RDworks and Basic Rabbit Laser Operation Tutorial

RDworks and Basic Rabbit Laser Operation Tutorial

File Setup Layer color is how the Rabbit Software designates different operations so, regardless of design software, you will want to organize geometry into layers that match the processes you want to perform: - Cut - Etch - Fill - Material Boundary (this layer is always used to tell the machine the boundary of the material.) Note - Each layer needs to be a different color for the Rabbit to process it separately. RDworks only accepts.dxf files for vector based operations. (The Rabbit is capable of engraving from a Raster image and the best format for this is.jpg. See follow up tutorial for raster engraving.) 1

First open the Rabbit Laser Software, RDworks by clicking its icon in the taskbar: To the left is the default screen. The highlighted areas are the only tools that will be used under regular operation. Geometry in this space can be selected, moved and reorganized for optimal layout as needed. 2

Import a File Use File-Import or click the highlighted button. Import RDWtutorial.dxf from the RDworks_Tutorial folder on the desktop. The data will show up selected red. Click anywhere on the background field to deselect. 3

Layer Setup Layers organize both the Settings and the Cut-Order of operations in RDworks. Geometry is processed by the machine from the top layer to the bottom. The layers you set up in your design software will show up on the right, designated by color only. For this exercise, ignore the settings that appear and simply drag the layers into the following sequence: Purple Blue Red Green NOTE - To change an object s layer or make a new layer, either highlight specific geometry or right-click the layer color to selectall. Then choose a new color from the bottom of the screen. 4

Setting up a Process Double-click on the purple layer on the right side of the screen. Then click Layer Parameter. This is where we adjust the mode, speed and power of the Laser machine. The next page shows all the settings you may need to adjust. Tip - Order your layers so that the cut-out operations happen last because otherwise a cut out part could shift and cause subsequent fill and etch operations to be inaccurate. 5

Setting Up a Fill (SCAN) Operation The Parameter Library is where the STL staff will save settings for different materials. For a Fill operation (the laser scans and creates a consistent engraved field), Click the Parameter Library button and select RPC Chipboard_ Fill from the list and click load. Note - Settings in the Layer Parameter often need to be adjusted after testing for optimal results. 6

Parameter Library - Preset settings database Layer - Selects the Layer being set up Is Output - Determines if layer geometry will be processed Speed - Determines the speed of the Lens assembly If Blowing - Turns on or off the machine nozzle air supply Processing Mode - Determines process to be run (SCAN) Max Power - % of Power when at full speed Min Power - % of Power when speed slows to round corners (Set the same as max for scanning.) Scan Mode - Tells the laser to fire in one direction or two Interval - Determines the scan resolution (the space between scan lines.) FILL (SCAN) REFERENCE PAGE 7

Setting Up an Etch Operation Etching is a cut process that does not cut all the way through the material. For this operation, double-click the bluish layer, select RPC Chipboard_Etch from the Parameter Library and click load. Note - Settings in the Layer Parameter often need to be adjusted after testing for optimal results. 8

Adjusting the Speed and Power This step represents the process for fine-tuning settings for specific materials. Laser operation is a negotiation between the machine s speed and the percentage of its available power used. Speed can be set as high as 300 and the machine s Operational Power Limits are 5% - 80%. DO NOT EXCEED 80% POWER! Lets assume we tested the Etch and the burn was not deep enough. We can either slow down the feed rate to get a hotter burn or raise the laser s power settings. In this case, lets raise the power so we don t have to slow the process down. (If your power is already close to 80, you will have to slow down the speed.) Change the Max power to 18%. Min Power is the power it uses when it slows down to go around a corner. It gets hotter as it slows down so Min must be set lower than the Max. You might have to test for this number but for now, make it 14. Note - If Min Power is too low, corners will not cut. If it s too high, the corners will burn. 9

Setting Up a Cut Operation For the cutting operation, Double-click the red layer, select RPC _Chipboard_.0625_Cut from the Parameter Library and click load. Note - Settings in the Layer Parameter often need to be adjusted after testing for optimal results. 10

Parameter Library - Preset settings database Layer - Selects the Layer being set up Is Output - Determines if layer geometry will be processed Speed - Determines the speed of the Lens assembly If Blowing - Turns on or off the machine nozzle air supply Processing Mode - Determines process to be run (CUT) Max Power - % of Power when at full speed Min Power - % of Power when speed slows to round corners (usually about ten less than max) CUT/ETCH OPERATION REFERENCE PAGE 11

Disabling the Material Boundary To ensure the Material Boundary is not cut, first select the Green layer and change the Output to NO. The machine will recognize all layers, On or Off, as the extents of the geometry and will start its operation from the green dot. This allows parts to be precisely organized on a specific sized material without actually cutting the border. 12

Preview Before you print, make sure you preview the file by clicking the Preview button at the top. Notice that one of the Fill layer shapes is not visible. This is because there is a gap between the lines at the corner. Close the Preview and zoom in to check the geometry. we will correct the small gap in the next step. 13

Curve Auto-Close To fix the unjoined geometry that caused the error in the preview, Select the geometry that failed, click the Curve Auto-Close button at the top, then click OK. 14

RDworks has some other useful tools for cleaning up Vector geometry to insure a good cut. Combine Curves can be run before any operation to join unjoined curves and save a lot of time. Delete Overlap removes overlapping geometry that will cut twice, burn the material and waste time. NOTE: Overlapping lines can start a fire! GEOMETRY OPTIMIZATION REFERENCE PAGE 15

Preview Re-open the preview window and make sure the join worked. Make sure to check the estimated time at the right! If your estimate is longer than the time you signed up for, you need to change something. 16

Start up the Laser Machine Before turning on the laser, you must first: - Rotate the Yellow Compressed Air Valve in the corner of the room until it is vertical. This blows air at the cut point to minimize burning. - Turn on the BOFA Air Purifier to collect toxic gas and smoke. Lift up the Cover, make sure the bed is free of obstructions and turn the Laser Machine Key On. 17

Now that the machine is on, you can download the output layers to the Laser Machine. This is done by clicking the Download button. Note - The file name must be under 8 characters long with no spaces. If you use DEFAULT - wait 5 seconds for the pop-up window to appear and then save over the previous file! 18

1 Loading Material First, place your material anywhere on the bed and move the Lens Assembly (the part of the machine pictured below) over it. It is a possibility that thicker materials will not fit under the laser so we will practice moving the bed down. To move the bed down, press the Z/U button and then use the right Arrow. (Left is Up and Right is Down.) Auto Focus 2 Focusing the Lens Press ESC to get out of the Z/U control and use all four Arrow buttons to drive the Auto-Focus Sensor over the material as pictured. Press Z/U again and use the Down Arrow to highlight Auto Focus. Press Enter and the bed will raise the material till it is in focus. Auto Focus Sensor 19

3 Loading a File To begin, push the File button. The browser screen at left should appear. Use the Down Arrow to highlight the file you want to load and press Enter. FILE This screen tells you it is loaded. Check the image to make sure you selected the right one. 20

4 Setting the Origin Since materials come in all different sizes and shapes, the machine needs to be told where to begin its operation. Use the arrows to drive the Lens Assembly directly over the corner of the material so that the red laser point corresponds with the corner location of the green dot in RDworks. Once in place, press the Origin Button to lock it in. 5 Test ORIGIN Once your file is loaded, it is helpful to use the Frame button to test the operation. This will drive the lens assembly around the perimeter of your loaded geometry so you can be sure it will cut or engrave in the right place. FRAME 21

EMERGENCY STOP You must stay in the room while the machine is running and monitor for flare ups or collisions. 6 Start With the lid closed, press the Start button to begin your operation. 7 Operation ESCAPE During operation, Pause/Start will pause the operation. Once paused, ESC sends the lens assembly back to your origin. This is useful if you need to restart an operation. In the case of a crash or dangerous situation, hit the big red Emergency Stop and the entire machine will be disabled. START/PAUSE If you need to stop for any non-emergency reason such as material that is lifting or if you need to check the quality of a cut, press the Start-Pause button to Pause. If you press Start-Pause again, it will resume exactly where it left off. If you press Esc, the lens assembly will return to your Origin. Small Fire Procedure: Step 1 - Pause Laser Step 2 - Turn off BOFA Air Cleaner Step 3 - Use water or fire extinguisher to put out fire 22

OFF 8 Shut Down When your job is done, move the Lens Assembly to the top right corner of the bed, press ORIGIN, and remove your material from the bed. If any small parts fall through the grid, they can be retrieved from a small tray that is accessible through the red doors on the front of the machine. - Turn the Key to Off - Shut off the air supply valve - Turn off the Bofa Air Cleaner. Make sure you find an RPC employee to stamp your badge and add your name to the database before you leave! 23