Loose Optic Presents As Mechanical Backlash And/Or Offset Issue

Loose Optic Presents As Mechanical Backlash And/Or Offset Issue

Preface: A Loose Optic can present itself as excessive mechanical backlash and/or scanning offset value issue. This article will address the symptom and possible cause.


What The Client Reported, the symptoms:

was in the middle of a water bottle and the engraving went crazy.  see attached photo:  





Turned scanning offset off and bi directional off and tried again, see photo.  



turned out much better but still not great.  Tried to run some offset tests and adjust values, at 400 speed I was adjusted all the way to .8 and it still wasn't quite there, from factory it was set at .105. 

 Then i put everything back to where it was originally and ran the black photo at 200 speed, lines not only way off on offset but also curve down - see photo.


 I have no idea what to to at this point.  I had just updated to latest version of lightburn that morning.  the machine really hasn't had that much use yet.


The Cause:

While it looks like a scanning offset value issue, it was mechanical. the lens was not secure so as the head rastered, the lens would shift left and right in the mount, shifting the beam and mimicking extraordinary mechanical backlash.



What a Loose Lens may sound like:



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