I am having difficutly figuring out focus depth settings. Yes, I am a newbie!
If I am using a noncertified material it asks me for the thickness. Got it, I measure it and enter it there.
But then when I enter the engrace settings for my material, it also has a place where I enter focus ht. Is that the same as the material thickness? Or is this where I can control the depth of the engrave?
I am trying to engrave ceramic tile for subsequent painting. I don’t seem to have the engraving deep enough to get a good boarder for the paint. WOuld you help advise what to do to change engrave depth?
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Material Thickness is used to give good correlation between placement of your design with the image of the material on the bed.
The Focus Height setting is where the beam will be focused, has nothing to do with depth of engrave - that is determined by power/speed settings.
Focus Height is usually the surface of the material, although it is sometimes advantageous to focus at a different height.
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Everything eflyguy said was true.
For more info on the concept, search the forum for “defocus”. It’s the term for intentionally altering focal height So that it’s not focused at material height when engraving. It can make for some nice smooth engraves, especially with acrylic.
https://community.glowforge.com/search?q=Defocus
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The depth of your engrave on ceramic tile will be somewhat limited given the density of the material, but for wood you can get pretty good at dialing in specific depths with some trial and error. As everyone else said, there isn’t a seting for depth of engrave.
I never use proof grade material anymore. I also don’t enter a thickness. The only time I measure something is if it appears to be 1/2 inch or greater just so I know if I have to remove the crumb tray. If it appears 1/2 inch or less I plop it in and use set focus. The machine measures the thickness perfectly as long as you make sure the red laser dot flashes onto your piece and not beside it.
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