4-10 Optical Path Adjustment

1. Not able to cut through the materials using the default power rate & speed in Beam Studio.
2. Having bad engraving results that the engraving patterns in a certain area are lighter or deeper than other areas, or it is getting lighter or deeper in a certain direction.
3. The cut section on the material is not vertical after cutting.

1. 2.5mm hexagonal wrench
2. Double-head wrench
3. Phillips screwdriver
4. Sanitizer spray / Alcohol spray
5. Pliers
6. Double-sided tape
7. Cotton swabs

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Actual Steps:

• Place the tape on the red light emitter to have an angle of 90 degrees against the beam.
  
  
  
  
  
• Close the back cover and make 5 pulses.
  
  
  
• Demonstration
  
  
  
• Check the result.
  

  Tape Result Examples
  Good Example - Round and Strong	Bad Example - Weak, Hollow, or Not Round

• The result is good >> Step 7

• The result is bad, or it doesn't have any marks >> Contact Customer Service 
  • Possible Cause:
    • The laser tube is broken and must be replaced.
    • The laser power supply is broken and must be replaced.
   

1. Open the door.
2. Place a two-layer, double-sided tape on the third mirror entrance.
3. Enter the control mode and loosen the motor.
4. Move the laser head to the bottom-right corner.
5. Make sure the red laser is turned on.
6. Close the door.
7. Make 3 pulses.
8. Check if the red laser dot and the burnt mark overlap.
9. Adjust the red laser if necessary.

Step overview:

Actual Steps:

1. Remove the tape and place a new two-layer, double-sided tape on the 2nd mirror.
2. Move the laser head to the top-left corner.
3. Close the door and make 3 pulses.
4. Visibly check if the red laser and burnt mark overlap.

Good Example - Overlapped

Bad Example - Not Overlapped

• Good result - Overlapped >> Step 9

• Bad result - Not overlapped >> Step 8.1

• There are three screws on the 1st mirror, and rotating them clockwise or counter-clockwise will change the beam path meaning the red laser dot's position will change.
  
  
• Please learn how to loosen the nut properly:
  Firstly, spray the alcohol on the nuts to melt the gel or glue and wait for a few seconds.
  
  
  
• Next, use the pliers to hold the screw, then loosen the nut with the double-head wrench by turning it counterclockwise.
  
  
  
• Demonstration
  (Please note that the screws in the video have been loosened before recording.)
  

• Determine the position of your red laser dot, target the screw, and its direction of rotation.
  Please see the photo below and find the number that is similar to your red laser dot's position:
  
  

• For #1: 
  The red laser dot needs to go down to the right in order to overlap the first dot
  The top-left screw will need to be rotated clockwise. Please refer to the photo below.
  
  
  

  For #2: 
  The red laser dot needs to go straight down in order to overlap the first dot.
  The bottom-left screw will need to be rotated counter-clockwise. Please refer to the photo below.

  

   

  For #3: 
  The red laser dot needs to go down first and then go left in order to overlap the first dot.
  The bottom-left screw will need to be rotated counter-clockwise to make the dot go down.
  The top-right screw will need to be rotated clockwise to make the dot go left.
  Please refer to the photo below.
  

   

  For #4: 
  The red laser dot needs to go right in order to overlap the first dot.
  The top-right screw will need to be rotated counter-clockwise. Please refer to the photo below.

  

   

  For #5: 
  The red laser dot needs to go left in order to overlap the first dot.
  The top-right screw will need to be rotated clockwise. Please refer to the photo below.

  

   

  For #6: 
  The red laser dot needs to go right first and then go up in order to overlap the first dot.
  The top-right screw will need to be rotated counter-clockwise to make the dot go right.
  The bottom-left screw will need to be rotated clockwise to make the dot go up.
  Please refer to the photo below.
  

   

  For #7: 
  The red laser dot needs to go straight up in order to overlap the first dot.
  The bottom-left screw will need to be rotated clockwise. Please refer to the photo below.
  

   

  For #8: 
  The red laser dot needs to go up to the left in order to overlap the first dot
  The top-left screw will need to be rotated counter-clockwise. Please refer to the photo below.

  

• Please tighten the nut after adjusting the screw by turning it clockwise.

Step overview:

Actual Steps:

1. Remove the tape and place a new two-layer, double-sided tape on the third mirror entrance.
2. Move the laser head to the middle left side.
3. Close the door and make 3 pulses.
4. Visibly check if the red laser and burnt mark overlap.

Good Example - Overlapped

Bad Example - Not Overlapped

• Good result - Overlapped >> Step 10

• Bad result - Not overlapped >> Step 9.1

• There are three screws on the 2nd mirror, and rotating them clockwise or counter-clockwise will change the beam path meaning the red laser dot's position will change.
  
  
• Please learn how to loosen the nut properly.
  Firstly, spray the alcohol on the nuts to melt the gel or glue and wait for a few seconds.
  
  
  

• Next, use the pliers to hold the screw, then loosen the nut with the double-head wrench by turning it counterclockwise.

  
  
  

• Demonstration
  (Please note that the screws in the video have been loosened before recording.)
  

• Determine the position of your red laser dot, target the screw, and its direction of rotation.
  Please see the photo below and find the number that is similar to your red laser dot's position.
  
  
  

• For #1: 
  The red laser dot needs to go down to the right to overlap the first dot.
  The bottom-right screw will need to be rotated counter-clockwise.
  Please refer to the photo below.

  

   

  For #2: 
  The red laser dot needs to go straight down to overlap the first dot.
  The top-right screw will need to be rotated clockwise. Please refer to the photo below.

  

   

  For #3: 
  The red laser dot needs to go down first and then go left in order to overlap the first dot.
  The top-right screw will need to be rotated clockwise to make the dot go down.
  The bottom-left screw will need to be rotated counter-clockwise to make the dot go left.
  Please refer to the photo below.
  
  

   

  For #4: 
  The red laser dot needs to go right in order to overlap the first dot.
  The bottom-left screw will need to be rotated clockwise. Please refer to the photo below.

  

  
  For #5:
  The red laser dot needs to go left in order to overlap the first dot.
  The bottom-left screw will need to be rotated counter-clockwise.
  Please refer to the photo below.
  
  

   

  For #6:
  The red laser dot needs to go right first and then go up in order to overlap the first dot.
  The bottom-left screw will need to be rotated clockwise to make the dot go right.
  The top-right screw will need to be rotated counter-clockwise to make the dot go up.
  Please refer to the photo below.

  

   

  For #7: 
  The red laser dot needs to go straight up in order to overlap the first dot.
  The top-right screw will need to be rotated counter-clockwise. Please refer to the photo below.

  

   

  For #8: 
  The red laser dot needs to go up to the left in order to overlap the first dot
  The bottom-right screw will need to be rotated clockwise. Please refer to the photo below.

  
  
  

• Please tighten the nut after adjusting the screw by turning it clockwise.

  

• Please use the link to download the file and use a 3mm transparent acrylic to engrave and cut.
  
  
  
• The tool's circle will match the entrance as in the photo below.

• If your machine can't cut through any area of the bed, you have to make a temporary tool.
  Please use a piece of transparent tape and fold it to enclose the sticky part.
  Draw two lines as in the photos below.
  
  
  
• The center of the lines on the tape will be the center of the round entrance.
  (Suggest marking two marks as the red points in the photo below to align the lines on the tape.)
  

• Once you have the tool, move the laser head to the center.
  
  
  
• Check the vertical line with the tool.
  Align the tool's circle or points with the entrance and check the red laser dot's position.
  

  Acrylic
  Good Example		Bad Example

  
  

  Tape
  Good - Center	Bad - Not Center

• Good result >> Step 11

• Bad result >> Step 10.1

• Slightly loosen these 4 screws, do not remove or make them too loose.
  
  
  • After loosening the screws, the head can now be pushed in or pushed out.
    • Push out:
      
      
      
    • Push in:
      
      
      
• After moving the head, please screw back the screws.
  
  
  
• Please perform camera calibration in Beam Studio.
  (This can be done as the last step after all the optical path alignment is finished.)
  

• Move the laser head to the center.
  
  
  
• Check the horizontal line with the tool.
  Align the tool's circle or points with the entrance and check the red laser dot's position.
  

  Acrylic
  Good - Center		Acceptable - Above	Bad - Below

  
  

  Tape
  Good - Center	Acceptable - Above	Bad - Below

• Good or acceptable result >> Step 12

• Bad result >> Contact Customer Service
  • Possible cause:
    • The laser beam's angle is off too much and it has to be raised up or replaced.

• Move the laser head to the center of the bed and place a piece of paper underneath the nozzle tip.
  Raise or lower the bed to have a distance of around 5mm to 10mm between the paper and nozzle tip.
  
  
  
• Check if a focused red laser dot or red light is seen as in the photo below.
  
  

  Good Result - Cetner	Bad Result - No dot	Bad Result - Not Center

• Good result >> Step 13

• Bad result >> Step 12.1

• This step will teach you how to align the vertical path from the 3rd mirror to the bed by adjusting the screws on the 3rd mirror.
  There are three screws on the 3rd mirror, and rotating them clockwise or counter-clockwise will change the vertical beam path meaning the position of the little dot on the tape will change.
  
  
  
• Please learn how to loosen the nut properly.
  Use the pliers to hold the screw, then loosen the nut with the double-head wrench by turning it counter-clockwise.
  

• How do we determine the position of the laser dot?
  If the focused dot is missing, you can see the red light that the stronger area indicates the position of your dot.
  

  Example

  The light is stronger, as pointed out in the photo, indicating the dot should be at the bottom to the left position.

  In order to move the dot to the center, the dot has to go up and right, so rotating the top-right screw clockwise will be suggested.

  Demonstration

• Please tighten the nut after adjusting the screw by turning it clockwise.
  

• The adjustment is done with no problem >> Step 13

• No matter how I adjust, the dot is not shown or can't be centered >>
  • Use the link to perform an advanced adjustment.
    >> Advanced Optical Path Adjustment
  • After the adjustment, return to Step 12.1 in this article to try adjusting the red dot.

• Move the laser head to the bottom-right corner of the bed and place a piece of paper underneath the nozzle tip.
  Raise or lower the bed to have a distance of around 5mm to 10mm between the paper and nozzle tip.
  
  
  
• Check if a focused red laser dot or red light is seen as in the photo below.
  
  

  Good Result - Cetner	Bad Result - No dot	Bad Result - Not Center

• Good result >> Step 14

• Bad result >> Step 13.1

• This step will teach you how to align the vertical path from the 3rd mirror to the bed by adjusting the screws on the 3rd mirror.
  There are three screws on the 3rd mirror, and rotating them clockwise or counter-clockwise will change the vertical beam path meaning the position of the little dot on the tape will change.
  
  
  
• Please learn how to loosen the nut properly.
  Use the pliers to hold the screw, then loosen the nut with the double-head wrench by turning it counter-clockwise.
  

• How to determine the position of the laser dot?
  If the focused dot is missing, you can see the red light. The stronger aread indicates the position of your dot.
  

  Example

  The light is stronger as pointed in the photo and it indicates the dot should be at the bottom to the left position.

  In order to move the dot to the center, the dot has to go up and right, so rotating the top-right screw clockwise will be suggested.

  Demonstration

• Please tighten the nut after adjusting the screw by turning it clockwise.
  
  

• The adjustment is done with no problem >> Step 14

• No matter how I adjust, the dot is not shown or can't be centered >>
  • Back to Step 12.1 and make sure the dot is centered in the center of the bed.
  • After adjusting, directly skip to Step 14.

Step overview - Center

• Place a one-layer tape on the nozzle tip, move the laser head to the center of the bed, close the door, and then make one pulse.
  
  
  
• Demonstration
  
  

• Remove the tape and check if the dot is round.
  • Good example - Center and Round:
    
    
  • Acceptable example - Round but a little bit off from the center:
    
  • Bad examples - Not Round:
    
    
    

• Good or acceptable result >> Step 15

• Bad result >> Step 14.1

• No burnt dot at all >> Advanced Optical Path Adjustment
  • After the advanced adjustment, return to Step 14 to check the dot again.

• Determine the position of the vertical dot and target the screw and its direction of rotation. First, you will have to know the whole area to which the dot can move.
  It is actually the same area as the nozzle tip. The pressed mark on the tape is the area.
  
  
• Next, find the number that is similar to your vertical dot's position.
• Schematic graph: 
• Please learn how to loosen the nut properly:
  Use the pliers to hold the screw, then loosen the nut with the double-head wrench by turning it counter-clockwise.
  
  

• Once you finish adjusting the screw, you have to apply a new tape and make another pulse to see the dot's position.
  
  
  
• Workflow Demonstration:
  
  
• If you have difficulty using this method, you can use the red dot to know the approximate location of the actual CO2 path and then make a pulse.
  
  
  
• Please tighten the nut after adjusting the screw by turning it clockwise.
  

Step overview - Bottom-right

• Place a one-layer tape on the nozzle tip, move the laser head to the bottom-right corner of the bed, close the door, and then make one pulse.
  
  
  
• Demonstration
  
  

• Remove the tape and check if the dot is round.
  • Good example - Center and Round:
    
    
  • Acceptable example - Round but a little bit off from the center:
    
  • Bad examples - Not Round:
    
    
    

• Good or acceptable result >> The work is finished!(If your head was adjusted in Step 10.1, don't forget to perform camera calibration.)

• Bad result >> Step 15.1

• No burnt dot at all >> Advanced Optical Path Adjustment
  • After the advanced adjustment, return to Step 14 to check the dot again.

• Determine the position of the vertical dot and target the screw and its direction of rotation. First, you will have to know the whole area that the dot can move to.
  It is actually the same area as the nozzle tip. The pressed mark on the tape is the area.
  
  
• Next, find the number that is similar to your vertical dot's position.
• Schematic graph: 
• Please learn how to loosen the nut properly:
  Use the pliers to hold the screw, then loosen the nut with the double-head wrench by turning it counter-clockwise.
  
  

• Once you finish adjusting the screw, you have to apply a new tape and make another pulse to see the dot's position.
  
  
  
• Workflow Demonstration:
  
  
  
• If you have difficulty using this method, you can use the red dot to know the approximate location of the actual CO2 path and then make a pulse.
  
  
  
• Please tighten the nut after adjusting the screw by turning it clockwise.
  

• The adjustment is done without a problem >> Step 14 (Recheck the Center Dot)

• The center dot and the bottom right can't be centered simultaneously >>
  Collecting Tapes with Burnt Marks (Step 16)

• Collect the 1st mirror mark.
  Place a two-layer tape on the red light emitter to have an angle of 90 degrees against the beam and make 5 pulses.
  
  
  
• Paste the result on a piece of paper and write down the location.
  

• Collect the 1st to 2nd mirror marks.
  Place a two-layer tape on 2nd mirror to have an angle of 90 degrees against the beam and make 3 pulses for the top-left corner and another 3 pulses for the bottom-left corner.
  
  
  
• Paste the result on a piece of paper and write down the location.
  

• Collect the 2nd to 3rd mirror entrance marks.
  Place a two-layer tape on 3rd mirror to have an angle of 90 degrees against the beam and make 3 pulses for the middle-left side and another 3 pulses for the middle-right side.
  
  
  
• Paste the result on a piece of paper and write down the location.
  

• Collect the center nozzle tip mark.
  Place a one-layer tape on the nozzle tip, move the laser head to the center of the bed and make one pulse.
  
  
  
• Paste the result on a piece of paper and write down the location.
  

• Collect the bottom-right nozzle tip mark.
  Place a one-layer tape on the nozzle tip, move the laser head to the bottom-right corner of the bed, and make one pulse.
  
  
  
• Paste the result on a piece of paper and write down the location.
  

• Collect the 2nd to 3rd mirror entrance marks from top-left to top-right.
  Place a two-layer tape on 3rd mirror to have an angle of 90 degrees against the beam and make 3 pulses for the top-left side and another 3 pulses for the top-right side.
  
  
  
• Paste the result on a piece of paper and write down the location.
  

• Collect the 2nd to 3rd mirror entrance marks from bottom-left to bottom-right.
  Place a two-layer tape on 3rd mirror to have an angle of 90 degrees against the beam and make 3 pulses for the bottom-left side and another 3 pulses for the bottom-right side.
  
  
  
• Paste the result on a piece of paper and write down the location.
  

• Finally, take a closer photo of the nozzle tip dots.