4th axis laser able to be done or too much work for a x carve

[JoshuaEnos]

I have a customer that wants laser work to be done but it’s on baseball bats. What he’s looking to do is have his logo and then anything custom that his customers wants added to it. He’s looking to invest in the laser and axis parts for me. I’m hopefully able to do what he needs because no one does it in the area. How hard would it be to make it able to run a 4th axis and the laser software to do what he wants. I’d be looking at the jtech laser and then whatever controller for a 4th axis and motor setup.

[JeremiahRandolph]

I’m sure the J-Tech could do what you wanted but the X-Controller or the Gshield can not be used as 4 axis controllers. You would need to swap one of the other axis to act as the 4th. Mach3 can do this but then your looking past the GRBL part of Xcarve.

Look here for more info:

It's Alive

Hmmm…wonder what is next for my X-Carve… [image]

[ErikJenkins]

I added a rotary axis to my X-Carve and I am currently adding a J-Tech 3.8W laser as well. It is definitely a possibility. My laser arrived this week and I hope to have it all connected this weekend. Here is the post where I added my rotary axis. There may be cheaper ways, but this was my path to it.

My Journey to a Rotary Axis on the X-Carve

To get to the point I am at with the rotary axis was a major upgrade to my X-Carve with multiple steps. I know this has been posted before in pieces on the It’s Alive thread, but I figured I would put it all in one place. Here is what I had to do to get this working: 1 - I had to cut taller Y-Axis end plates out of 1/4" aluminum. [image] 2 - I replaced the Z-Axis to allow almost 6" of vertical movement. I bought this one from ebay I also had to machine a new plate to attach the Dewalt mount…

[picengravertoo]

Here is an idea for a 3 axis rotary option.

Pen Engraving

You could setup a rotary fairly simple on an X-Carve. It would only require 3 axis motion to engrave text on the contour of a Pen. You could use a drum switch to change from one axis’s stepper (X) to the rotary stepper. You would need a way to lock the X axis stepper in place when switching to the rotary stepper and that can be done with the shaft coming out of the back of it. An aluminum disc that locks on the shaft with a set screw and it has a brass screw perpendicular through the disc that …

[JoshuaEnos]

Thanks for all the info guys, I think just with the laser will work for now bc its small lettering and a logo that he wants on the same face or side of the bat. I’ve seen a few videos on YouTube where people are using ether a Chinese model laser and all they have is a mock up holder for the bat. It then lays in that holder and the engraving is done without it turning it. The laser should engrave a curve if it’s not too much of a drop like vs a bat to a glass or something with a drop off that’s more sharp.

[JoshuaEnos]

Now between the 2.8 and the 3.8 what is really the difference with the lasers for engraving or cutting. I think 90% will go to engraving and not cutting so will the 2.8 work just fine for what I need it for?

[JoshuaEnos]

Sweet I’ll have to try that. Right now I just have vcarve desktop and I’ve been looking at how I can make things in Inkscape also for designing which I’ve been using that for 90% of the stuff I do. His logo that he wants me to do is pretty much center of the bat and then on the end has a model number and what kind it is so I think it will work good for what we need. In the future I can set up a 4th axis to do more complex things but I’m looking to do engravings for cutting boards and custom pieces.

[LarryM]

@JoshuaEnos

Now between the 2.8 and the 3.8 what is really the difference with the lasers for engraving or cutting. I think 90% will go to engraving and not cutting so will the 2.8 work just fine for what I need it for?

With your emphasis on engraving you would be better served by the 2.8 watt unit. It has a smaller “dot” size than the 3.8 watt unit which will give you a little better definition in your engravings.

These diodes are marginal for “cutting” anything but thin material.

[JoshuaEnos]

His bats are different sizes but I can probably just design it in cad then position the image on a template piece. Most stuff once I get the laser I’ll make some mock ups for like cutting boards and all that.

[JoshuaEnos]

Nice I’ve seen the 2.8 on YouTube for videos and I seem happy with what it can do. I’ll have to experiment with it once I get it.