Owner`s manual

b. Edit ->CAD Drawing Object->Convert->OK to convert to the Visio format.
c. Select and Ungroup all objects.
d. Delete the drawing frame (the rectangle around the drawing).
e. Select the rest of the objects, which might have invisible lines, and choose an appropriate line
color.
f. Check for correct scale and correct if necessary.
2. Vector Cuts: Zero-width lines cause the laser to trace the line (cut) when in the vector cut mode. Use
Format->Line->Weight->Custom = 0.
3. Polygons: Inside/outside does not have significance when cutting. The laser will trace any cut-enabled,
zero-width line. If you‘re engraving a polygon, you must fill it with an engrave-enabled color, and
inside/outside will dictate what gets engraved. Turn off the perimeter line (specify No Line), or the
polygon might be cut out after engraving.
4. Origin: 0,0 is at the upper left of the 24‖ x 12‖ workspace. Stay at least 1/8‖ away from the aluminum
0- and 90-degree reference rulers. Place drawn objects no closer than 1/8‖ to the X and Y axes.
5. Environment:
a. First, open a File->New Drawing. Before drawing anything, check/change the Line Weight
(Format/Line/Weight/Custom) to 0. This enables the printer driver to turn all drawn lines
automatically into thin vectors rather than trying to engrave a fat line. You can use a thicker
line, but the cutter will try to engrave it. After you complete the drawing, select-all and make
sure the formatted size for all cut-only lines is 0.
b. Select No Fill in the paint-bucket icon for polygons or circles to be cut unless you want to
engrave the filled area. If engraving without cutting the polygon, select No Line in the
paintbrush icon, or the area will be cut after it‘s engraved.
c. Use the View->Size and Position window, in which you can enter numbers for size and offset.
It executes immediate math: For example, it will replace 4+15/16 with 4.9375.
6. Cutting Order: The order of laser operations is from back to front, then by color. Use these attributes
(Shape-> Order and/or color) to specify the cutting/engraving order. If mixing engraving and cutting,
the laser will engrave first. Make the part cut out the last operation (with Shape->Order->Bring-to-
Front) to avoid material movement, because a part will move slightly when it is completely cut out
7. Raster/engraving speed: When engraving multiple areas filled with a specific color, the head will
sweep back and forth to include all horizontally overlapping areas. If these areas of like color are
spaced far apart horizontally, it might take a long time to engrave. If possible, position these like-color
engraved areas close together horizontally or arrange so there is little horizontal overlap.
8. CorelTRACE. is great for converting a bitmapped image to a vector object. (flat-bed scan the object to
a bitmap image and process in Photoshop). Sometimes the program will trace with multiple
overlapping lines. In Advanced Trace, try Medium Complexity, Medium Node Reduction. and Smooth
Node Type with a large minimum object size, such as 300. I‘ve had great luck in flat-bed scanning an
object, tracing it, then cutting out a nearly identical part. If you need to compensate for the lost material
in the kerf, I‘ve used Photoshop‘s Select->Modify->Expand or Contract by a discrete number of pixels.
9. No Cut: If you don‘t want specific objects on your drawing cut or engraved, make it a non-cutting
color or a dashed line, or simply position it completely off the 24‖ x 12‖ page onto the blue
background. Make sure no object straddles the 12‖ x 24‖ border.
10. Hole-Cutting Example: Cutting a 0.162‖-diameter hole in Delrin produces approximately a 0.165‖-
diameter hole and a 0.154‖-diameter slug, indicating a hole .003‖ too big in diameter and a slug .008‖
too small in diameter..
11. Screw Holes: To cut holes for screws (tap, clearance, and body sizes), use this data in Visio: