Rotary Tool FYIs
*Rotary fixture installation and file prep can take up to 20 mins before cut. Reserve the laser cutter accordingly.
*For best results, keep the object you’re cutting below 31.5” in length and between 1.12” and 3.50” in diameter.
* Rotary attachment is generally suitable for engraving round parts and not made to cut it through. If you want to cut using a laser cutter, talk with us.
*You can engrave on the tapered/ varied diameter cylindrical part too as long as the smallest diameter on one of the ends is under specified diameter above.
INSTALLING THE ROTARY TOOL
- Turn off the laser cutter
- Open the drawer of the laser, and remove honey comb bed. Be careful not to hit the laser cone.
- Grab the plate with screws from the wall, and screw the centered plate into the laser bed.
- Grab the rotary tool off the wall, and set it into the plate.
- Screw the power cable into the bottom right of the machine’s bed
- Remove the laser cone. You won’t be cutting with the cone.
- Close up the drawer, and turn on the laser cutter.
FILE PREP AND SOFTWARE SETTINGS
- Measure the diameter and length of your object.
- Set the size of your artboard in Adobe Illustrator to be (length of your object) x (circumference of your object, ie. Pi*Diameter).
- Set the paths to cut, engrave, or raster the same way you would set up a general laser cutter file
- File > Print.
- In the print setup screen, select Setup > Preferences.
- In the UCP window, select “Engraving Field” and enable the “Rotary Tool” box. Enter the diameter of your workpiece.
- Hit “Apply,” and “OK”
- Adobe illustrator’s Print screen will appear. Under options, select placement to be X 0 in and Y 0 in.Hit ‘Print’.
- Open laser cutter UCP software. Your file should appear with a size of your circumference( Pi*D) * 36”
- Next, go to the “Materials Database” tab, and select your material from the listHit ‘Apply’ and then ‘Ok’.
All other software controls work the same way as you learned in the laser cutter seminar.