Laser grbl mac os

LASER DIODE ENGRAVING

What laser engraver I should buy? Can you reccomand one?

For those who want to start in the world of laser engraving I recommend a laser diode engraver. They are easier to use, do not require special calibrations, can be easily assembled in a few minutes and can be purchased with a very limited budget (150€ – 250€).

With a 20W (5.5 optical power) laser diode you will have the possibility to easily engrave on plastic, wood, leather, cardboard and to cut paper, cardboard, leather.

It is also possible to cut plywood up to 4/5mm thick, but if cutting is your main job better orient yourself on more powerful CO2 machines (read more).

The laser modules generally supplied with laser engraver are heavily pumped to obtain the highest powers, for this reason I strongly advise against letting them work for long periods at maximum power, otherwise they burn quickly. This recommendation applies more or less to all manufacturers. (read more)

WHY O RTUR

Their engraver differ from any other products you can find on the market for at least 3 characteristics:

• they use a 32bit control board (instead of classic 8bit ATmega328) with an improved version of Grbl. This means no more communication error, hang etc.
• they take safety very seriously with lot of safety feature: active position protection via G-shock sensor, active connection control (stop engraving if PC is disconnected or crash) , exposure limitation that turn off laser if there is no movement for a long time (prevent burning holes in your table or start a “garage fire”)
• they have limit switch sensors to allow repeatable positioning through the Homing procedure

In addition their products comes full of accessories, with good documentation, assembly and use guide, answers to the most frequently asked questions also with a series of video tutorials.

All this documentation can be downloaded thanks to a link that you can find in the box with the engraver, which is complete with all accessories for use and assembly carefully packed in an anti-shock package suitable for transport .

The after-sales assistance is also of good quality, both through email and via their facebook page

If you want to update your laser engraver with a more powerful unit they also sell spare laser module with different power options: 7W/15W/20W (electrical power).

WHY

Discount code available (read more)

Atomstack focus it product on solidity and safety.
In fact, their engraver is made entirely of metal, this gives it strength and reliability.

The fact that it is made entirely of metal makes it more stable, this means that the machine will stand still on the table without having to screw it solidly to it (as with other machines that move when the laser shakes). Furthermore, the control board is also shielded in a metal container.

The laser is fixed focus, but the machine features an intelligent slide system to quickly adjust the focus by moving the distance between the laser module and the work piece.

The protective glass mounted in front of the laser makes it safe to use even without wearing safety glasses. This make the engraver more convenient to use in environments where several people work (always paying attention since it is a laser!).

Atomstack laser shield

NEWS. In 2021 Atomstack released a new version of their engraver called Atomstack A5 PRO with improved laser module. You can see my review here:

WHY SCULPFUN

SculpFun is a relatively new brand in this product segment, and I was lucky enough to be able to test one of their engraver. I found the product extremely solid and well designed, with some particularities that make it particularly comfortable to use.

Here you can find my video review.

Why Fox Alien

FoxAlien brand is a little more expensive than Ortur, Atomstack and Sculpfun, but the product is of a higher class. The double motor on the Y axis guarantees faster and always accurate positioning, the cable-carrying chains ensure that the cables move without the risk of ending up under the laser beam.

FoxAlien is very simple to assemble because it comes mostly pre-assembled.

The solidity of the structure (we are talking about very thick mechanical parts, up to 8mm for acrylic parts) make it an excellent purchase for those wishing to expand it with more powerful lasers or small milling head.

The double motor and the solidity of the frame make it possible to use this engraver at speeds up to 20’000mm / min and accelerations of 6’000mm / sec ^ 2 without losing precision. This speeds are impossible with other cheaper engraver.

Finally the stepper motor has a resolution of 160 steps per millimeter: the double of the resolution of most competitor engraver!

OTHER SUPPORTED BRAND

LaserGRBL support a wide range of laser engraver based on the open “GRBL” firmware. This list include some brand that is compatible with LaserGRBL (by user feedback).

EleksMaker

EleksMaker A3 – 300mm x 400mm – 3.5W optical power (

10W electrical power)

EleksMaker is a brand made by makers for makers.
They have a very nice and particular design and in addition to laser engraver they produce a lot of tools and accessories for DIY. They have a very informative site and quality after-sales support service.

Their laser diodes are sold claiming TRUE optical power, so 3.5W laser equals about 10-15W of competitors modules.

Eleksmaker support was not tested by me, but it was reported to be compatible by the LaserGRBL user community.

BETTER QUALITY MODULES

If you need laser modules for continuous use, I do not recommend using modules that come with your markers, either those that are cheap on ebay, amazon, aliexpress, bangood, gearbest … All these modules are designed for occasional use and deteriorate quickly if used at maximum power for a long time.

There are a couple of very good sellers who do small productions but of the highest quality . They are all modules made by hand according to the best standards, all tested one by one and that can also provide personalized answers for any needs.

Discount code available (read more)

Opt Lasers is what I call “the Ferrari of lasers”. They offer a wide range of products that fits the needs of any professional who wants a high quality laser system on their CNC.

6W optical power (equivalent to 20W)

Laser modules are available ranging from optical power from 2W up to 15W (equivalent to about 85W of electrical power). These are products made from solid aluminum blocks, individually CNC machined, universal mounting systems are available for easy connection to existing machines.

Their production includes air-cooled and water-cooled laser modules, magnetic quick attach and release systems, and many more!

Endurance laser is a Russian laboratory that provides modules of 5-10-15-20 W (blue light) 15-25-30W (infrared) and DPSS laser modules, as well as multi-laser combined system.

They also provide air nozzle and air-assist system and many types of accessory.

CO2 LASER ENGRAVING

Laser diode engraver is suitable for small workloads. If you need fast engraving, cutting thick materials you should consider purchasing a 40W or higher power engraver.

This kind of power is currently not achievable with diode technology, so you have to choose a CO2 laser machine. These machines are generally more expensive, larger, and more complex to use and most of them use their own control software.

Prices can vary between 400€ to 4000€ based on laser power and size of the worktop.

In this case I advise you to choose the most suitable product for you by evaluating shipping costs and product feedback.

STEEL LASER ENGRAVING

Laser diode engraver are not the best tool for metal engraving, even if with some tricks you can make some small incisions (using the most powerful modules).

However, if your goal is to engrave metals, you need to choose a fiber laser engraver.

Starting from 50W a fiber laser engraver is able to engrave and also carve most common metals.

Источник

Laser grbl mac os

LaserGRBL

LaserGRBL is a Windows GUI for GRBL. Unlike other GUI LaserGRBL it is specifically developed for use with laser cutter and engraver. In order to use all of LaserGRBL feature, your engraver must supports laser power modulation through gcode «S» command. LaserGRBL is compatible with Grbl v0.9 and Grbl v1.1

Support and Donation

Do you like LaserGRBL? Support development with your donation!

• GCode file loading with engraving/cutting job preview (with alpha blending for grayscale engraving)
• Image import (jpg, bmp. ) with line by line GCode generation (horizontal, vertical, and diagonal).
• Image import (jpg, bmp. ) with Vectorization!
• Image import (jpg, bmp. ) with 1bit dithering, best result with low power laser
• Vector file import (svg only) [Experimental]
• Different color scheme optimized for different safety glasses
• User defined buttons, power to you!
• Grbl Configuration Import/Export
• Configuration, Alarm and Error codes decoding for Grbl v1.1 (with description tooltip)
• Homing button, Feed Hold button, Resume button and Grbl Reset button
• Job time preview and realtime projection
• Jogging (for any Grbl version)
• Feed overrides (for Grbl > v1.1) with easy-to-use interface
• Support for WiFi connection via ESP8266 WebSocket

Development status and roadmap can be found here: Roadmap

• Minimal Z axis control (LaserGRBL is for XY machine)

Screenshot and videos

LaserGRBL is written in C# for .NET Framework 3.5 (or higher) and can be compiled with SharpDevelop and of course with Microsoft Visual Studio IDE/Compiler

LaserGRBL is free software, released under the GPLv3 license.

Credits and Contribution

LaserGRBL contains some code from:

• ColorSlider — Copyright Michal Brylka
• CsPotrace — Copyright Peter Selinger, port by Wolfgang Nagl
• Bezier2Biarc — Copyright Laszlo
• websocket-sharp — Copyright sta.blockhead
• Expression Evaluator — Copyright Will Gray, Jeremy Roberts
• GCodeFromSVG — Copyright Sven Hasemann
• MS SVG Library — Microsoft Public License
• Clipper — Angus Johnson. Copyright © 2010-2014

• Myself, for italian and english language
• Fernando Luna, sqall123, for spanish translation
• Olivier Salvador, guillaume-rico #848 for french translation
• Gerd Vogel, for german translation
• Anders Lassen, for danish translation
• Gerson Koppe, for brasilian translation
• Alexey Golovin, Newcomere, AlexeyBond, for russian translation
• Yang Haiqiang, for chinese translation
• 00alkskodi00, for slovak translation #670
• ddogman, for hungarian translation #735
• Petr Bitnar, for czech translation
• Ozzybanan, for polish translation
• onmaker, for traditional chinese translation #1066
• Nikolaos Ntekas, for Greek translation #1234
• Mrjavaci, for Turkish translation #1293
• Filippo Rivato for code contribution #305 and again #1251
• Fabio Ferretti for code contribution #592
• guillaume-rico for code contribution on Smoothie support
• Tobias Falkner, for code contribution #937
• gmmanonymus111, for code contribution #1032

Источник

LaserGRBL

Free Laser Engraving

WHAT IS LASERGRBL

LaserGRBL is one of the best Windows GCode streamer for DIY Laser Engraver. LaserGRBL is able to load and stream GCode path to arduino, as well engrave images, pictures and logo with internal conversion tool.

Unlike other GUI, LaserGRBL it is specifically developed for use with hobbist laser cutter and engraver. In order to use all the features your engraver must supports power modulation through S command.

With image engraving (raster to gcode convertion) LaserGRBL could be a good free and easy alternative to picengrave, benbox, T2laser for who don’t need more then a simple and effective tool.

I have written it to use with my own engraver, and I like to share it with everyone who needs. LaserGRBL is compatible with Grbl v0.9 and Grbl v1.1

DOWNLOAD

LaserGRBL is free and opensource, but it’s development require time and money.
Do you like LaserGRBL? Support development with your donation!

FEATURES

• Load GCode with job preview
• Image engraving with grayscale conversion, dithering and vectorization!
• User defined buttons, power to you!
• Different color scheme optimized for usage with different safety glasses
• Grbl Configuration Import/Export
• Configuration, Alarm and Error codes decoding for Grbl v1.1 (with description tooltip)
• Homing button, Feed Hold button, Resume button and Grbl Reset button
• Job time preview and realtime projection
• Jogging (for any Grbl version)
• Power and speed overrides (for Grbl > v1.1) with easy-to-use interface

LaserGRBL is a free open-source software not related with any brand. We not sell Laser engraver, but we can suggest some solutions for all budgets. Looking for a discount code?

LASER DIODE ENGRAVING

What laser engraver I should buy? Can you reccomand one?

For those who want to start in the world of laser engraving I recommend a laser diode engraver. They are easier to use, do not require special calibrations, can be easily assembled in a few minutes and can be purchased with a very limited budget (150€ – 250€).

With a 20W (5.5 optical power) laser diode you will have the possibility to easily engrave on plastic, wood, leather, cardboard and to cut paper, cardboard, leather.

It is also possible to cut plywood up to 4/5mm thick, but if cutting is your main job better orient yourself on more powerful CO2 machines (read more).

The laser modules generally supplied with laser engraver are heavily pumped to obtain the highest powers, for this reason I strongly advise against letting them work for long periods at maximum power, otherwise they burn quickly. This recommendation applies more or less to all manufacturers. (read more)

WHY O RTUR

Their engraver differ from any other products you can find on the market for at least 3 characteristics:

• they use a 32bit control board (instead of classic 8bit ATmega328) with an improved version of Grbl. This means no more communication error, hang etc.
• they take safety very seriously with lot of safety feature: active position protection via G-shock sensor, active connection control (stop engraving if PC is disconnected or crash) , exposure limitation that turn off laser if there is no movement for a long time (prevent burning holes in your table or start a “garage fire”)
• they have limit switch sensors to allow repeatable positioning through the Homing procedure

In addition their products comes full of accessories, with good documentation, assembly and use guide, answers to the most frequently asked questions also with a series of video tutorials.

All this documentation can be downloaded thanks to a link that you can find in the box with the engraver, which is complete with all accessories for use and assembly carefully packed in an anti-shock package suitable for transport .

The after-sales assistance is also of good quality, both through email and via their facebook page

If you want to update your laser engraver with a more powerful unit they also sell spare laser module with different power options: 7W/15W/20W (electrical power).

WHY

Discount code available (read more)

Atomstack focus it product on solidity and safety.
In fact, their engraver is made entirely of metal, this gives it strength and reliability.

The fact that it is made entirely of metal makes it more stable, this means that the machine will stand still on the table without having to screw it solidly to it (as with other machines that move when the laser shakes). Furthermore, the control board is also shielded in a metal container.

The laser is fixed focus, but the machine features an intelligent slide system to quickly adjust the focus by moving the distance between the laser module and the work piece.

The protective glass mounted in front of the laser makes it safe to use even without wearing safety glasses. This make the engraver more convenient to use in environments where several people work (always paying attention since it is a laser!).

Atomstack laser shield

NEWS. In 2021 Atomstack released a new version of their engraver called Atomstack A5 PRO with improved laser module. You can see my review here:

WHY SCULPFUN

SculpFun is a relatively new brand in this product segment, and I was lucky enough to be able to test one of their engraver. I found the product extremely solid and well designed, with some particularities that make it particularly comfortable to use.

Here you can find my video review.

Why Fox Alien

FoxAlien brand is a little more expensive than Ortur, Atomstack and Sculpfun, but the product is of a higher class. The double motor on the Y axis guarantees faster and always accurate positioning, the cable-carrying chains ensure that the cables move without the risk of ending up under the laser beam.

FoxAlien is very simple to assemble because it comes mostly pre-assembled.

The solidity of the structure (we are talking about very thick mechanical parts, up to 8mm for acrylic parts) make it an excellent purchase for those wishing to expand it with more powerful lasers or small milling head.

The double motor and the solidity of the frame make it possible to use this engraver at speeds up to 20’000mm / min and accelerations of 6’000mm / sec ^ 2 without losing precision. This speeds are impossible with other cheaper engraver.

Finally the stepper motor has a resolution of 160 steps per millimeter: the double of the resolution of most competitor engraver!

OTHER SUPPORTED BRAND

LaserGRBL support a wide range of laser engraver based on the open “GRBL” firmware. This list include some brand that is compatible with LaserGRBL (by user feedback).

EleksMaker

EleksMaker A3 – 300mm x 400mm – 3.5W optical power (

10W electrical power)

EleksMaker is a brand made by makers for makers.
They have a very nice and particular design and in addition to laser engraver they produce a lot of tools and accessories for DIY. They have a very informative site and quality after-sales support service.

Their laser diodes are sold claiming TRUE optical power, so 3.5W laser equals about 10-15W of competitors modules.

Eleksmaker support was not tested by me, but it was reported to be compatible by the LaserGRBL user community.

BETTER QUALITY MODULES

If you need laser modules for continuous use, I do not recommend using modules that come with your markers, either those that are cheap on ebay, amazon, aliexpress, bangood, gearbest … All these modules are designed for occasional use and deteriorate quickly if used at maximum power for a long time.

There are a couple of very good sellers who do small productions but of the highest quality . They are all modules made by hand according to the best standards, all tested one by one and that can also provide personalized answers for any needs.

Discount code available (read more)

Opt Lasers is what I call “the Ferrari of lasers”. They offer a wide range of products that fits the needs of any professional who wants a high quality laser system on their CNC.

6W optical power (equivalent to 20W)

Laser modules are available ranging from optical power from 2W up to 15W (equivalent to about 85W of electrical power). These are products made from solid aluminum blocks, individually CNC machined, universal mounting systems are available for easy connection to existing machines.

Their production includes air-cooled and water-cooled laser modules, magnetic quick attach and release systems, and many more!

Endurance laser is a Russian laboratory that provides modules of 5-10-15-20 W (blue light) 15-25-30W (infrared) and DPSS laser modules, as well as multi-laser combined system.

They also provide air nozzle and air-assist system and many types of accessory.

CO2 LASER ENGRAVING

Laser diode engraver is suitable for small workloads. If you need fast engraving, cutting thick materials you should consider purchasing a 40W or higher power engraver.

This kind of power is currently not achievable with diode technology, so you have to choose a CO2 laser machine. These machines are generally more expensive, larger, and more complex to use and most of them use their own control software.

Prices can vary between 400€ to 4000€ based on laser power and size of the worktop.

In this case I advise you to choose the most suitable product for you by evaluating shipping costs and product feedback.

STEEL LASER ENGRAVING

Laser diode engraver are not the best tool for metal engraving, even if with some tricks you can make some small incisions (using the most powerful modules).

However, if your goal is to engrave metals, you need to choose a fiber laser engraver.

Starting from 50W a fiber laser engraver is able to engrave and also carve most common metals.

HOW DOES IT WORK

Basically there are 4 elements talking between them

• Personal computer with LaserGRBL or any other G-Code streamer
• Arduino UNO board with GRBL firmware
• Elettronics (power supply, laser diode, stepper motor & motor driver)
• Hardware (rails, linear bearing)

Personal computer talk to Arduino board via USB in a language called G-Code

G-Code is the common name for the most widely used numerical control (NC) programming language. Basic command set include G0 (rapid positioning) G1 (linear movement) G2 and G3 (clockwise and counter-clockwise arcs).

Arduino UNO board with Grbl firmware translate this commands to stepper motor pulses, direction control, laser power modulation.

Motor driver transform low level TTL signal from Arduino, to high-power signals for stepper motor.

Wanna build your own laser engraver? Follow our guides!

Источник