Quick start for Two-point positioning function without camera on your engraver

Welcome to this easy-to-follow tutorial on using Lightburn's Print and Cut tool, an essential feature for aligning your laser projects with previously output graphics. This tool is perfect for accurately cutting or engraving around existing designs without the need for a camera, especially useful for larger work pieces or continuing projects that require additional passes. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, this guide will help you master the Print and Cut tool to enhance your laser engraving and cutting projects.

Getting ready:

 Setting Up Your Laser: Before you start, make sure your laser is set to use absolute coordinates. This means your laser should have limit switches to find a repeatable origin point. Also, remember, this tool is best suited for gantry-based lasers (like diode or CO2 lasers), not for galvo-based machines. In a gantry-based laser system, the laser head moves along X and Y axes on a fixed gantry system, meaning the physical laser head is physically moved over the material.

Specific Operation Instructions to Align Your Projects in Lightburn:

- Go to File > Import in Lightburn and open your vector file.

- Check that each crosshair is a single object. If not, you'll need to ungroup them from everything else and group the lines together.

- Apply an offset to your design if needed.
- Laser Settings: Adjust your speed and power settings in Lightburn to match those you found during your testing phase.
- Click the home button to make sure the laser's origin is set correctly.

- In the move window, enable the laser fire button.

-open the print and cut wizard window.

- Use the move window's arrows to align your laser to the registration marks. Start with larger movements and reduce the distance as you get closer.

- Once you're near the center, enable the laser at a low power setting. Your aim is to visible reference point.

- Adjust the laser in small increments to align it perfectly with the registration mark.

- verify that you are at the center, which may take a few attempts. Making sure that your laser fire button is off, raise the power.

-Setting Target Positions in Lightburn: Once aligned, click and set first target position.

- Then, you need to set second target position. When you do this, the window will update with two options: Align Output Scaled and Align Output No Scaling. If the design you are aligning your laser with is the same physical size as it was designed in, you will choose No Scaling.

- Use the Preview window in Lightburn to ensure everything looks correct.

- Once everything looks good, start the laser job. And there you have it! You've successfully used the Print and Cut tool in Lightburn. This tool opens up a world of possibilities for your laser projects, allowing for precise alignment and detailed work. For more information, you could subscribe Creatorally. Happy lasering, and don’t forget to subscribe for more helpful tips and tutorials!