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Alignment Template II

 In a previous post I uploaded my Simple Positioning Template to align objects with the position of the laser. Although useful in my early tests and trials, I came to realise this is - in most cases - the wrong way around. I have found that it is better to create a template that sits on top of the object to be engraved.

Here you can see my latest template in action. By using the preview function in the app, I can quickly align the engraving area to the template. Another little tip here is to reduce the power of the weak light to 3 or 4. you get a less intense beam that is easier to view and align.

As you can see, the template has plenty of holes to view the surface below. The lines of the cutouts also help to align areas smaller than the full square.

The image for the template is linked below. You can create your own from this image, I would recommend using card to create it. On a darker card like that shown in the photo, you can use cut mode (Panda 3 in the interface) at a power of 100% and cutting depth of around 8%. If using white card, the laser will be reflected and you will need a deeper cutting depth of perhaps 15 or more. Alternatively, colour the card with a felt pen or similar to counteract the reflection. Remember to put a protective surface underneath as you are cutting through the card.

Download the template here 



Comments

  1. Excellent aid, and great description. Thanks for your help Steve!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for sharing the templates. They all are very helpful :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. You should edit this to make sure people use Panda 3. I saw on Facebook that someone used Panda 1. I myself probably would have used the same if not for your comment on Facebook. Still though, thanks for adding this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It did say "Cut mode", but you're right, it was very subtle! I've added info about using Panda 3, thanks for the feedback.

      Delete

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