S,
Thank you very much for the help. My files are definitely vectors and as you suggested I’m saving them as plain svg. When I open them in Luban, I’m getting a very large transparent box around the image - is this normal?
I’m having issues when I process the file/ How do I indicate which areas are to be cut, and which are to be engraved? Should I be filling certain areas, or maybe using different line weights? Because when I check the Fill box, it seems to be filling areas at random.
Is the transparent box showing in preview?
Post a screen grab of what you’re seeing in Luban.
You need to save each element or layer that you want to have separate settings for as a different file. So one file would have all your cutting paths. Another file for something that you wanted to be engraved as an outline. Another for something filled. Another for something filled but you didn’t want as dark…etc.
Then you can import them all into Luban. Select the appropriate settings.
Make sure you choose to set print order and the cutting path is last.
As far as problems with your file, and certain areas, post your file and I can take a look. Post a screen shot of it looking like you want it to turn out as well as the file itself.
Luban and a lot of cnc programs do have a problem with using strokes and outlines that are larger than the path.
-S
I was doing some engraving tonight with Luban, and as @sdj544 said, it’s fine for the simple things, but I want to do more.
In the past, I’d use LaserWeb (open source software), which is also pretty reasonably full-featured, but as with so much open source software, it’s only half backed, a little hard to use and finicky.
I’m going to download and play with Lightburn tomorrow - looks super cool, if it works well.
In the past, I remember having to set up the “intro” and “shutdown” gcode snippets for my machine. Is there any customization you need to do before generating gcode for the SM2? Has anyone got a set of config files or other useful info on using it specifically with SM2?
Hi Gary. regarding connect to SM/SM2 via Lightburn. Set the baud rate to 115,200 and it will talk to the machine directly from a USB lead. To use the Lightburn generated GCode from a USB stick, just change the filetype. Lightburn GCode has the file extension .gc and if you change it to .nc it will work directly from a USB stick drive.
Thanks for the suggestion. There are 2 USB connections (USBC and whatever the mini trapazoid USB is) and I have tried connecting both from my Mac via Light Burn with no luck. Can you help me figure out what I might be missing?
I have tried them ALL in LightBurn and none seemed to work.
Is there someplace else that the baud rate can/needs to be set other than in LightBurn?
I saw previous reference to connecting with a windows machine and using an app for setting, I think, connection rate. Is it a problem that I am not currently using this sort of app on my Mac?
Hello Gary. I have not seen anywhere else to make the setting changes. I can tell you that initially there was an issue as to which way round things were initialised. My routine was to plug in the USB lead to Snapmaker and turn on the computer. Initialise Lightburn and the bottom right hand corner of the screen should tell you which Laser printer it is configured for.
In the first image below you can see that it is set up for Snapmaker (highlighted in red) which I set and had entered from the list of manual entries. I think I also selected GRBL 1.1. On a Mac the serial port that you should select is wchusbserial1410. In the second image that dropdown menu box is highlighted in green. It does not contain anything now because I have no connection to any machine right now as my SM1 is sold and I am awaiting the new machine.
So just connect everything in sequence and you should be good to go.
It sounds like you haven’t actually had a chance to try this on the SM2, I’ll give it a try.
The only question I have is: which USB port do I use to connect? The USBC or the mini? Realistically I guess I can try them both. The control module is plugged into the USB-C, so I was assuming I would use that one. I did try to connect using both with no luck, but I did not use the sequence listed here specifically. I’ll give it a try.
usb-c is just for controller.
Mini is for connecting to computer.
Normal usb is for flash drives.
Someone on FB reported shorting out their controller by hot-swapping flash drive. I power off just to be safe anytime I’m unplugging or plugging.
-S
Totally Agree! I’m in same situation and discovering this. Just trying to import from illustrator for simple label design (2 objects: A simple outline for cut out and centre logo engraving) - Luban seems unusable for what seems really simple. I managed ‘something’ but was a real chore.
Is there any way to find the dimensions of an object on the 3D print mode? There doesn’t seem to be a size, but you can see how far something is moved. Weird. Anyone?
As I understand it, SM doesn’t (yet) support Bezier curves, so instead uses an interpolation method. If you increase the resolution of the process, you get more segments per curve, making it match better.
I don’t know how you set the resolution for this process and it may be that Luban does not have the capability to do this, I don’t know either way.
Yes, but the printer doesn’t print curves - it prints straight lines. There’s a conversion that had to happen, either and that usually takes place in the slicer. G2/G3 arcs are special in that the conversion happens in the printer. Like ITMaze said it’s somewhat trivial to enable Bezier curves, but you would need a slicer that generates them. And even still, in the firmware they will be converted into short straight lines 1mm long.
There’s an art to tricking the slicers into keeping curves round, like changing file attributes like DPI or something. If you really can’t get something to work like you want in Luban you could get a trial of Lightburn and see if it’s any better.
SM2 won’t read any Lightburn files form my USB.