X-Laser X-BEAM 5000 FEILD SERVICE ALIGNMENT GUIDE

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "X-Laser X-BEAM 5000 FEILD SERVICE ALIGNMENT GUIDE"

Joy Gibbs
5 years ago
Views:

X-Laser X-BEAM 5000 FEILD SERVICE ALIGNMENT GUIDE Working safely on a laser projector: Ensure that your laser is turned off and disconnected from mains power prior to service.

1 X-Laser X-BEAM 5000 FEILD SERVICE ALIGNMENT GUIDE Working safely on a laser projector: Ensure that your laser is turned off and disconnected from mains power prior to service. The X-Beam projectors are classified as Class IV in accordance with the regulations of 21CFR and IEC When you perform service on a laser projector you potentially expose yourself to laser radiation and as such certain precautions must be taken to protect yourself and

2 anyone in the area. Do not open an energized laser. Always disconnect mains power when removing body panels to ensure there are no surprises regarding the beam path and any interior reflections Ensure that the area is clear of any unnecessary personnel and that all persons in the area are fully aware there is a laser projector being worked on, have the proper safety equipment including wavelength specific eyewear and know what precautions to take Ensure that any beams coming out of the housing, including those coming from the aperture, are terminated at least 18 away from the technician and any bystanders. Diffuse reflections can pose a slight hazard at close distances. Blackwrap or Cinefoil can help a great deal with curbing diffuse reflection issues Ensure that no beams enter any walkways or workspaces other than the intended workspace It is wise to avoid skin contact with the beam whenever possible. A good precaution is to work on the laser with a little additional atmosphere in the area so that you can see the beam at all times. Additionally many laser technicians use white cotton gloves to protect their hands. The white gloves will convert most of the directed energy of the laser beam into a diffuse reflection and absorb very little of the energy. Do not use latex, nitrile or polyester gloves. However unlikely, these materials can melt in a tight laser beam and will cause additional damage to your skin. Be mindful of everywhere the beam can go including through optics. No optic is truly 100% efficient and there will always be a small amount of leakage; in particular there will be beam paths directly behind the bounce mirror and the area

3 directly above the galvos. Never look at the galvos without protective eyewear, always avoid being directly over the galvanometer mirrors Do not touch the galvanometer mirrors when the laser is in operation. They move very quickly and even a light tough will damage the mirrors and potentially cause injury. BE CAREFUL AND ALWAYS BE MINDFUL OF WHERE YOUR BEAMS GO. Even a low power laser can be dangerous if viewed directly with no protection. Alignment Multicolor laser systems such as the X-Beam rely on precise

4 optical alignments to properly color mix. The goal is for all laser beams to be in the center of your galvanometer mirrors and to overlap at your intended projection distance. Each laser beam hits a dichroic or bounce mirror to direct the beam to the center of the galvos. The procedure for this is simple, but must be done in the correct order and can take some patience. Each screw does not necessarily move the laser beam in one exact direction, they each work in concert to direct the beam but still hold the mount steady. Initially this may take half an hour to complete, but once experienced this is a five minute procedure. Alignments should be completed at the approximate distance you intend to project your image or farther if possible while remaining indoors. Follow all steps listed in the beginning of this manual for safely working with lasers. Equip yourself with properly rated safety glasses and remove power from the laser when removing the faceplate. Tools needed: -Safety glasses -3mm Hex wrench 1) Remove the faceplate of your laser. There are (4) 3mm hex bolts at the corners of the faceplate that must be removed. 2) Once the laser is pointed in a safe direction you can energize the laser and select a static pattern such as a square or circle. 3) Using your fingers, align the bounce mirrors in your laser starting from the mirror mount in the center then the one closest to the scanners. The mirrors have thumb screws in them to allow fine adjustments. You should at no point have to remove or loosen a bounce mirror. 4) Change the color of the pattern to yellow for the center mirror alignment then to purple/magenta for the next mirror alignment.

5 5) Slowly begin to tighten the screws to move the beam in the intended direction, move each screw no more than half a turn before moving on to another. Once the beam is positioned correctly on one axis, leave those screws alone and continue with the other set. Once the beam is positioned correctly move on to the next bounce mirror and repeat. 6) Power down the laser and replace the faceplate. For further explanation and assistance, please contact X- Laser support desk at support@x-laser.com.

CLEANING THE GALVO MIRRORS

CLEANING THE GALVO MIRRORS Formlabs Customer Support can provide additional information on mirror cleaning and in some cases, provide the customer with the appropriate cleaning supplies. Tools: 2.5mm hex