Testing The Emergency Stop Switch; Starting A Test Job - Stepcraft Dl445 Betriebsanleitung

5.2 Testing the Emergency Stop Switch

Remove any reflective material from the work area underneath the laser head. A T-slot aluminum table has
to be fully covered with a wood plate. Reflective material can cause uncontrolled scattered radiation which
can be harmful to the eyes or skin.
It is imperative for you to test the emergency stop switches of the CNC machine and the laser before using the product.
Furthermore, the key operated switch has to be fully functional. Be sure that you can pull the power plug, in case the
emergency stop does not work as expected. Start a job (see „5.3 Starting a Test Job") and then instantly press the emer-
gency stop switch of the control unit. The machine and the laser have to stop in an instant. The operating LED should
switch off. Repeat this procedure and test the emergency stop switch of the CNC machine. Never use the laser, if the
emergency stop switches or the key operated switch fail to work. The switch has to be capable of stopping the entire
machine in case of an emergency! A laser tool which cannot be stopped by the key operated switch is to be considered
as danger and has to be repaired.

5.3 Starting a Test Job

The test job file can be either downloaded via this link https://www.stepcraft-systems.com/service/laser-test.nc or be
created by yourself. Use a text editor like Notepad++ or the Windows Editor to create a file called laser-test.nc with the
code below. The program will switch the laser on, move the laser head in form of a square (side length 40 mm). The
operating LED will light up during the job to show the active status. After the job the laser and LED will turn off again.
G-Code laster-test.nc
G21; Set units to mm
G91 ; Use relative coordinates
M3 ; Set job signal active, Operating LED on
M10 Q128 ; Laser starts with 50 % power
G1 F500.000 Y40.00000
G1 F500.000 X40.00000
G1 F500.000 Y-40.00000
G1 F500.000 X-40.00000
M11 ; Laser stop, Operating LED off
M5 ; Set job signal inactive
M30 ; End
These following steps are required to use the laser:
1. Wear personal protective gear.
2. Mount the laser as described in „4.2 Connecting the Laser".
3. Start the control software of your CNC machine.
4. Home your machine.
5. Place and fix a suitable spoil board / workpiece (non-reflecting material!).
6. Load the program (use laster-test.nc for the test job).
7. Jog your portal to the approximate starting position according to your workpiece.
8. Switch the key operated switch on.
; Feed 500 /
mm
min
; Feed 500 /
mm
min
; Feed 500 /
mm
min
; Feed 500 /
mm
min
59
General settings for the laser tool power
in a NC-program:
Power settings for
G-Code
Q64
Q128
Q192
Q255
Power level
25%
50%
75%
100%