I just had a question come to me that seems to not yet have an answer. I believe that the removable Honeycomb bed is 1" thick, and the laser head’s focus range is 1/2". This seems to preclude the possibility of engraving/etching on any object that is somewhere between 1/2" and 1" thick! Is there something in place to support this very common range of thicknesses (i.e. two separate 1/2" honeycomb beds that can be used individually or together as needed, or 1/2" laser head physical Z axis movement in addition to the focus range)? If not, what would people suggest we use as a 1/2" replacement bed when working with items in that range, so that the top surface of our object is actually within the laser’s 1/2" focus range? Since it would be 1/2" below the laser’s lowest focus, would it be safe to use something as simple as an MDF panel, or should it have a metal surface?
No Z axis movement of head. I don’t know but I imagine just about anything flat and the appropriate height could be used since when you are working with stuff 1/2" to 1" you can only engrave, not cut. Laser won’t go all the way through.
thanks, I was not concerned with cutting making it through, my main concern about the material used is if the engraving plan actually needs to go right to the edge of the material, and potentially off the edge to ensure complete coverage.
That’s a good question. Maybe @dan can confirm what the focusable range of the laser will be, below the head?
I believe he has said it is 0.5" for focus
Correct, 0.5" for focus. If you have something 0.5"-1" tall you need something 0.5" tall. I recommend a few sheets of whatever material you’ve been cutting recently.