I am completely new to the cnc world and laser cutting. I brought a basic desktop cnc 3018 and I have just brought a so called 15w laser. My trouble is when all connected up the laser is on constant at full beam. How do I stop this as I can’t put anything under it to line up without burning it.
You have to use a Laser driver that is able to vary the Laser output based on a user input. Many lasers used by people on this forum use PWM to control the output from the laser diode.
Thanks Larry. Could you recommend one that I could download
Not that kind of driver.
When you bought the laser, which one did you buy?
450nm 15w. It was off Wish.com. Ive spent all day reading up and learning as much as I can. When I get home I was going to try and download some different drivers and Benbox.
Without knowing specifically which laser diode you have (and not knowing if you bought just the laser diode, or if a controller came with it) it’s hard to help you with your project.
The type of laser driver I’m talking about is something like this.
There are less expense controllers out there, but this one has a good reputation and is fairly complete. (NOTE: the maximum current available may not match up with your setup).
Even though your diode says it will deliver 15 watts, that is for a very short time, and the continuous output is more like 5 to 6 watts. Check the spec’s on your diode before purchasing a controller for the diode.