Install: Windows: GRBL 1.1
Install: Windows: GRBL 1.1
Install: Windows: GRBL 1.1
INITIAL CONFIGURATION
GRBL 1.1
LaserWeb4 needs at least GRBL 1.1c. We recommend to use the latest GRBL version available!
Hardware setup
For help on cabling your GRBL board, please
visit https://github.com/gnea/grbl/wiki/Connecting-Grbl.
It doesn't make sense to configure acceleration and max feed when the stepper current is not
correct! Set the current to a value where you have good torque but don't overheat the driver
and motor.
See the documentation of your machine or stepper drivers on how to adjust the current.
Details can be found on http://reprap.org/wiki/Pololu_stepper_driver_board.
Calculate steps/mm
You need to know how many stepps each axis has to go for 1mm distance. This is depending
on pully sizes or spindle pitch and microstepping.
Send $$ to get a list of the actual configuration. To set a param you have to send $num=val (ex.
$10=0).
Evaluate Acceleration
To find the right acceleration settings, do the following:
Installing grbl-LPC
For an easy install of grbl-LPC, we have prepared several precompiled firmware versions.
If you get the message "No supported firmware detected" try saving this .env file to the LW4 installation
folder and restart LW4.
Get actual settings by sending $$ with the console (bottom right of LW window)
Configure all $ settings according to your needs (check https://github.com/gnea/grbl/wiki for configuration
details)
Configure GRBL settings
To configure your GRBL based board, you need to be connected with LaserWeb or a terminal program.
In LaserWeb, you can send commands manually with the command line on the bottom right of the screen.
After typing in the command, you have to press ENTER to send it to GRBL.
Send $$ to get a list of the actual configuration. To set a param you have to send $num=val (ex. $10=0).
Make sure the following params are set (matching your machine):
$10=0 ;send work coordinates in statusReport (needed for LW4!)
$3=3 ;invert X and Y stepper direction
$5=1 ;endstopps are NC (normaly closed)
$22=1 ;activate homing
$23=1 ;homing in X- and Y+ direction
$30=1000 ;max. S-value for Laser-PWM
$31=0 ;min. S-value
$32=1 ;Laser Mode on
$33=5000 ;PWM frequency 5000 Hz (lower = better grayscale, higher = better cut)
$100=160 ;steps/mm in X, depending on your pulleys and microsteps
$101=160 ;steps/mm in Y, depending on your pulleys and microsteps
$102=160 ;steps/mm in Z, depending on your pulleys and microsteps
$110=24000 ;max. rate mm/min in X, depending on your system
$111=24000 ;max. rate mm/min in Y, depending on your system
$112=24000 ;max. rate mm/min in Z, depending on your system
$120=2500 ;acceleration mm/s^2 in X, depending on your system
$121=2500 ;acceleration mm/s^2 in Y, depending on your system
$122=2500 ;acceleration mm/s^2 in Z, depending on your system
$130=300 ;max. travel mm in X, depending on your system
$131=200 ;max. travel mm in Y, depending on your system
$132=50 ;max. travel mm in Z, depending on your system
$140=0.4 ;X stepper current 0.4A
$141=0.6 ;Y stepper current 0.6A
$142=0.0 ;Z stepper current 0.0A
$$ ;to check the actual settings
SETTINGS
Machine Profiles
One of the new features is the ability to maintain different machine profiles. Each saved profile will reset all
of the settings to a specific configured machine.
This is especially helpful if you have multiple machines in your shop such as different size or type of lasers,
cnc machines, etc...
As machines profiles are saved they will show up in the drop down list. Select your machine profile and click
Apply to apply the settings. You can also edit settings and click the Save button to commit the changes to
the profile.
To create a new profile, enter a profile name and click on the + button to add the profile. Your current
settings will be saved or you can configure your settings after and click the Save button to apply the
changes.
Machine
Machine is where you will configure your particular machine. This
includes max X and Y bed size and your beam diameter.
This values will shift the location of the machine origin. For example
if you want Origin 0,0 to be top left then place a negative value on
Machine Bottom Y ( This value should be related to the machine
dimension specified above )
Air Assist allows you to enter a Gcode value to turn your air assist on and off if they are
connected to your control system.
File
In the file settings box you can select the default ppi for SVG files and default dpi for bitmaps.
GCode
The GCode settings establishes the code to put at the start and end of the
Gcode file along with other settings such as turning on and off a spindle
for CNC and a PWM max value for lasers.
• Gcode Start - put any code here that you want to execute before the first
CAM operation
• Gcode End - put any code here that you want to execute after all of the
CAM operations have complete
• Gcode Homing - the homing sequence executed when you click the Home
Laser button on the Jog screen
• Tool on - Executes to turn the tool on before the first operation starts
• Tool off - Executes to turn the tool off after the last operation completes
• PWM Max S Value - Maximum S value that the Gcode will create. This will
work in conjunction with your max power setting in the CAM tab and the
max pwm in your hardware config if available
• Check Size Power - Percentage of power when using the Check Size
feature on the control tab ( values in the image just for reference, your
actual value might differ )
• Tool Test Power - Percentage of power when using the Laser Test feature
on the control tab ( values in the image just for reference, your actual
value might differ )
• Tool Test Duration - Duration in ms for the Laser Test. 0 for toggle
Please reference your controller
documentation and firmware documentation
for the proper values to enter into these fields
if you have any questions. The values shown
below were for a Cohesion 3D mini controller
running the Smoothie firmware-cnc.bin
firmware. Your settings may vary.
Application
In the applications settings you can configure the
behaviour of LaserWeb.
(Hint: the "Enable CNC Mode" switch has been
removed. The CNC operations are always active
now.)
The correct setting is to use Style Attributes. This will include the color information in the SVG
and will allow LW4 to function as described in the CAM articles for filter fill and filter line.
As you can see now, the SVG file's colours have been loaded into LW4. The Filter Fill/Stroke
options are fully available now that we have changed the method in which Adobe Illustrator is
describing the objects/shapes/paths. This is the desired result.
We can now fully utilise LaserWeb4's features our Adobe Illustrator created SVGs.
If your file is not formatted in R12 ASCII, LaserWeb4 will not load the file and instruct you to fix
it as stated above
If your current CAD or vector application does not support exporting to R12 ASCII the you’ll
need to:
- Download Draftsight - Free. open your current file and use the option Export to R12 ASCII
Native DXF export tested:
• Exporting from Sketchup Make ( Free ) / Pro 2017 using the Export 2D is supported. Minus
Layers
• Fusion 360 default save to dxf supported. Minus splines, text
• Illustrator and Inkscape dxf native export only support lines.
IMPORTANT:
Well, best way of getting files out of Sketchup and into LaserWeb - is via DXF. Sketchup
Make (free version) does not come with DXF export built in, but that is easily fixed with
the Free Guitarlist DXF and STL Export Plugin. Download and install the plugin (Note I have
tested all of them and this one is by far the best! I absolutely love it for DXF and STL export
from Sketchup)
• Once the plugin is installed, you can launch it from Tools -> Export to DXF or STL in Sketchup:
• You can select parts of the model, or export the whole model: If you didnt select anything, it will
ask whether you want to export the whole model:
• Select Millimeters (In ZA we use the metric system, so LaserWeb is Metric by design)
• Select Polyline (NB: polylines are the easiest DXF to parse - and best way of getting shapes into
LaserWeb)
Loading Pictures
Use CAM operation Raster Engrave. You have two options for engraving:
1. Grayscale by variable laser power (darker dots get more power -> go deeper).
Hint: You can do 3D engraving with this feature.
2. Grayscale by pixel density (Floyd Steinberg dithering) whith equal laser power for each dot.
Adjust your laser power to the maximum darkness/depth wanted.
CAM OPERATIONS
Adding Paths to CAM Operations
There are a couple options to add paths to CAM operations
Example #1
Operations: Filter by Stroke Color or Fill Color
Filter Fill/Stroke will target all paths with the same fill color or stroke color selected. This is a
powerful tool for creating your SVG as it allows you to do many operations in a single file.
Example #1 demonstrates the Filter Fill capability for targeting specific paths in the SVG based
on the color fill. You can also use Filter Stroke to filter on the stroke color.
The yellow fill on the circle is targeted for a lower power and faster feed engraving operation
while the red filled diamond is targeted for a high power cut.
A disclaimer about the settings shown in this tutorial. Every machines settings will vary based
on the laser power and speed capability of your machine. The values used in this example are
for a K40 style 40w CO2 laser with upgraded optics and air assist. Proceed with caution.
Example #1
Manipulating Paths - Moving, Scaling and
Operations
. Oneof the more powerful features is the ability to work with individual paths to create
operations as well as manipulation of scale and placement.
In example 1 you can see that by expanding your svg tree you are able to select the entire file,
complete layers or individual paths. This allows you to select different parts of the file and
apply different operations such as cut, engrave or fill. Dragging your selection do the create
operations section will start the CAM process. You may also add and delete paths to a given
operation to group parts of your file that require the same settings.
Manipulating the scale and location of your paths is easy as well. Simply clicking on the item
on the grid will highlight it and allow you to drag to a new location or enter a precise location
in the floating settings window that is displayed. You can also adjust the scale as shown below
while maintaining or breaking the x/y constraint.
Example #1
Operation: Laser Raster (for Bitmaps)
The Laser Raster is one of the two workhorse CAM operations alongside Laser Cut. There are
many options available to customize the way your image is engraved.
The laser power limits the power from 0 to 100% of the beam range set in the machine
settings.
Ex.: if your beam range is set to min: 0, max: 1 and the laser power is set to 20% -80%, the
S value in the generated GCode can never go out of the range of 0.2 -0.8. That means the color
pallet is mapped to this range white = 0.2 -black = 0.8.
Calibration image:
* Note: Arduino/GRBL will range from S0 (0%) to S1000 (100%) with S500 being the 50% mark
while Smoothie will range from S0 (0%) - S1 (100%) with S0.5 being the 50% mark.
Laser Diameter
The laser beam diameter in millimeters. 0.2 is a common setting for many of the 40w CO2
machines at the proper focal point. Every machine is different and varying the beam diameter
will vary the spacing between each successive burn line.
Setting the beam diameter to match your machine will produce scan lines that are immediately
adjacent to the previous line creating a smooth engraving. If you set the beam diameter larger
than your machine produces will create gaps of non-engraved material between the scan lines.
This can be done intentionally to produce different effects. If you set the beam diameter
smaller than your machine produces will partially burn over already burned locations and
produce inconsistent results. Better use multiple pathes for darker engraving.
The smaller your beam diameter, the larger your g-code file will become as it will require more
lines to complete the image. If your picture to engrave is large, LaserWeb might get into
memory limitation and therefore could not create the gcode. In this case, try a bigger laser
diameter.
Passes
Passes is the number of times the laser will repeat the engraving. Adding additional passes at a
lower power can help reduce charring of material.
Pass Depth
Pass Depth is the amount of Z travel in mm that the laser head will move towards the material
on each pass
Cut Rate
For users of LW3, pay attention to the change from mm/sec to mm/min.
This group of settings is for tweaking the actual image. Increasing or decreasing values such as
the brightness and contrast can often yield better results in the burn. This is not a replacement
for preprocessing in a graphics editor but does allow for minor tweaks on the fly
Trim Pixels
Trim Pixels will remove all trailing white pixels from the both ends of each line. This
can significantly reduce the time to engrave and the g-code file size.
Basically it will stop the machine moving into white space beyond the end of the image.
Join Pixels
Draw a single line if several consecutive pixels of the same intensity are detected. This
can significantly reduce the number of instructions and the GCode file size.
Burn White
Avoids turning off the laser power but prevents burning by forcing the S value to zero.
Turning on Burn White allows the white space to be coded as G1 commands with S0 for the
power setting instead of the default G0. Running your white space as G1 potentially
can benefit the controller firmware planner buffer and give better performance by not having
to constantly switch between G0 and G1 through the job.
Verbose GCode
Diagonal
Turning diagonal on allows the image to burn at a 45-degree bias instead of the
traditional horizontal scan. Note, this increases the distance between each point.
Return to Top
Simulator
Using the simulator is a powerful way to verify that you will get the results you are expecting
without ever firing up the laser. To view a representation of your burn, uncheck Show
Documents and Show Gcode and you will get a clear view of the laser burning by sliding the
simulator slider left and right.
Material Database (Operation presets)
Preface:
Material database is a friendly name for the more formal name Operation Presets, not bound
with any real material definition. Instead, is a database used to store Operation presets that
could be Grouped on a Material labeled group.
Access:
Accessing on Settings tab, under machine profiles, click the button Material Database.
Main UI
The full screen modal presents the next view:
Machine profile filter: Used to filter the operation lists upon a specific machine profile.
Groupings pane: In this pane, user could add a new Group for Presets. Click on Add to
append a new Group, Delete to trash the selected Group.
Group pane: This pane shows the details of the current group selected. Possible actions are
edit the definition, using Edit button.
This Pane also reveal a default template definition. Its purpose is to define a base operation
preset that will be used as start definition when adding an Operation Preset from Operation
Presets pane. This template could be copied to other Group using the clone dropdown below.
Operation Presets: An operation preset is the main object of work. This could be added with
the Add Button, trashed with Delete. Each entry could be shown/hidden clicking its label.
Edition is enabled using Edit button each row.
Upon edition, an operation preset contains its name and notes definition, used to describe
itself whatever the user want. The Profile field binds that preset for an specific profile.
The type dropdown lets choose the Type of the available operations (Laser cut, laser fill,
milling, etc...) The parameters used in this preset will overwrite the ones chosen on
CAM:Operations/Operation wizard Icon
Import/Export Tools: The footer of the modal presents buttons to download the MDB as
JSON, CSV, and upload a database (JSON only for the moment.)
On Laser-plotters it allows (for instance) for selecting a point approximately in the center of the
design to do auto-focus (Z-axis or bed aligning)
It also allows (both on Laser-plotters and CNC Milling machines) to more effectively locate the
correct position of the material, and either adjust the position of the design or the material.
Usage
To enable Live Jogging, you will first have to home the X and Y axis:
This will need to be done using the Home All button in the Control Panel (Using a macro for
the homing will NOT enable Live Jogging!):
Once you have done Home All, the Live Jogging is enabled:
You can now turn on Live Jogging by enabling the switch:
Once enabled, there are – aside from the standard Jog buttons – two additional ways to
control the head’s position:
• To move the head to a location on the grid, press the ALT key (PC) or META key (Mac) and click
the desired location
• To move the head along each of the axes, press ALT/META and the cursor keys (Left/Right for
X, Up/Down for Y) or CTRL and ALT/META with Up/Down (for Z).
The feature to Jog along XYZ axes using keys only works when you have clicked somewhere in
the Control pane that is not a button or control itself and it follows the same predefined
distance buttons as the on-screen jog buttons do:
(Remember that after clicking one of the above to set the distance travelled per button press, you
will need to click the panel background next to these buttons to make the cursor keys work for
Live Jogging!)
Warrnings and notes
WARNING: Neither the Jog to Position (ALT/META-Click) and Jog along axis (ALT/Meta-cursor
key) provide protection for either obstructions or end-stops! Be careful using this functionality!
NOTE: The current implementation of Live Jogging disables the functionality as soon as you
start a job. You can only re-enable Live Jogging by deleting the generated Gcode and re-
homing (Home All) the head!