Silvertail A0 Laser Cutter/Upgrade Notes from HPC to stock Silvertail

This is a quick guide to using the Silvertail A0 Laser Cutter, especially for people who've previously used the previous HPC Laser Cutter.

Please read this carefully.

• We're working on installing an ACNode on the Silvertail, and this should be finished by mid-January. Until then, you can find the keys for the cutter in the usual place.
• The Silvertail uses the same LaserCut 5.3 software as the old machine, so the process is pretty much identical. (We've also upgraded to Windows 7 on the laser cutter PC.)
• The most important new point to remember: Do not use the Z datum function. This has the ability to damage the machine. (We're working on a fix for this, but the new machine has a much more effective way of focusing.)
• Please note that as the Silvertail has double the power of our previous laser cutter, the cutting parameters have changed. Please see the new Parameters list.

Cutting Process

Z height adjustment

1. Place your workpiece in a convenient place on the bed (near the bottom-right is easiest).
2. Move the cutting head to the top-right corner of where you want to cut by hitting Esc twice on the laser cutter keypad, and then using the arrow keys (you can hold them down to move faster).
3. Focus the machine:
   1. Switch into Z-mode by pressing Z on the keypad.
   2. Make sure the cutting head is positioned over your work - if necessary, lower the Z-height by pressing the down arrow on the keypad.
   3. Using the alignment tool, raise or lower the Z height using the keypad until the head is positioned at the correct height, as shown in the image to the right.
   4. Press Z again to exit Z-mode.
4. Import your work into LaserCut. Don't use the "Set laser origin" function - the origin will be set to the top-right corner of your work, which corresponds to where you moved the cutting head.
5. Cut as you usually would.