First couple of projects, and first few questions

So after getting the screen working (screen replaced and controller repaired by the distributor), I’ve managed my first couple of projects.

First off some laser cutting/engraving:

I originally had this draw up in Fusion, but I couldn’t get anywhere in understanding Fusion to machine it from there, so the bigger simple parts I just drew straight in Luban and the octogans I did in photoshop as pngs. I love the simplicity of Luban (for someone that’s new to CAD/CAM), but it is a little too simple for drawing. I think the addition of a simple line drawing tool in Luban would add a lot of functionality over just the box and circle tools!

I also did some laser cutting on card. I was using white card (0.2mm thick) and had to drop the speed down to 300mm/m and the power up to 100% to get a clean cut, whereas the definite guide suggests only 40% power and 600mm/m work speed. That’s for coloured card though. Is there really a difference between coloured and white card for laser cutting?

Then moved on to the 3d printing:



Again, drawn in Fusion and then exported as an object into Luban to print.
I’m pretty happy with this as I just imported it and printed with default settings for everything, and this is it straight off the machine. The main body has an opening for the fitting, which fits perfectly. So perfectly in fact that it will go in with a clamp or vice I think, but then probably never come out again. Which is perfect for this item, so very happy about that!

There is a little texture on the surface, but nothing a quick sand or bit of paint wouldn’t take care of, so not sure if it can be any better, but I have found the guide about calibrating the extruder, so may give that a go anyway.

One thing that does seem a bit odd though is the sides. It should just be a tapered cylinder (ie round), but it’s actually printed the main body as a 37 sided shape and the top as a 42 sided shape, although both were draw as the same size circles in Fusion. Is that normal? Is it likely something I’ve done wrong in Fusion, or just the way that Luban has converted it?

Every work piece could have its own setting when lasering, this could be a bit difficult to find good settings. I do little project parts to figure the right settings out and then give the big one a shot.

Your prints are a bit underextruded, so calibrating the extruder is a good first step.

You could save your models with a finer surface in fusion, hope this helps!

Ok, thanks. I’ve done the extruder calibration and it was 11mm short, so let’s see how the next print comes out.

I’ve got another little model to make now, so will also have a look for the settings in Fusion.

On the colored card vs white card, it might be a laser energy absorbance issue. Darker materials absorb and transmit light energy better. That’s why laser hair removal is less effective on dark skin - you only want to selectively transmit energy to a pigmented hair follicle and not burn the skin. Now, I don’t know how much that applies to the SM laser. But it could explain the differences you see.