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Epilog Fusion 13000, Owner'S Manual

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Epilog Fusion 13000 Owner'S Manual Download Page 7

 
 

Table of Contents 

 

 

 

vii 

 

Section 13:  Material Engraving Techniques.............................................................................. 139

 

Acrylic...................................................................................................................................... i

 

Fire Warning!...................................................................................................................... 139

 

Anodized Aluminum........................................................................................................... 142

 

Brass - Painted .................................................................................................................... 142

 

Glass.................................................................................................................................... 144

 

Notary Seals - Delrin .......................................................................................................... 146

 

Plastic.................................................................................................................................. 147

 

Rubber Stamps .................................................................................................................... 149

 

Wood................................................................................................................................... 149

 

Section 14:  Material Suppliers................................................................................................... 155

 

Technical Support, Troubleshooting and Specifications ................... 161

 

Section 15:  In Case of Difficulty ............................................................................................... 163

 

Contacting Technical Support............................................................................................. 163

 

Section 16:  Specifications.......................................................................................................... 165

 

Epilog Fusion 32 x 20 Specifications ................................................................................. 165

 

Compatibility ...................................................................................................................... 166

 

Recommended PC............................................................................................................... 166

 

Other Computer Hardware Recommendations................................................................... 168

 

About The Laser ................................................................................................................. 168

 

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Notice ........................................................ 169

 

Section 17:  Upgrading the Operational Firmware ..................................................................... 171

 

Upgrading Your Firmware.................................................................................................. 171

 

Installing New Firmware onto Your Computer .................................................................. 172

 

Transferring New Firmware from Your Computer to Your Laser ..................................... 174

 

APPENDIX A  WARRANTY STATEMENT ............................................... 177

 

APPENDIX B  PRINTING FROM AUTOCAD........................................... 179

 

APPENDIX C  ADDITIONAL DASHBOARD PRINT DRIVER INSTRUCTIONS

........................................................................................................ 183

 

Windows 7:  Setting up the TCP/IP Address in the Computer........................................... 183

 

Windows 8:  Installing the 64-bit Epilog Dashboard Print Driver in Windows 8.............. 189

 

Summary of Contents for Fusion 13000

Page 1: ...and Documentation disk that came with your laser system April 17 2013 16371 Table Mountain Parkway Golden CO 80403 Phone 303 277 1188 Fax 303 277 9669 Technical Support Direct Line 303 215 9171 Email Technical Support tech epiloglaser com Technical Support Online www epiloglaser com service htm www epiloglaser com downloads htm ...

Page 2: ...ii THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 3: ... Panel 91 Section 9 Using the ECC Epilog Control Center 101 Section 10 Standard Optional Machine Features 107 Section 11 Engraving Machine Cleaning 119 Section 12 Speed and Power Recommendations 131 Section 13 Material Engraving Techniques 139 Section 14 Material Suppliers 155 Technical Support Troubleshooting and Specifications 161 Section 15 In Case of Difficulty 163 Section 16 Specifications 16...

Page 4: ...Contents at a Glance iv THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 5: ...aust 7 Connecting Electrical Power 9 Section 4 Installing the ECC Epilog Control Center 12 USB Port 17 Ethernet Port 17 Section 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 22 Installing the Dashboard Driver Using the USB Connection using XP or Vista 23 Installing the Dashboard Driver Using the USB Connection using Windows 7 or 8 23 Installing the Dashboard Driver Using an Ethernet Connection an...

Page 6: ...oor 108 Task Plate 109 Optional Vector Grid Vacuum Hold down Table 109 Pin Table 113 Section 11 Engraving Machine Cleaning 119 This cleaning section may show photos of other Epilog machines The cleaning process is the same so please use these photos as a reference guide 119 Cleaning Important i Fire Warning 119 Laser Tube 129 Section 12 Speed and Power Recommendations 131 Engraving Speed 131 Engra...

Page 7: ...cifications 165 Compatibility 166 Recommended PC 166 Other Computer Hardware Recommendations 168 About The Laser 168 Federal Communications Commission FCC Notice 169 Section 17 Upgrading the Operational Firmware 171 Upgrading Your Firmware 171 Installing New Firmware onto Your Computer 172 Transferring New Firmware from Your Computer to Your Laser 174 APPENDIX A WARRANTY STATEMENT 177 APPENDIX B P...

Page 8: ...Table of Contents viii INDEX 195 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 9: ...es or volatile solvents such as acetone alcohol or gasoline ALWAYS keep a properly maintained and inspected fire extinguisher on hand Epilog recommends a Halotron fire extinguisher or a multi purpose dry chemical fire extinguisher The Halotron extinguishers are more expensive than a dry chemical but offer certain advantages should you ever need to use an extinguisher The Halotron extinguisher disc...

Page 10: ...Fire Warning x SEE PREVIOUS PAGE ...

Page 11: ...ed to know before you use it the Do s and Don ts of operating the laser configuring your computer to run the Epilog Dashboard print driver configuring CorelDraw and a brief user s guide to running your first job Part II Basic Operations Sections 7 through 14 explain Using the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver basic Epilog laser operations and maintenance machine features speed and power recommendation...

Page 12: ...nformation to assist with the topic currently being discussed This Icon highlights current contact information for receiving help This Icon signifies advice you can try out with your machine right away This Icon signifies advice you can try that will save you significant time Running into trouble can be detrimental to your success so we ve marked Warnings and Cautions with this Icon Indicates page...

Page 13: ...troduction xiii Indicates pages including information regarding connecting your laser system to your computer using an Ethernet connection Indicates the potential for fire danger when operating the laser ...

Page 14: ...Introduction xiv THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 15: ...1 Manual Epilog Laser Setup ...

Page 16: ...2 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 17: ...ducts in accordance with the International Standard The output of the embedded high power CO2 engraving laser is fully contained The laser cabinet has safety interlocks that turn the laser off if the door is opened during operation and no special precautions are necessary to operate the high power laser safely However the visible output beam of the Laser Diode Pointer Red Dot Pointer is accessible...

Page 18: ...Z136 1 2000 developed by the American National Standards Institute ANSI This reference is the basis for many of the federal regulations for laser and laser system manufacturers and for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA laser safety guidelines It contains detailed information concerning proper installation and use of laser systems While the ANSI standard itself does not have th...

Page 19: ...s potentially lethal and is fully contained within the cabinet DO NOT open any of the machine s access panels while the unit is plugged in Opening a panel may expose the operator to the unit s AC input power DO NOT make or break any electrical connections to the system while the unit is turned on ...

Page 20: ...e unattended KEEP the area around the machine clean and free of unnecessary clutter combustible materials explosives or volatile solvents such as acetone alcohol or gasoline ALWAYS keep a properly maintained and inspected fire extinguisher on hand Epilog recommends a Halotron fire extinguisher or a multi purpose dry chemical fire extinguisher The Halotron extinguishers are more expensive than a dr...

Page 21: ...al redundant interlock systems that turn off the engraving laser when the window is opened A visible emission indication when the Laser Diode Pointer Red Dot Pointer is operating There is an LED indicator on the machine s front panel 21 CFR 1040 and IEC 60825 1 require that certification identification and warning labels be placed on laser products Reproductions of labels on the Epilog Model 13000...

Page 22: ...is located on the rear of the machine s cabinet beside the Warning Label above LASER RADIATION DO NOT STARE INTO BEAM CLASS 2 LASER PRODUCT 1 mW CW MAXIMUM 600 700 nm 4 Non interlocked Protective Housing Safety Labels 4 Two of these labels are located on the rear of the machine beside the edges of each of the cabinet s end covers The other two labels are located on the cabinet walls under the cove...

Page 23: ...mirror cover inside the machine s cabinet beside the aperture where the laser beams enter the cabinet 7 Electrical Safety Label This label is located on the access panel on the rear of the machine s cabinet 8 Fire Safety Label This label is located on the machine s cabinet door in the upper right hand corner HIGH VOLTAGE INSIDE CABINET DISCONNECT POWER BEFORE OPENING PANEL FIRE HAZARD DO NOT OPERA...

Page 24: ... EMERGENCY STOP 10 Power Labels 11 Main Breaker Labels 12 Air Assist Label AIR ASSIST 30 PSI MAX 200 kPa MAX 12 Fire Warning Label This fire hazard label is located on the left and right sides of the top access door of your laser system ...

Page 25: ...OR ACRYLIC A PROPERLY MAINTAINED FIRE EXTINGUISHER SHOULD BE KEPT NEAR THE MACHINEAT ALL TIMES EPILOG RECOMMENDSA CO FIRE EXTINGUISHER 2 PERIODICALLY REMOVE THE VECTOR CUTTING GRID AND REMOVE DEBRIS FROM THE TABLE PAN PERIODICALLY REMOVE THE EXHAUST TUBE ADAPTER FROM THE BACK OF THE MACHINEAND REMOVEANY DEBRIS FROM THE EXHAUST PORT The following diagrams show the location of each specific label de...

Page 26: ...Section 1 Safety 10 ...

Page 27: ...Section 1 Safety 11 ...

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Page 29: ...oid if your machine is damaged by corrosion from engraving or cutting PVC or Vinyl NEVER operate your machine unattended There is a significant risk of fire if the machine is set improperly or if the machine should experience a mechanical or electrical failure while operating NEVER vector cut any material while the machine is unattended Because vector cutting moves relatively slowly compared to ra...

Page 30: ...low a few minutes a week for cleaning your machine Just a small amount of effort at the end of the week will pay off with years of trouble free operation of your machine See the Engraving Machine Cleaning section of this manual for specifics ...

Page 31: ...l Panel Installing the Dashboard Print Driver Setting Up Your Laser System Setting up your Epilog Laser System is easy to do If you ve ever installed a paper printer this is only slightly more difficult The following information will help you understand the entire system and how it works Your Fusion laser system consists of the following components 1 Fusion laser system 2 Computer and a graphics s...

Page 32: ...ly As you can see the USB provides the most versatility The most popular choice is to use the USB for both printing and accessing the ECC This choice is the simplest and the most versatile One advantage of having two connection options that is not immediately obvious is that you can use both connections or just one of them If you choose you can print using the Ethernet connection while using the U...

Page 33: ...anagement tasks after the job has been sent to the laser from the Dashboard driver The ECC is not required in order to operate your Fusion laser but is a very useful job management tool that users find quite valuable It is useful to install the ECC prior to installing the print driver The ECC ONLY works through the USB connection The ECC cannot be accessed through the Ethernet connection ...

Page 34: ...stem cannot run without the Dashboard driver The print driver can be used with either the USB or Ethernet connection Most users will want to install the print driver on the USB port because they will also want to use the ECC The ECC ONLY works through the USB connection The simplest setup is to install the print driver using the USB connection This method allows you to also use the same USB connec...

Page 35: ... The Fusion has both Ethernet and USB connections 7 Exhaust fan The exhaust fan is mandatory and is used to remove smoke and debris from the Fusion work area The exhaust air can be ported to the outside or into a filter box air flow exhaust fan From Fusion The following drawing represents a typical setup ...

Page 36: ...e steps to set up your Fusion laser system Remove it from the crate Connect the exhaust system to your laser Connect electrical power Install the ECC Epilog Control Panel Install the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver Connect both the USB and Ethernet cables from your computer to your laser system ...

Page 37: ...laser You should provide a metal duct flexible aluminum or galvanized sheet metal from the blower to the laser All Epilog model 13000 laser systems require an exhaust fan that is rated at a minimum of 650 CFM Note Remember to put the blower switch for the laser system in an obvious and accessible place so it can be routinely switched on prior to using the engraver Please connect the exhaust blower...

Page 38: ... leaks Most small leaks can be remedied with duct tape DO NOT OPERATE your laser with inadequate or leaking exhaust The drawings below show the typical exhaust setup The top drawing shows the exhaust on the roof and the bottom drawing shows the exhaust fan near the machine Where the exhaust fan is placed is a choice of personal preference Some users like the exhaust fan outside because of noise co...

Page 39: ...C The power supply will also automatically compensate for either 50 or 60 Hz Epilog supplies the appropriate power cord for all of our equipment The electrical cord is found in the accessory package with your machine It is recommended that a dedicated 15 amp circuit be used if available but it is not required The 60 watt and 75 watt machines draw more current than the lower wattage lasers These tw...

Page 40: ...vents should always be clear of restrictions and should never be covered Warning The cooling fans and vents are located at the back of the Fusion and should never be covered or blocked in any way Lasers that overheat will not operate properly and may begin to produce erratic laser output or possibly complete failure Ambient air temperature where the laser system is operating should not exceed 90 d...

Page 41: ...Section 3 Getting Started 11 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 42: ...ement features as well as laser control and laser machine configuration options The ECC is not required to operate the laser but it provides many user features that make operating your Fusion easy To install the ECC insert the Epilog install disk into your computer s disk drive It should Auto Start and the following window should appear ...

Page 43: ...ollowing screen appears click on Run fusion_driver exe and then the install screen will appear Click on Epilog Control Center Installation You will need to choose between the 32 bit and 64 bit driver based on your computer s operating system ...

Page 44: ...Section 4 Installing the ECC 14 ...

Page 45: ...Section 4 Installing the ECC 15 Click on Install The next screen will prompt you to allow Windows to install the software Click Yes Select Repair and then Next Click on Finish ...

Page 46: ...tion Ethernet only connection The Print driver can be used with the Ethernet connection but the Job Management portion of the ECC does not work with the Ethernet connection However the Control tab and the Configuration tab in the ECC are operational and very useful with the Ethernet connection Combination Ethernet and USB If you choose you can connect both the USB and Ethernet connections This all...

Page 47: ...ripheral As such there are many different ways that the laser can be connected to a computer or a network A direct connection using a crossover cable is the only method that will be described in this manual Plug the cable into the Ethernet port on the laser and then plug the other end into the Ethernet port on the back of your computer If you are going to print to the Fusion through the Ethernet c...

Page 48: ...tablished you are ready to print to the Fusion from the Dashboard print driver The next step is to set up and print a test job Type the IP Address you want to use along with the Subnet Mask The Gateway can remain blank Click Set to change the setting in the Fusion ...

Page 49: ...Section 4 Installing the ECC 19 Use Ctrl P or go to File Print to print to the laser Choose the Fusion driver and then click on Preferences ...

Page 50: ... laser parameters for the test job and then press Okay For this test job the laser parameters are not overly important We are just making sure the computer and laser are talking to each other and that a job can be sent and will start running ...

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Page 52: ...ected The driver is included in the accessories kit on a CD ROM or on our web site www epiloglaser com Install the Dashboard by following the procedures on the following pages There are two ways of installing the Epilog Dashboard Most users will want to install the driver with using the USB connection 1 USB connection a The process for Windows XP or Vista is easy and straightforward b The process ...

Page 53: ...nto your computer s hard drive 4 Your computer will prompt you to install the driver 5 Follow the prompts Installing the Dashboard Driver Using the USB Connection using Windows 7 or 8 The process of installing a USB printer when using Windows 7 or 8 is more complicated than when using XP or Vista Windows 7 and 8 will not automatically walk you through the installation process so it is important to...

Page 54: ...Window above and connecting the USB cable power on your Fusion laser system It will take about a minute for the Fusion to initialize After it initializes it will start the process of installing the driver You will see activity on the USB icon in your system tray lower right corner of your computer screen The activity will show a small window in the lower right corner that indicates installation wa...

Page 55: ... Please be patient during this process and let the computer finish trying to install the drivers Interrupting the computer at this point will require us to restart the process 4 After the failure notification go to the Windows start button lower left corner of your computer screen Click on Devices and Printers 5 First right click on the Fusion icon Then click on Properties ...

Page 56: ...Section 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 26 6 Select the Hardware tab 7 Select the device EpilogEngraverFusion Then click on Properties ...

Page 57: ...Section 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 27 8 Click on Change Settings 9 Click on the Driver tab ...

Page 58: ...Section 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 28 10 Click on Update Driver ...

Page 59: ...n Browse my Computer for driver software 12 Use the Browse button to direct your computer to your disk drive that contains the Epilog driver disk that you inserted earlier in this process For this document we show the DVD RW drive as the drive where the disk is located ...

Page 60: ...Section 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 30 Once you have the proper disk drive showing click on the Next button The progress window will appear ...

Page 61: ...er 31 13 You will then be asked if you want to install this driver Click on Install this Driver Anyway 14 Your Epilog Fusion Dashboard print driver has been successfully installed on the USB port 15 Click on Close in the next window and then Close again ...

Page 62: ...ing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 32 You will then see your Fusion driver in the Devices and Printers page Click on the red X in the upper right corner of this page 16 That s it You are ready to print to your Fusion ...

Page 63: ...ard Driver Installation Note The following instructions work only for a direct connection from the computer to the Epilog laser using a Crossover cable This procedure does not work with a hub or a server For Ethernet connections that require a hub server or multiple machines computers please consult with your network administrator Hardware Requirements A 10Base T or 10 100Base T Ethernet network c...

Page 64: ...he Configuration tab You can set the IP Address from the Fusion keyboard on the front of the machine however it is more convenient to use the ECC See the section on Using the Front Control Panel for keyboard instructions Type the IP Address you want to use we have used 192 168 3 4 Type in the Subnet Mask of 255 255 255 000 The Gateway can remain blank Clicking Set will enable these setting in the ...

Page 65: ...tart menu at the bottom of your computer monitor screen select Start Control Panel Network Connections 2 There are additional instructions for different Windows versions in the Appendix at the back of this manual if your Windows version is different than the one shown below 3 Highlight the Internet Protocol TCP IP V4 4 Then click on Properties Right mouse click on the Local Area Connections icon t...

Page 66: ...page IP Address 192 168 3 3 Subnet Mask 255 255 255 0 Default Gateway Leave blank 7 Click the OK button in this window and then click on the Close button in the next window 8 Your computer is now set to print through a crossover cable to the Ethernet port on the laser This number is not an error the last digit of the IP address in this window must be different than the IP address set in the Fusion...

Page 67: ... Driver for an Ethernet Connection Insert the Epilog Laser CD into your computer s disk device It should Auto Start and the following window should appear If the following screen appears click on Run fusion_driver exe and then the install screen will appear Click on Dashboard Driver Install ...

Page 68: ...Section 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 38 Click on Add Local Printer ...

Page 69: ... dropdown menu and select Standard TCP IP Port Enter the IP Address you want to use Most Epilog users will use 192 168 3 4 that is what we use in this document Whatever number you use it must be the same number you assigned to the IP Address in the Fusion laser After typing in the IP Address click on Next ...

Page 70: ...Section 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 40 Wait while the computer identifies the port Select Custom and then Settings then click on Next ...

Page 71: ... Select LPR and type in Laser into the Queue Name Then Click on OK After clicking OK above you will return to the window below Click on Next Set Protocol to LPR This is a very important step Your download time will be greatly increased if LPR is not selected ...

Page 72: ...tion 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 42 Click on Have Disk Click on Browse Find the disk drive with the Epilog install disk and click on Open Select the driver folder and then click on Open ...

Page 73: ...Section 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 43 Click on the EpilogWinALLFusion file and then click on Open ...

Page 74: ...You can rename your printer here We have not changed it for this document We have not changed it for this document but many users like to associate the driver name with the IP Address they are using Especially if there is more than one laser connected to a single computer Click on Next ...

Page 75: ...Section 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 45 Click on Finish and the driver has been installed You are ready to print ...

Page 76: ...Section 5 Installing the Epilog Dashboard Print Driver 46 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 77: ... that came in your accessories kit It can also be downloaded from the Epilog web site www epiloglaser com If you are just getting started and are in a hurry to engrave a job you can do so by setting just a couple of parameters in the Dashboard without having a detailed understanding of what different choices are available to you To get started with a simple engraving job type your name in CorelDra...

Page 78: ... ways to get the desired setting These different methods all follow standard Windows protocol so they will work in other Windows software applications too You can move the settings in increments of one by using the and icons You can move the slider in increments of ten by clicking close to but not on the slider Holding down the Alt key on your computer keyboard while clicking close to the slider w...

Page 79: ...vanced features for more complex jobs can be found under the Advanced tab NOTE The Fusion driver is used for both CO2 laser and the Fiber laser sources There are a few functions in the driver that only apply to one laser type or the other Most functions apply to both but if a function does not apply to the laser type installed in your machine that function will be grayed out For instance in the im...

Page 80: ...ll also have an effect on which lines will engrave and which will cut 3 The Job Type as set in the DashBoard driver Raster Vector or Combined To make things easy on themselves most users set their lines for vector processing as a Hairline 0 003 and make the lines red This provides a very clear indicator that there is a vector line in the artwork Raster Mode This mode will only engrave Vector lines...

Page 81: ... power guidelines see the Speed and Power Recommendations section of this manual Note Very thin lines will not raster engrave and the definition of thin varies depending on the Resolution being used Most users use a Hairline or 0 003 line to designate vector lines Example The rectangle below has a line weight of 0 003 inch It will not raster engrave at any resolution If you send just this box to t...

Page 82: ...re cutting in Vector or Combined mode be aware that your best results are typically produced at slower speeds The highest speeds are specifically designed for draft mode or less demanding applications where speed is much more important than quality Note Very thin lines are used to define Vector cutting and the definition of thin varies depending on the Resolution being used As a general rule most ...

Page 83: ...artwork they will still cut Usually this happens when incorporating a clipart image that has hidden lines that are not readily apparent Please refer to the Quick Start Easy Setup section of this manual for an illustrated explanation of how this can affect your work In addition to speed power and frequency there are two additional parameters for vector mode Slow Cutting Slow Cutting reduces all spe...

Page 84: ...quality is commonly referred to as Resolution and is one of the variables that determine image quality Resolution is expressed in dots per inch DPI and is determined by the number of lines or dots that are engraved for every inch of movement Each horizontal line is referred to as a raster line The higher the resolution setting the finer the detail that can be achieved Keep in mind that engraving r...

Page 85: ...processed through PhotoGrav or other photo editing software designed for the laser Other users prefer 300 DPI for this style of photographs 300 DPI This resolution can be good for production work where image quality needs to be good but not great Many users will use 300 DPI on plastic and other materials that don t require a lot of power in combination with large block lettering Attempting to prod...

Page 86: ...image quality the artwork that is sent to be engraved is just as important If the artwork that is sent to the laser is poor quality trying to engrave it at 600 DPI will not improve it It s always best to start with high resolution images Poor artwork will probably always look poor at any resolution while good artwork will look good at any resolution 3 Twice as many dots and twice as many lines at ...

Page 87: ...see that the dot spacing is spread out more on the 300 DPI than it is on the 600 DPI Just changing the resolution to 600 DPI produces so much dot overlap that the fill patterns tend to blend together It s a matter of personal preference as to which resolution looks better but these photos show the dramatic difference resolution can make especially when engraving with grayscale images 300 DPI 600 D...

Page 88: ...If this method works for you set the Piece Size dimensions to match the page size you have set in your graphics software On the other hand many users do not want to change the Piece Size dimensions every time they print something new They prefer to use a standard page size in Corel that matches the table size 32 x 20 for example and place their artwork into the upper left corner of the page prior ...

Page 89: ... you want to use Auto Focus click both the Auto Focus box and the Vector Grid box This tells the laser system that the vector grid is installed and it will automatically calculate the appropriate focal distance based on this information Please note The material thickness is still required when using the vector grid If a thickness is not specified the system will auto focus to the top of the vector...

Page 90: ... 6 Using the Epilog Dashboard 60 Note Please be careful when auto focusing on irregularly shaped items The crash bar and air assist tube must clear all edges of the work piece in this situation also Crash bar ...

Page 91: ...lastic or rubber stamps In standard top down engraving there can be a large amount of engraving debris generated As the debris moves towards the exhaust plenum some of it collects in the area that has just been engraved Bottom Up engraving prevents the debris from collecting in the freshly engraved spaces Top down engraving starts from the top and works its way down Bottom Up engraving starts from...

Page 92: ...cause not all materials that can be marked at the highest speeds and powers should be marked at the highest speed or power Many users feel that if a mark can be made at high speed it s just a matter of adjusting the power to produce an acceptable mark Usually this is the case but unfortunately for some difficult materials it doesn t always work For some materials the length of time the laser react...

Page 93: ...to the piece being cut and is adjustable in 1 increments from 1 to 100 The higher the power the deeper the engraving Please refer to the Speed Power Recommendations section of this manual Dithering Dithering defines how the dot patterns will be engraved in raster images that contain grayscales blends or color The Dashboard offers six different dithering patterns to enhance your engraving projects ...

Page 94: ...age These modes can also be used for special effects of clipart images Experiment with the different dithering patterns to determine which effect is most pleasing It is not mandatory that you use the clipart modes with only clipart images or photograph modes with all photographs Many users prefer one of the photograph modes for many clipart images and one of the clipart modes for photographs The c...

Page 95: ...and Stucki mode Both photos were engraved at 300 DPI As you can see the photos look dramatically different As you can also see the Standard mode shows a very structured pattern while the Stucki pattern shows a much more random pattern that is much more pleasing to the eye 300 DPI using Standard mode 300 DPI using Stucki mode 300 DPI using Standard mode 300 DPI using Stucki mode ...

Page 96: ...Jarvis Many users find this mode good for engraving photographs at 300 DPI This mode produces a very nice looking pattern on almost all photos Stucki This mode produces results that are only marginally different than the Jarvis dithering pattern It is also very good for engraving photographs at 300 DPI The differences between Jarvis and Stucki are very subtle Dithering is a great way to enhance yo...

Page 97: ...gs will also produce better edge quality Please refer to the Speed Power Recommendations section of this manual High speeds are provided for draft mode only and are not intended for production applications Power The Power setting determines the amount of laser energy that is delivered to the piece being cut and is adjustable in 1 increments from 1 to 100 The higher the power the deeper the cut The...

Page 98: ...f less heat because fewer pulses are being used to cut the material Lower frequency rates are helpful for products like wood where charring is evident at higher frequencies High frequencies are useful on material like acrylic where a large amount of heat is desirable to melt or flame polish the edges Very low frequencies from about 1 to 5 will produce a perforation as opposed to a continuous cut L...

Page 99: ...d as it saves the most time is the most predictable and will create a continuous line path out lines that look connected but are actually discrete line segments in the artwork The continuous path of discrete lines is most often found in AutoCAD or other CAD programs Inside Out mode will vector from the inside object first to the outside objects last As an example if you have a small circle surroun...

Page 100: ... of your Dashboard settings for individual jobs Saving the Dashboard settings as a database file allows you to retrieve the job parameters at a later time This saves you the trouble of trying to remember what speed and power and other settings you used on a job you did three months ago All of your settings can all be stored as a permanent record ...

Page 101: ...rticular job To save the Dashboard settings and identify them with a name go to the advanced tab and click on Save The Dashboard uses standard Windows file protocol to save the configuration files When you installed the Epilog Dashboard there was a dedicated configurations folder created where you will need to save the configurations ...

Page 102: ...you would like to expand your folder options it is best to make changes from Windows Explorer sometimes referred to as My Computer You can create as many folders under the engraving_setting folder as you wish and structure your saved configuration files in a way that best suits your needs The path for the Configurations folder is shown here My Documents Epilog engraving_setting Give your file a na...

Page 103: ...cting your folder all of the configuration files will now show in the Dashboard Note The individual files will not appear in the Browse for Folder window They only appear in the Configurations window after the folder has been selected Highlight the configuration file that you want to use You must click on the Load button Double clicking on the selected file will not load the settings ...

Page 104: ...oard 74 Upgrade Firmware Please see Upgrading the Operational Firmware section of this manual for detailed instructions on using this feature of the Dashboard Click on the General tab to see the settings that the loaded file brings up ...

Page 105: ...r Features Multiple Passes You can automatically engrave or cut a job multiple times by setting the Number of Copies to the number of passes that you want to make When each pass is finished the laser will automatically start another pass until all passes are complete ...

Page 106: ...int range box You can view the different pages in the Print Preview screen When a multiple page job is printed to the laser the job will be displayed on the LCD as Job 3 Page 3 Note that the last page of the job in this case there were three pages is what is shown on the LCD not the first page For this print job you will see as you scroll through the jobs on the LCD that the second page is display...

Page 107: ...e 4 Job 7 Page 5 This is the job that will show after the entire file has been received If you start engraving the jobs and become uncertain about which pages are which you can refer back to your print preview screen and the Page number in the laser will correspond to the page number in the print preview see the screen shot on previous page Changing Dashboard Driver Defaults All of the Dashboard d...

Page 108: ...Section 6 Using the Epilog Dashboard 78 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 109: ...79 Manual Basic Operations ...

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Page 111: ... dot matrix printing with a laser Raster engraving is used to create highly detailed graphic images The laser head scans back and forth left to right engraving a series of dots one line at a time As the laser head moves down line by line the dot pattern forms the image that was printed from your computer You can raster engrave scanned images text clipart photographs or line drawings Use your imagi...

Page 112: ...patterns You can vector cut with the laser by setting objects and text to be unfilled and drawn with a 0 001 inch 0 025mm outline The thin outline will produce a vector cut When vectoring use the vector grid or a pin table to protect the back of your material as well as your table from laser marking The two samples above show the results of Vector Cutting in wood This image is a good representatio...

Page 113: ...ottom that will vector cut if you are in Combined or Vector mode If you only want to Raster engrave make sure you select Raster mode in the Epilog Dashboard For more information on Vector cutting refer to the Using the Epilog Dashboard Driver section of this manual The upper image is a complex piece of clipart The lower image shows all of the hidden lines that are in this piece of clipart If this ...

Page 114: ...mage by changing the orientation of your file Many users set up their artwork in portrait mode and then rotate the artwork 90 degrees if they are going to print from landscape mode The drawings below show the same job in portrait mode left and landscape mode right The portrait mode will engrave in less time because there is a large amount of horizontal white space between the lines of text that th...

Page 115: ...our graphics software On the other hand many users do not want to change the Piece Size dimensions in the Dashboard every time they print something new They prefer to use a page size that matches the table size 18 x 12 458 x 305 mm for the Mini 18 and place their artwork into the upper left corner of the page Both methods are effective and it is a matter of personal preference which method is used...

Page 116: ...bottom of the focus lens to the top of your material is the process of focusing and is accomplished by placing your material on the table and moving the table up or down There are two different methods of focusing Manual or Auto Focus Manual Focus The photo below shows the V shaped manual focus gauge that is used to determine the correct distance from the focus lens to the top of your material Thi...

Page 117: ...the upper left corner you can do so by activating the Jog feature of the machine Press the Arrow keys on the keypad until the light next to Jog is illuminated This now activates the Joystick to allow you to move the lens carriage of the laser to the desired position on the table Again varying the pressure applied to the joystick will vary the speed at which the lens carriage moves to the desired p...

Page 118: ...riage moves to the first point of engraving cutting You must also indicate if you are using a vector grid When the Vector Grid is installed and you want to use Auto Focus click the box next to Vector Grid This tells the laser system that the vector grid is installed and it will automatically calculate the appropriate focal distance based off this information Please note The material thickness is s...

Page 119: ...wer the table use the Arrow keys on the keypad to illuminate the light next to the word Focus Then use the Joystick to lower the table enough to accommodate your part Note Please be careful when auto focusing on irregularly shaped items The crash bar and air assist tube must clear all edges of the work piece in this situation also The Crash Bar is a safety feature that prevents the table from cras...

Page 120: ...e lower right corner of your Windows screen and double click on the ECC icon Once you have opened the ECC from your desktop you will only be able to access it through the lower right icon tray If you close the ECC or it is not in the icon tray go back to your desktop to reopen it The icon tray is in the lower right corner of the Desktop and the ECC icon is shown below You icon tray may look differ...

Page 121: ...Your Work Operation Job Storage The Keyboard Commands are useful tools for operating your laser system and is arranged into functional groups 1 Function Menu Action Keys Display Joystick Red Dot Pointer and Laser On Action Keys Joystick Laser On Key Red Dot Pointer Display Function Menu ...

Page 122: ...plied The more you tilt the Joystick the bigger your impact on the function you are using To see how the Joystick works let s practice Use the cursor keys on the keypad to highlight the Focus function Focus mode allows us to move the table up or down Now simply tilt the Joystick as fas as you can in the Up or Down direction The table should start moving qucikly To slow the table movement simply re...

Page 123: ...he carriage to a different position on the table you can press the GO button to make that position your new Home position After setting a new Home position you may want to restore your standard Home position in the upper left corner Highlight Config from the Function Menu and press the Joystick in the Down direction The first selection will be Restore Home Press the GO button and you will restore ...

Page 124: ... It is important to STOP the job before you open the door to ensure the engraving cutting is completed If you press the STOP key while in vector mode it may take some time for the system to actually stop The system needs to get to the next node in a vector before it can stop RESET Pressing the RESET key will move the carriage back to its Home position Press the RESET button after you have pressed ...

Page 125: ...utes and 23 seconds at 600 DPI The Job Time estimator is an extremely handy tool for pricing jobs Focus With Focus highlighted use the Joystick to move the table up or down The display will show a digital readout of the table position Using a Center Click action on the Joystick will move the lens carriage out about two inches to make manual focus easier Pressing the RESET button will move the carr...

Page 126: ...ction calibrates the system s X Home position which is set relative to the upper left corner of the table Increasing this number has the effect of moving your artwork to the right Decreasing this number has the effect of moving your artwork to the left The numeric readout shows increments of 001 3 Y Home This function calibrates the system s Y Home position which is set relative to the upper left ...

Page 127: ...t raster line alignment 0 15 Stamp Match This sets the left right raster line alignment in Stamp mode 0 16 Set Home This sets a new Home Position 17 Go Home This restores the carriage lens to its standard Home position 18 AutoF Installed This indicates Auto Focus is installed Yes 19 AirA Installed This indicates Air Assist is installed Yes 20 X ADJ This calibrates the accuracy in the X axis 0 21 Y...

Page 128: ...alue press the GO button 7 For this value to be changed permanently you now need to use the Joystick to go back to the first menu item which is Restore Home 8 Now Center Click the Joystick The machine will reinitialize home by moving back in the Y axis then left in the X axis and then finally to its standard resting Home position Your new value has changed Changing these setting from the ECC is ea...

Page 129: ...fault laser power being used in Laser On mode from the Config menu Highlight Config then scroll down to Laser On Pwr Use the Joystick to change the power setting Press straight down on the joystick to accept the change Press GO to activate the change Go back to Jog mode to use Laser On Job Storage Temporary Memory The Fusion laser has the capability to store multiple jobs in temporary memory The m...

Page 130: ...Section 8 Using the Front Control Panel 100 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 131: ...he Job tab is used to manage the jobs that have been printed to the Fusion and shows all of the laser parameters that were used to print the job from the Dashboard driver The image below shows the three jobs that have been printed to the laser Job 3 is highlighted and you can see the laser parameters that were used for this job The asterisk next to the time in the Run Time section means that the j...

Page 132: ...as now been completed because there is no asterisk in the Run Time section This image also shows that now Job 2 is selected and that it has entirely different laser parameters than Job 3 The Job tab allows you to run the laser from this one page once a job has been printed to the laser ...

Page 133: ...wn You can also Stop and Pause a job from the computer If you have printed a job to the laser and realize that you would like to modify some of the laser parameters you can change them from the Job tab click on the Play button and your new settings will override the old ones If you change a laser parameter you can make that change permanent or you can use it as a temporary setting If you change th...

Page 134: ...s panel in the print driver allow for permanent storage of laser parameters Control Tab The Control tab is used to move the lens carriage and the work table Use the cursor icons to move the lens carriage and table If you click on the cursor the lens carriage in the machine will start moving These controls are real time controls You can also input numerical values if you want to move the carriage o...

Page 135: ...rmally change on a regular basis but making minor adjustments to your machine is easy form the configuration tab The settings found in the Configuration tab are the same as those found under the Configuration menu on the keyboard Most users find that if they do need to make a change to the Configuration of the machine it is much easier to do from the ECC than the keyboard at the machine ...

Page 136: ...Section 9 Using the ECC Epilog Control Center 106 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 137: ... to keep combustible gases way from the cutting surface is desirable The Air Assist directs a constant stream of compressed air across the material surface at the point of burn removing the heat and combustible gases from the work surface The constant air stream helps reduce charring and scorching associated with materials such as wood rubber and acrylic This photo at left shows the air assist tub...

Page 138: ...or cutting operations to reduce the risk of fire Front Access Door The front access door is usually used for easy loading and unloading of palletized materials The door is interlocked and the laser will not fire if the door is open The front access door is supported by struts The struts can be disconnected if you wish to open the door more than its standard 90 degree opening Remove the left and ri...

Page 139: ...f of the flat task plate and allows the laser beam to penetrate all the way through the material without reflecting back up onto the backside of your work The photo below shows the vector grid installed in the Fusion Vacuum Hold down The exhaust system is designed so that it evacuates from both the top and the bottom of the vector grid The exhaust pulls air through the vector grid and forms enough...

Page 140: ...e vector grid The photo below shows the slots in the rulers between the 2 and 3 marks There are four slots on the X axis and 3 slots on the Y axis Simply align the pins in the bottom of the vector grid to these slots and press the vector grid firmly into the slots You should feel a tactile click when the vector grid is properly seated Whenever you are vector cutting there is the potential for smal...

Page 141: ... assembly and prevents the table from crashing into the X beam when the table is moving to its focus position If the table moves up into the crash bar the system will come to a complete stop If the crash bar is activated you will need to reboot the machine to recover The crash bar is removed as part of the lens assembly When reinstalling the lens assembly please make sure that the Crash Bar is sit...

Page 142: ...ed to completely shut down the Fusion system in case of an emergency If the emergency stop is used you will need to turn off the machine using the regular power switch and then pop the E Stop back out and then restart the Fusion as normal Crash Bar and locating pins E Stop Standard Power switch ...

Page 143: ...able is a 12 x 12 305 x 305 mm anodized aluminum table that holds moveable support pins that can be placed anywhere on the table s one inch 25 4 mm grid pattern The moveable support pins allow the user to place the pins anywhere on the grid in such a way that they support the material being cut while avoiding the cutting path of the laser This method of supporting the material produces cut edges t...

Page 144: ...t the same time 2 Once the pins are located place the pin table into the upper left corner of your laser system with the fences resting against the left and top edge guides rulers If the pin table is resting properly against the edge guides you will maintain your 0 0 zero zero Home position in the upper left corner 3 Once the pin table is in your laser system place your work piece onto the pin tab...

Page 145: ...ional Machine Features 115 7 Additional pins can be purchased from Epilog Ask for P N LF231 8 The Pin Table is designed so that multiple Pin Tables can be set next to each other and maintain the one inch 24 4 mm grid pattern ...

Page 146: ...ns show tips on how to easily use the Pin Table In CorelDraw set up a 12 x 12 inch 305 x 305 mm page Select View and scroll down and click on Grid and Ruler Setup Set the Frequency to 1 0 per inch both Horizontal and Vertical and put a check mark in the Show grid box Click OK ...

Page 147: ...the pins Notice that you do not need to place pins in every available space they just need to be placed where they will support the work piece For this piece we have also supported the middle of the B to show how to support the waste pieces if you do not want them to fall out after cutting The circles outside of the B are to support the long piece of wood that we are going to use for cutting The n...

Page 148: ...Section 10 Standard Optional Machine Features 118 ...

Page 149: ... system clean and the area around it clean are important parts of laser maintenance Some materials are extremely flammable and can easily ignite and burst into open flame setting the machine afire This open flame is very dangerous and has the potential to destroy not only the machine but the building in which it is housed Acrylic Persplex is one of the more highly flammable materials that are comm...

Page 150: ...d engraving reside and debris is dangerous and can create a fire hazard in its own right Keep your laser system clean and free of debris Regularly remove the vector grid to clean any small pieces that have fallen through the grid The single most important thing that you can do to keep your laser working as if it were new is to keep it clean Five minutes once a day will keep the residue and debris ...

Page 151: ...ause of their pure nature and because they are readily available Wet the swab thoroughly with the solvent and then blot it against a piece of cotton so that it is no longer soaking wet Then daub the optic gently rotating the swab after each daub to expose clean cotton to the surface until the optic is free of visible contamination At that point prepare a fresh swab and clean the surface with a gen...

Page 152: ...Section 11 Engraving Machine Cleaning 122 Crash Bar and locating pins ...

Page 153: ...e Bearing Rails The bearing system in the laser should be cleaned about once a week depending on use Use a soft cloth or cotton swab with some alcohol or similar mild solvent to clean each of the bearing tracks which the optics mirror and lens run along A cotton swab is perfect for cleaning out the inside of the grooved tracks of the x axis rail About once every three months you should lubricate t...

Page 154: ... the way to access the rail There is enough flex in the belt to move it out of the way but do not pull on it so hard that it becomes stretched or stressed X axis rail After cleaning the rail place about an inch long bead of Epilog supplied grease into the top and bottom grooves of the X axis rail The following photo shows where to grease the bottom groove of the rail After applying the grease to b...

Page 155: ...ine Cleaning 125 Place a bead of grease along the bottom groove of the X axis rail This photo shows the location of the X axis carriage and the X axis bearing which is behind the X axis belt X axis carriage and belt X axis rail ...

Page 156: ...inside of the machine Spending just a few minutes a week will pay off in the long run with better quality and performance Clean the length of the left side Y axis rail using a soft cotton cloth Lubrication is not required Clean the length of the right side Y axis rail using a soft cotton cloth Lubrication is not required ...

Page 157: ...cabinet is visible in the area of the lens carriage inspect the exhaust system Check for loose or broken pipe hose connections or obstructions The photos below show where to clean the duct work of your machine You should also occasionally check your exhaust blower and the duct work that is connected to it Clean the vents from the inside of the machine It is best to use a flexible plastic or wire b...

Page 158: ...e machine you should occasionally clean the exhaust plenum The exhaust plenum can be completely removed from the Fusion Remove the six screws that hold the exhaust plenum in place The photos below the plenum partially removed and the back of the machine with the plenum fully removed ...

Page 159: ...mount of effort The laser tubes can be refurbished and are available on an exchange basis by contacting Epilog technical support Insure that all of the laser cooling fans are properly working at all times The fans keep the laser tube cool and prevent it from overheating An overheated laser tube will produce erratic output and may fail completely If the laser system is in a dirty or dusty environme...

Page 160: ...Section 11 Engraving Machine Cleaning 130 ...

Page 161: ...ing or cutting In Raster Mode state of the art optimization software allows the carriage to skip through all white space both horizontally and vertically increasing laser on time rates which further enhances overall throughput Engraving Power This is the amount of laser power that is applied to the material surface At a given speed higher power will produce deeper cutting or engraving Adjustable i...

Page 162: ...ttings and change the Speed settings Changing only one variable at a time will help to determine the correct setting for your material It is easiest to change the speed or power variable in 10 increments when you are experimenting This will save time and allow you to refine your settings later in 1 or 2 increments Because there are many factors that influence the time it takes to engrave or cut a ...

Page 163: ...ou make more than one pass For example with plastics some colors like blue are very aggressive and tend to leave a shadow on some substrates It is often easier to make one pass at the recommended speed and power setting and then make another pass at the same speed but with a greatly reduced power setting to achieve the desired results If the material is not moved between passes the alignment of th...

Page 164: ...loser to the lens by about 030 will produce better edge quality on and thicker acrylic AlumaMark 100 60 100 50 100 40 N A Anodized Aluminum 100 70 100 65 100 60 N A Painted Brass 100 80 100 70 100 60 N A Marbleized Painted Brass 100 100 100 90 100 80 N A Corian Or Avonite 15 100 20 100 25 100 3 mm 6 100 100 Delrin Seals 100 90 100 80 100 70 30 100 50 Glass 15 100 20 100 25 100 N A Laserable Plasti...

Page 165: ...o the lens by about 030 will produce better edge quality on and thicker acrylic AlumaMark 80 30 80 25 80 20 N A Anodized Aluminum 100 60 100 55 100 50 N A Painted Brass 100 65 100 55 100 45 N A Marbleized Painted Brass 100 75 100 65 100 55 N A Corian Or Avonite 20 100 25 100 30 100 3 mm 20 100 100 Delrin Seals 100 70 100 60 100 50 50 100 500 Glass 25 100 35 100 45 100 N A Laserable Plastic 100 60 ...

Page 166: ...to the lens by about 030 will produce better edge quality on and thicker acrylic AlumaMark 100 40 100 35 100 30 N A Anodized Aluminum 100 60 100 50 100 40 N A Painted Brass 100 35 100 30 100 25 N A Marbleized Painted Brass 100 45 100 40 100 35 N A Corian Or Avonite 20 100 30 100 40 100 3 mm 50 100 100 Delrin Seals 100 60 100 50 100 40 60 100 100 Glass 30 100 40 100 50 100 N A Laserable Plastic 100...

Page 167: ...is closer to the lens by about 030 will produce better edge quality on and thicker acrylic AlumaMark 100 30 100 25 100 20 N A Anodized Aluminum 100 45 100 35 100 30 N A Painted Brass 100 30 100 25 100 20 N A Marbleized Painted Brass 100 40 100 35 100 30 N A Corian Or Avonite 25 100 35 100 45 100 3 mm 50 80 100 Delrin Seals 100 40 100 30 100 20 60 85 100 Glass 40 100 50 100 60 100 N A Laserable Pla...

Page 168: ... is closer to the lens by about 030 will produce better edge quality on and thicker acrylic AlumaMark 100 25 100 20 100 15 N A Anodized Aluminum 100 45 100 35 100 25 N A Painted Brass 100 40 100 30 100 20 N A Marbleized Painted Brass 100 35 100 30 100 25 N A Corian Or Avonite 65 100 75 100 85 100 3 mm 50 80 100 Delrin Seals 100 30 100 25 100 20 60 75 50 Glass 75 100 80 100 85 100 N A Laserable Pla...

Page 169: ...ur local Epilog representative for information Acrylic Fire Warning Your laser system uses a high intensity beam of light that can generate extremely high temperatures when it comes into contact with the material being engraved marked or cut Some materials are extremely flammable and can easily ignite and burst into open flame setting the machine afire This open flame is very dangerous and has the...

Page 170: ...ctor cutting Many materials have the potential to burst suddenly into flames even materials that may be very familiar to the user Always monitor the machine when it is operating KEEP YOUR LASER SYSTEM CLEAN A build up of cutting and engraving reside and debris is dangerous and can create a fire hazard in its own right Keep your laser system clean and free of debris Regularly remove the vector grid...

Page 171: ...se distortion Acrylic Vector Cutting Techniques Acrylic is one of the most popular cutting materials available It comes in a variety of colors and thickness Laser cutting produces very nice edge quality without the need for polishing or secondary clean up Use the Vector Grid or Pin Table to elevate the acrylic before cutting Air Assist will greatly reduce flaming when cutting acrylic and should al...

Page 172: ...ers for crisp clean images Too much power applied to the anodized coating will distort the engraving and tends to over burn the image Warning Metals are reflective and using full power will potentially cause damage to the machine Brass Painted Brass Background Un coated brass cannot be laser engraved In order to engrave brass with a laser you need to use brass that has some sort of coating typical...

Page 173: ...rass Painted Brass Engraving Techniques Engrave painted brass at high speed and low power It takes very little power to remove the paint coating and too much power will melt the paint and distort the image If you are producing engraving that appears to be fat or has a balloon appearance to it you are probably using too much power Reducing the power will bring back the nice sharp images that are no...

Page 174: ...t and hard spots that will cause the engraved area to appear lightly frosted in one area and heavily frosted in another Engraving at medium speed and high power will somewhat compensate for this as will two or more engraving passes While the laser beam itself is very hot the heat does not build up easily and it should not prevent you from engraving onto full bottles of wine champagne or other fill...

Page 175: ...ways recommend having a spare in case of breakage Combining Laser Engraving with Sandblasting Combining the best of both processes you can use your laser to engrave the artwork then use sandblasting to provide a deep etch into glass Using the laser to create the artwork mask is an ideal process for one of a kind custom pieces as well as large production runs This eliminates the photo process usual...

Page 176: ...ng are easily accomplished in most graphics software packages Simply duplicate the male die then invert the black and white colors and then mirror the image The male image should be produced without the use of outlines around the text or graphics Add a 007 to 010 inch 0 178 mm to 0 254 mm outline to the text and graphics of the female die This outline creates a large enough void between the male a...

Page 177: ... a broad range of plastics it is necessary to experiment to determine if a particular type of plastic is laser compatible Different color plastics even if they are from the same manufacturer will have unique speed and power settings Use the guidelines in this manual as a starting point when determining the correct speed and power settings If you do not get acceptable initial results with the recom...

Page 178: ...Assist will greatly reduce flaming when cutting plastic Vectoring plastics is similar to vectoring other materials First experiment to determine if the plastic can be cut with the laser Plastics that are up to 1 16 inch thick can usually be cut in a single pass Thicker plastics may need two passes As with engraving it is sometimes necessary to mask and dampen the plastic before cutting Even maskin...

Page 179: ...er woods so popular when combined with a laser There are many types of other wood products that are designed for use with the laser and many more that are waiting to be discovered by you Every type of wood has its own characteristics Some wood is denser than other wood with the denser harder woods requiring more laser power to cut or engrave Epilog recommends that when working with wood other than...

Page 180: ...he color of these two woods is a light red We recommend stains that are clear allowing the natural color to show through Alder isn t quite as expensive as Cherry and it is a little more readily available Walnut is a dark brown in color and has a greater density than either Cherry or Alder Maple is light blonde in color and has a density that is even greater than Walnut It is important to mention t...

Page 181: ...e providing amazing contrast Experiment Take a piece of clipart and ungroup it and change the colors so that they range from a dark color like red to a light color like yellow then engrave it This will create a shading effect that is almost 3 D in its appearance Wood Vector Cutting Techniques Epilog Laser Systems are ideal for cutting through solid wood material The thickness of the wood that you ...

Page 182: ...isher on hand Epilog recommends a Halotron fire extinguisher or a multi purpose dry chemical fire extinguisher The Halotron extinguishers are more expensive than a dry chemical but offer certain advantages should you ever need to use an extinguisher The Halotron extinguisher discharges a clean easily removable substance that is not harmful to the mechanics or wiring of the laser system The dry che...

Page 183: ...color to your wood presentation Normally color filling is not required for lighter colored wood materials such as maple or cherry but walnut can often benefit from adding a black color fill to provide more contrast You will need to take some precautions when color filling wood because if you are not careful the liquid color fill material will absorb into the grain of the wood on the surface of the...

Page 184: ...Section 13 Material Engraving Techniques 154 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 185: ...s and Foils The following list contains supplier information for materials typically used with your Epilog laser Additional suppliers and links can be found on our website at http www epiloglaser com industry_links htm Laser Engravable Products LaserBits Inc 1734 West Williams Drive Suite 10 Phoenix Arizona 85027 U S A Phone 1 623 879 0005 Fax 1 623 879 5149 www laserbits com Acrylic Acrylic Idea ...

Page 186: ...6 1616 USA Toll Free Phone 1 800 395 2570 Fax 1 972 216 1555 1 800 934 8304 www idplates com Victory 1820 N Major Avenue Chicago IL 60639 USA Toll Free Phone 1 800 327 5578 Fax 1 773 637 7799 www buyvictory com JDS 2704 W Third Street Sioux Falls SD 57104 Phone 605 339 4010 USA Toll Free Phone 1 800 843 8853 Fax 1 605 339 1467 Email sales jdsindustries com www jdsindustries com R S Owens Co 5535 N...

Page 187: ...h TX 76119 For local locations visit their Website orders also taken online USA Toll Free Phone 1 800 433 3201 www tandyleatherfactory com Pressboard Plaques Melamine JDS 2704 W Third Street Sioux Falls SD 57104 Phone 1 605 339 4010 USA Toll Free Phone 1 800 843 8853 Fax 1 605 339 1467 Email sales jdsindustries com www jdsindustries com PDU 11077 E Rush Street South El Monte CA 91733 3546 Phone 1 ...

Page 188: ...64 6190 USA Toll Free Phone 1 800 354 0196 Fax 1 651 464 6191 e mail dank thewoodster com www thewoodster com Lee s Wood Products 31 Smithers Street P O Box 159 Rocky Mount VA 24151 USA Toll Free Phone 800 552 5337 Fax 1 540 483 4645 e mail leeswood earthlink net Stanton Manufacturing Lake Road 54 15 Lake Ozark MO 65049 USA Toll Free Phone 888 556 0759 www stantonmfg com Educational Materials JHM ...

Page 189: ...78 Fax 1 815 477 1210 e mail ipi mc net www inoplas com Johnson Plastics 9240 Grand Avenue South Minneapolis MN 55420 3604 USA Toll Free Phone 1 800 869 7800 USA Toll Free Fax 1 800 869 7853 Phone 1 800 869 7853 Fax 1 612 888 4997 e mail service johnsonplastics com www johnsonplastics com Rowmark 2040 Industrial Drive Findlay OH 45839 Phone 1 419 425 8974 USA Toll Free Phone 1 800 243 3339 Fax 1 4...

Page 190: ...4951 www cerdecmark com LaserBits Inc 1734 West Williams Drive Suite 10 Phoenix Arizona 85027 U S A Phone 1 623 879 0005 Fax 1 623 879 5149 www laserbits com Color Fill Materials Smoke Wood 1680 Division Elgin Or 97827 USA Toll Free Phone 1 800 248 2352 Fax 1 541 437 1080 Email smokewd eoni com www smoke wood com Tapes and Foils Innotech of Wisconsin 1760 State Street Racine WI 53408 5546 USA Toll...

Page 191: ...161 Manual Technical Support Troubleshooting and Specifications ...

Page 192: ...162 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 193: ...able in Golden Colorado USA during the hours of 6 a m and 6 p m Mountain Time Technical Support Direct Line 1 303 215 9171 Email tech epiloglaser com Technical Support online www epiloglaser com service htm What to do prior to contacting Epilog Technical Support 1 Have the machine serial number available 2 Have time to work on machine Many issues will require troubleshooting 3 Clean your machine e...

Page 194: ...Section 15 In Case of Difficulty 164 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 195: ...dular permanently aligned and field replaceable upgradeable Bearings Ground and polished stainless steel NeverWear bearing system Belts Advanced B style Kevlar precision drive belts Resolution User controlled choice of 75 150 200 300 400 600 or 1200 dpi Speed Power Control Computer or machine controlled Speed and Power in 1 increments to 100 Color mapping links Speed and Power setting to any RGB c...

Page 196: ...rfectly adequate There s no magical cut off that makes a computer too slow If you re comfortable with the performance and speed of your current computer there s probably no reason to purchase another one The following recommendations are just advice to consider if a new computer is necessary A new computer doesn t have to be expensive to work great Even many of today s lower cost computers work gr...

Page 197: ... This is the permanent memory in your computer Many users feel that you can never have a large enough hard drive Luckily most computer manufacturers put high capacity drives in new computers these days When in doubt buy bigger than you think you might need It s so in expensive that it s worth the peace of mind to have it available Software Many users use Corel as their graphics software Many other...

Page 198: ... that absorbs any electrical problems before they can damage the expensive equipment computer and laser they are protecting About The Laser Your Epilog CO2 laser system uses the latest in waveguide laser technology to provide a powerful tool that is simple and safe to setup and operate The Epilog laser can mark engrave and cut a variety of non metallic materials The CO2 laser beam itself is invisi...

Page 199: ...mage Then the carriage advances one line and the process is repeated eventually assembling a full image Federal Communications Commission FCC Notice Note This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is ope...

Page 200: ...Section 16 Specifications 170 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 201: ...re upgraded The firmware is the command software in your laser system that controls how your laser system operates think of firmware as the brains of your system A firmware upgrade reprograms your laser system to take advantage of new capabilities or enhancements to the system To accomplish the reprogramming you just Print a special file to your laser system The process is explained below Upgradin...

Page 202: ... download the new firmware and save Normally the default Save location is onto your Desktop folder Use a thumb drive flash drive or other portable media to move the downloaded file from one computer to another if you need to When you download the firmware it comes as a compressed file in the following format legendMini_1_0_X_X exe The X s designate the actual version of the firmware Once this file...

Page 203: ...ange depending on revision level It is the hex format file that you will use to upgrade your laser Keep track of the folder where you saved the extracted hex file You will need to access this file again in the next step Click the Okay button At this time it s important to know which folder you are unzipping this file to If you are unsure use the Browse button to select a folder where you know you ...

Page 204: ...r Computer to Your Laser Use the following procedure to transfer the legendMini hex file to the laser Create a simple drawing in your graphics package For this example we ve typed in the text Firmware Upgrade The next step is to Print select the Dashboard driver and click on Properties ...

Page 205: ...7 Upgrading the Operational Firmware 175 Go to the Advanced tab check the Update Firmware box and then click on the Load button Go to the folder that contains the unzipped hex file select it and then click Open ...

Page 206: ... will see the a message on the LCD panel on the laser When you are asked to reboot the process is complete The programing process takes about three minutes to complete DO NOT DISTURB THE LASER DURING THE UPGRADE PROCESS After you have rebooted your laser the process is complete and you will see the new version number of firmware on your LCD when the laser powers up The hex file will show in the Up...

Page 207: ...tilation acts of God or other situations out of the control of Epilog failure to operate in accordance with instructions provided in the Owner s Manuals for the Epilog models 13000 including specific safety and operational warnings contained therein cosmetic damage sustained in use and damage caused by unauthorized modifications of any equipment All warranties to original purchasers are non transf...

Page 208: ...APPENDIX A 178 THIS PAGE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...

Page 209: ...output from the laser Printing Plotting Sending jobs from AutoCAD is heavily dependent on the print settings in the AutoCAD Print Plot window Since there are so many different settings that AutoCAD requires it is important that you double check all of the settings that are critical to success Previewing your image before sending it to the laser is very helpful in preventing print problems AutoCAD ...

Page 210: ...d Margins that AutoCAD makes when printing can cause frustration for laser users that are used to being able to send a job to the laser and have its precise location be very predictable Printing from either Paper Space or Model Space will work Be aware that the scaling and margin assumptions made by AutoCAD can affect both the size and location of the work Helpful Hints When printing from AutoCAD ...

Page 211: ...CAD s tendency to rotate your artwork 90 degrees In the AutoCAD print window set the pen colors that you are using to 001 inch The AutoCAD default for all pens is 010 and a line weight this large disables vector cutting If the line weight is not changed to 001 inch vector cutting will not be possible When the laser receives a job where the line weights are too large the laser system will just beep...

Page 212: ...oCAD 182 Other useful settings in the AutoCAD print window are Set the page orientation to Portrait Set Plot area to Limits Scale set to 1 1 Pen Sizes 001 inch 0 0254 mm Dashboard print driver installation for Ethernet connection ...

Page 213: ...g up the TCP IP address in the computer Windows 7 Setting up the TCP IP Address in the Computer Windows 7 uses a slightly different but very similar protocol than previous versions of Windows These instructions will guide you through the Windows 7 protocol Once you have set the IP Address at the laser you will need to set the TCP IP address on your PC From the Start menu at the bottom left corner ...

Page 214: ...Appendix C Additional Dashboard Instructions 184 Click on Network and Sharing Center Click on Change adapter settings ...

Page 215: ...Appendix C Additional Dashboard Instructions 185 Select the Local Area Connection option and then right click on Properties Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 TCP IP and then click on Properties ...

Page 216: ...nk This number is not an error the last digit of the IP address in this window must be different than the IP address set in your laser system Click the OK button in this window and then click on the Close button in the next window That s it The IP Address in your computer is set Your computer will be able to talk to your laser after you install the print driver which is the next step ...

Page 217: ...on Add a Printer After clicking on Add a Printer you can follow the instructions earlier in the manual Follow the screen prompts and navigate to the Epilog CD ROM where the files for the driver are located If you have any trouble Epilog Technical support is available at 303 215 9171 ...

Page 218: ...Appendix C Additional Dashboard Instructions 188 ...

Page 219: ...t is disabled you will be able to proceed using standard Windows driver installation protocol Once the Dashboard Driver is installed for the first time you can install new versions without having to disable the Driver Signature Enforcement again The procedure to disable Driver Certification Enforcement in Windows 8 is shown below 1 Open the Charms Bar and select Settings The Charms Bar is displaye...

Page 220: ...Appendix C Additional Dashboard Instructions 190 3 Select General 4 Scroll to the bottom of the General page Under Advanced Start Up select Restart Now ...

Page 221: ...Appendix C Additional Dashboard Instructions 191 5 Once the PC comes back up select Troubleshoot 6 Select Advanced Options 7 Select Start Up Settings 8 Select the Restart button ...

Page 222: ...n allow you to install a printer driver After pressing either key your computer will reboot Now Log in as normal and go to the Control Panel Select Devices and Printers and you are ready to install the driver as illustrated in your Epilog Owner s manual Because the Desktop of Windows 8 is so much different than any previous version of Windows we ve included one way to get to the Control Panel ...

Page 223: ...you to the Control Panel so if you are comfortable with another method use it instead 10 Open your Charms Bar and select the Search icon 11 Type Control Panel into the Search box As you type the icons that do not start with a C immediately start to disappear 12 Select the Control Panel icon ...

Page 224: ...Appendix C Additional Dashboard Instructions 194 13 Select Devices and Printers You will now be able to install a print driver ...

Page 225: ...unction Keys Pointer 98 General Purpose Keys Go 94 Reset 87 Stop 93 Control Panel Keys Indicator Lights Pointer Light 98 Cooling 1 11 Coreldraw xi 47 57 58 76 81 115 162 Corian 130 131 132 133 134 151 Crossover Cable 23 33 Crumb Tray 109 D Dashboard i xi 23 24 33 37 47 48 63 70 74 75 77 83 85 88 129 162 167 170 176 177 178 179 Advanced Tab 47 Color Mapping 47 48 71 176 Configurations 70 Dithering ...

Page 226: ...14 161 Auto Focus 59 86 88 89 101 114 161 Frequency 52 68 115 Front Access Door 107 108 G Glass 130 131 132 133 134 135 140 151 156 Go key 94 Go Key 77 94 Gold Coast Graphics 156 Green Indicator Light 98 Green Indicator Lights 98 H Home Position 84 114 I Identification Plates 152 Iec 60825 1 1 5 6 Innovative Plastics 155 Integrated Vacuum Table 85 Integrated Vector Grid 137 147 Ip Address 19 33 34...

Page 227: ...P Address 19 33 34 35 36 Subnet Mask 36 Network Connections Crossover Cable 23 33 Non Interlocked Protective Housing Safety Labels 6 Notary Seals 135 142 O Optics 118 Cleaning 118 Osha 2 OSHA 2 P Pdu 153 PDU 153 Photograph Mode Floyd Steinberg 64 Jarvis 64 66 Stucki 64 65 66 Photos 51 52 57 65 66 121 124 Plastic 130 131 132 133 134 135 143 144 Plywood 146 Pointer 1 2 5 98 161 Pointer key 98 Pointe...

Page 228: ...Vector Grid 109 137 144 147 Task Plate 109 Vacuum Hold down 109 110 111 112 Vector Grid 109 137 144 147 Stanton Manufacturing 154 Stop key 93 Stop Key 93 Stucki 64 65 66 Subnet Mask 36 Suppliers 151 T Table Size 58 85 Task Plate 109 Technical Support Direct Line i 159 Online i Temperature 161 U Upgrade Firmware 74 Usb xii 6 18 23 24 161 179 USB xii 6 18 23 24 161 179 Usb Port 18 USB Port 18 V Vect...

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