Universal Laser Systems ULTRA X6000, Руководство пользователя

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DESIGN FILES
A design file contains the design information (shapes, lines, images, etc.) that will be used to
create a control file for laser material processing. A design file can be created using any software
capable of outputting or exporting raster and/or vector data to an appropriate file format.
Supported file types include PDF, DXF, or G-code. There are two methods for turning design files
into control files: Importing and Printing.
IMPORTING A DESIGN FILE
Importing a supported file type is accomplished by pressing the large plus symbol in the control file
page within the LSM. A remote connection to the ULTRA X6000 LSM via a browser provides users
with this same capability. This is the preferred method of transferring design files to the ULTRA
X6000 Laser System since it does not require installing additional software and works on any OS that
supports a modern browser.
PRINTING A DESIGN FILE
To print a design file, a printer driver must be installed on the computer on which the design file is
generated. Once a printer driver is loaded on a PC, the ULTRA X6000 Laser System acts as a network
printer and can receive design files by simply using the design software’s print dialog . Once printed,
the design file will be sent to the LSM and a control file is generated from the design file.
ELEMENTS OF A DESIGN FILE
The LSM interprets elements of a design file as either raster or vector data. ULTRA X6000 laser systems
use these raster and vector elements to modify materials using either of two modes: a raster mode
or a vector mode.
RASTER MODE OF OPERATION
The raster mode of operation is used primarily for surface modification. In this mode, images or
shapes from a design file is reproduced on the surface of a material by moving (scanning) the
carriage of the beam delivery system back and forth on the X Axis arm while stepping the Y Axis
arm in small increments. As the carriage scans across the material surface, laser energy is applied in
a grid of discrete pulses at high resolutions up to 2000 dpi. Material is either removed or modified
in some way (annealed, oxidized, etc.) depending on the kind of material being processed and the
amount of laser energy being deposited. Raster image data must be present in the user’s design
file to employ this mode of laser material processing. Raster image data can either be in the form
of color or greyscale bitmap images, or solid filled areas.
VECTOR MODE OF OPERATION
The vector mode of operation is used for both cutting and marking materials. In this mode, vector
shapes or outlines from design files are used to simultaneously direct the X and Y Axes of the
beam delivery system to follow a vector path, while applying controlled amounts of laser energy to
partially or completely cut through a material. This mode can also be used to create thin marks on
the surfaces of some materials without penetrating the surface. Vector path data must be present
in the user’s design file to use this mode of laser material processing.