SCULPFUN S6 Laser Engraving Machine User Manual

SCULPFUN S6 Laser Engraving Machine

Security Statement

Before starting laser engraving, please read this safety guide carefully. It mentions situations that require special attention, including warnings about unsafe behaviors. Please observe and pay attention to this statement to protect your safety.

1. Laser safety
   This machine uses Class 4 laser products. The power of the laser is so high that it may cause eye injuries and burn the skin. We installed a laser shield on the laser, which can filter out the diffuse reflected light at the laser focal point. We gave away goggles, you can bring goggles if you need them.

2. Fire safety
   Since the material is burned or evaporated during cutting, the high-intensity laser beam generates extremely high temperatures and generates a lot of heat. Please try to keep indoor ventilation or add exhaust equipment.
   Certain materials can catch fire during cutting, especially flammable materials such as wood and paper. During the engraving process, please try to put a metal pad or other fireproof pad on the bottom of the engraving machine to protect the safety of the table or workbench. Always keep a working fire extinguisher nearby.

3. Material safety
   Do not engrave materials with unknown properties. Recommended engraving materials: wood, acrylic, bamboo, leather, fabric, paper, black-coated cermet. Materials that are not recommended: glossy metal, transparent materials, reflective materials, plastic, etc. At the end of the manual, we attached which materials are not suitable for engraving.

4. Safe to use
   The engraving machine can only be used horizontally, and ensure that the engraving machine is reliably fixed. Fixing holes are reserved on the four tripods, and other devices can be used to fix them on the workbench. Prevent accidental displacement or falling off the work surface during work to cause a fire; It is strictly forbidden to point the laser towards people, animals or any combustible materials, regardless of whether it is in working condition or not. 2 Teenagers must have parental supervision during use.

Introduction of SCULPFUN S6/S6 Pro Engraving Machine
The SCULPFUN S6/S6 Pro laser engraving machine uses a fixed-focus laser. The way to focus the laser on the engraved object is: to place the fixed-focus column on the surface of the engraved object, slide the laser module until the edge touches the fixed-focus column, and fix the module screw by hand, Take off the fixed-focus column to complete the fixed-focus. The laser protective cover can help us block most of the glare. You don’t have to wear glasses all the time, and people around you can also not wear goggles. But you can wear goggles if you feel it is necessary. The laser power of the SCULPFUN S6/S6 Pro laser engraving machine is about 5.5W. It can easily cut some wood panels, and acrylic, and engrave blackened metal. However, it is not recommended to cut reflective materials and transparent materials. The engraving machine of SCULPFUN S6/S6 Pro supports PWM control (pulse width modulation). PWM will make the engraved patterns more layered. Right-angle measuring ruler: X-axis and Y-axis contain precise scale lines, which is convenient for you to measure the size of engraving objects quickly. The 410x420mm large-area engraving interval can meet your various engraving needs. Extensive compatibility: The machine can be compatible with various mature engraving software, such as LaserGRBL, LightBurn, Benbox, GrblController, LiteFire, supports PWM mode engraving, supports Windows system, and also supports MAC system (LightBurn), engraving file format supports JPG, PNG, DXF, SVG, G-code, NC, BMP, etc. Safety design: The machine is equipped with a power switch to facilitate emergency power off. Fixing holes are reserved on the four feet and the body structure to facilitate fixing the machine and the data cable.

Instructions for using the engraving machine

Section 1. Download LaserGRBL software

1. LaserGRBL is one of the most popular DIY laser engraving software in the world, we can download it from the LaserGRBL website: http://lasergrbl.com/download/. Double-click the software installation package to start the software installation, and keep clicking Next until the installation is complete

Section 2. Connect the laser engraving machine

1. Connect the engraving machine to the computer installed with LaserGBRL software, plug in the power of the engraving machine, turn on the LaserGRBL software, select the correct port number and baud rate in the software-115200, (in general, the COM port does not need to be manually To select, but if you have multiple serial devices connected to the computer, you need to manually select, you can find the port of the laser engraving machine in the device manager of the Windows system. The simpler way is to try the displayed port numbers one by one Again). Install the driver. In the LaserGRBL software, click “Tools”>”install CH340 Driver” to install the driver.
2. Click the lightning connection icon in the software. When the lightning icon changes to a red icon , the connection is successful. At this time, the software interface icons all become colored.

Section 3. Engraving preparation and preview

1. Select the engraving file. Open the LaserGRBL software, click “File”> “Open File” in turn, and then select the graphics you want to engrave for engraving. Currently LaserGRBL supports files in NC, G-Code, BMP, JPG,, PNG,, DXF and other formats.

Picture parameters, engraving mode, engraving quality settings

• LaserGRBL can adjust the sharpness, brightness, contrast, highlight and other attributes of the target image. When adjusting the image parameters, you can see the actual effect in the preview window on the right, and you can try to adjust to the effect you think is satisfactory.
• The engraving mode usually selects “line-to-line tracking” and “1bit jitter”. 1bit jitter is more suitable for engraving grayscale graphics. If you want to cut, please select vector or centerline engraving mode.
• Engraving quality essentially refers to the line width of laser scanning. This parameter mainly depends on the size of the laser spot of the engraving machine. The laser spot used by the S6 engraving machine is a rectangular spot of 0.15mm, and the S6 pro uses a square spot of 0.08mm. Therefore, the recommended engraving quality range is 5-8. Different materials have different responses to laser irradiation. Therefore, the specific value also depends on the specific material engraving test.
• At the bottom of the preview window, you can also rotate, mirror, and cut the image.
• After completing the above settings, click Next to enter the settings of engraving speed, engraving energy and engraving size

Set the engraving speed, engraving energy and engraving size

• It is recommended to use 1000 for the engraving speed. This is the value that we think is the best engraving effect after repeated experiments. Of course, you can increase or decrease this speed according to your own preferences. A faster speed will save engraving time, but it may bring The slower speed is the opposite of the decline in the engraving effect.
• In the selection of laser mode, there are two commands for laser on, M3 and M4. It is recommended to use the M4 command when engraving in the 1bit jitter mode, and the M3 command is recommended for other situations. If your laser only has the M3 command, please check whether the laser mode is enabled in the GRBL configuration. For the description of GRBL configuration, please refer to the official description of LaserGRBL.
• The choice of engraving energy is based on different materials. We have attached the engraving and cutting parameters of common materials at the end of the manual for your reference.
• Finally set the size you want to engrave, and click the “Create” button to complete the set of all engraving parameters.

4. Move the laser head position, laser focusing
S6 does not have a limit switch, so the origin (0,0) position of S6 in the LaserGRBL software is:The point which the axis of the laser is aligned when power on and software lock . In other words, you turn on the power supply, connect to the engraving machine, and then click the software lock . At this time, the laser axis position is the origin (0,0) Because we will use a centered laser in the next step to determine the position of the engraving pattern, if the original position of the laser is improper, it may collide with the laser, so it is recommended to move the laser to the middle of the frame every time before engraving the pattern. The S6 series engraving machine uses a fixed-focus laser + sliding device to adjust the laser so that the laser focus is irradiated on the surface of the engraved object. It is divided into the following steps:

• Place the fixed-focus column on the surface of the carved object, and slide the laser down so that the laser shell is in close contact with the 20mm fixed-focus column.
• Tighten the fixing screws of the laser and remove the fixed focus column.
• Before each engraving image , Move the laser to the middle of the frame.
• Click the center button
• Move the laser to the center of the frame again
• Place the 20mm fixed column on the surface of the carved object
• Tighten the fixing screws, And remove the fixed focus column
• Adjust the position of the sculpture, Make the engraving object and the laser shell outline parallel, while the center point also coincides

Position the preview engraving pattern position
Regarding how to locate the engraving pattern, that is, how to make the pattern engraved in the correct position of the engraving object, this is an important topic for laser engraving machines. The S6 engraving machine uses the click to the center position to make the laser to the center of the pattern, at the same time, move the engraving object to make the engraving object coincide with the center of the laser so that the axes of the two have coincided. Note that at this time, try to observe the outline of the engraved object and make it parallel to the outer outline of the laser. The next step is to determine the specific engraving position, the axis has been coincident, by scanning the outline you can know exactly where the laser-engraved pattern will be and the size of the engraved pattern. The outline of the engraved pattern previewed in the software is the actually scanned outline, and the position of the engraved pattern can be previewed through this operation.

Section 4. Start carving and control during the carving process

1. Click to start engraving, and fill in the number of repeated engravings here
2. There are four forms of emergency stop: pause in the lower right corner; cancel all data immediately; stop engraving, or directly turn off the power switch on the control box is also an emergency stop method.
3. The laser energy adjustment, line width, and speed adjustment during engraving are as shown in the figure below

Section 5 Suggests parameters for engraving and cutting of materials

Table1 S6 engraving machine common material engraving parameter table suggestion

| Material| Quality| laser Energy(S-Mx)| Speed
---|---|---|---|---

engraving

| Basswood| 5-6| 400| 1000
Hardwood| 5-6| 400| 1000
Bamboo| 5-6| 400| 1000
Acrylic| 5-6| 600| 1000
Kraft paper| 5-6| 400| 1000
Mirrors| 5-6| 400| 1000
Paited Stainless steel

/aluminum alloy

| 8| 1000| 200

Table2 Cutting parameters for common materials of S6 engraving machine suggestion

| Material| Engraving times| Quality| laser Energy(S-Mx)| Speed
---|---|---|---|---|---

cutting

| 1.8mm Basswood| 3| 6-8| 1000| 400
6mm Hardwood| 15| 6-8| 1000| 400
1.8mm Bamboo| 3| 6-8| 1000| 400
2.8mm Acrylic| 12| 6-8| 1000| 400
Kraft paper| 1| 6-8| 1000| 800

Note: This is a very conservative parameter recommendation. The actual number of times needs to be adjusted according to the actual materials and test results.

The meaning of the software parameters in the table:

Suggestions for engraving and cutting

1. When engraving, you can initially test the parameters, engrave the effect, and then formally engrave. The two parameters of pattern preview and quality are very important when engraving. Generally use Line to line mode.
2. When cutting, try to increase the quality and energy, and slow down the speed appropriately. Mode generally used: Vectorize/Centerline

Section 6. Common Problems Possible Causes Treatment

Common

problem

| Possible cause| Solution
---|---|---

The engraving machine cannot be connected to the software (here refers to the LaserGRBL software)

| ****

Driver Missing,Cannot connect

| In the LaserGRBL software, click “Tools”>”install CH340 Driver” to install the driver, and restart the computer after installation to connect
Multiple LaserGRBL software open repeatedly| Close LaserGRBL software that is open repeatedly
Incorrect port number| Select the correct port number
Incorrect baud rate selection| Baud rate to be selected: 115200
the data line is unconnected| Check whether the data line is connected correctly.
USB port problem of the computer| Try a different USB port

The engraving line is not straight

| The belt is not tight| Re-tension the belt
Belt screws are not locked at both ends| Tighten the set screws on both ends of the belt
Rollers are not locked, brackets are wobbling| Adjust the eccentric nut under the bracket, lock the eccentric nut so that

the bracket does not wobble.

The laser stand extends too much that causes the laser to shake.| Raise the laser to let it as close to the top as possible to reduce laser wobble
When the engraving picture is small, the line is not straight| You should slow down the engraving speed, this will reduce the laser

shaking

Section 7. LightBurn installation tutorial

If you are a MAC computer and need to use a laser engraving machine, we can download the installation package on the LightBurn official website:https://lightburnsoftware.com/pages/trial-version-try-before-you-buy. Double-click the installation package to install (ps: LightBurn is a paid software, for a better experience, it is recommended that you buy the genuine version, here we will demonstrate the installation of the trial version), click “Next” in the pop-up window, until finish installation. Specific usage tutorials can be searched on google or youtube.

Section 8 Important notes for machine maintenance and use

1. If it is used on an extremely smooth desktop, it is best to fix the four feet with a cable tie or put a rubber anti-skid pad under the four feet. This can effectively prevent the machine from sliding during engraving.
2. The belts and pulleys need to be checked for tightness regularly. If they are loose: the belt can be reinstalled and tightened; the pulley can be adjusted by the eccentric nut.
3. If the laser feels that the energy is not strong enough, first check whether the laser lens is contaminated by dust. You only need to clean the lens to increase the laser power again. The laser lens and eye protection cover should be cleaned regularly. You can refer to the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29N5Runr52Y

Sculp your fun!

Manufacturer: Shenzhen Sculpfun Technology Co., Ltd. Address: Building D, Longgang Jiuzuan Business Center South, Daling Community, Minzhi Street, Longhua District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China 518131

Customer Service

• For a detailed warranty policy, please visit our official website at: www.sculpfun3d.com
• For Laser Engraver technical support and service, please email: [email protected]

Installation of Anti-slip rubber on the four feet
If you use the machine on a particularly smooth table, it may slip. We have reserved a large number of fixing holes on the four feet of the machine. You can fix the machine with iron wires; or stick to the four feet through the non-slip rubber sheet we presented. The specific operation is shown in the figure:

The rubber pad may loosen when exposed to high temperatures on the metal. This is normal and you need to stick it tightly again. Or a proper loose stick will keep the rubber more fixed to the metal.

Use of the square ruler

As for the point (0.0) in the lower-left corner, we are not to detect the laser moving distance, it is mainly designed as a right-angle measuring ruler, which is convenient for measuring the size of the engraved object. As shown below.
So we suggest that you place the laser in the center of the machine at the beginning to avoid collisions during laser moving.

References

• Download – LaserGRBL
• Shenzhen Sculpfun Technology Co., Ltd.
• YouTube

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