y	Origin not set to 0x 0y; Illustrator orientation reset to Landscape	Re-set machine origin (step 2); check Illustrator print settings
Job disappeared off workspace	Placement not set to CENTER in Illustrator	Set Placement = CENTER, X=0, Y=0
Z-bottom stuck on startup	Machine powered off with bed at lowest position	See Z-Bottom Recovery below

Z-Bottom Recovery Procedure

If the machine was powered off with the bed all the way down:

1. Turn on system, wait for "READY".
2. Press Escape once.
3. Scroll to Preferences → Configuration → press Select+DownArrow simultaneously. "Z-axis Override OFF" appears.
4. Press Select to turn it ON.
5. Press Escape three times.
6. Press X-Y, scroll to Re-home XY, press Select, wait for re-home.
7. Press Escape.
8. Repeat steps 2–4 to turn Z-axis Override back OFF.
9. Press Z button and use Up/Down arrows to jog the bed up at least 0.5".

Maintenance

This tool is owned by Danny Miller and hosted at Asmbly for members to use. Please submit a problem report if maintenance is required.