Thunder Bolt Series Laser Beam Mirror Alignment Guide

Thunder Bolt Series Laser Beam Mirror Alignment Guide


Preface: This article covers How To align your laser beam in a three mirror gantry based Bolt laser.


Quick Reference Video:

**coming soon**

Complete Guide To Bolt Series Laser Alignment

We recommend you sit down at a computer to read this information.  It is a lot to digest but if you take your time and read prior to just starting, you will be better off.

Keys to Success:

These are listed out for a reason and should be read ahead of time so that you can avoid mistakes that can be time consuming.
  1. Make sure the gantry is mechanically aligned/square. If the gantry is not square, you will have trouble with the mirror #2 to mirror #3 path
  2. Check your alignment first before making any adjustments. Pulse one piece of tape over mirror #3 entry hole with the Laser head in each of the four corners and evaluate
  3. Understand that the Red Dot is secondary to the Laser Beam. Mirrors are set to the Laser Beam, not the red dot. Do not fall into the trap of the red dot.
  4. Adjusting a mirror adjusts both the Laser Beam Path and the Red Dot Beam Path
  5. Adjusting the Red Dot Pointer is accomplished by adjusting it in the stand it is secured to and is the last step of alignment
  6. Start at mirror #1 always. Do not go to the next mirror until the previous one is set
  7. To adjust the burn spot at mirror #2, you must adjust mirror #1
  8. To adjust the burn spot at mirror #3, you must adjust mirror #2
  9. When tightening the silver screws for the mirror brackets, do not over tighten, snug is enough
  10. Adjust the Pulse Power of your laser depending on your tube wattage using the Alignment screen function 
  11. Red dot is not the same as the beam spot, see note 2 above. It is worth repeating. You will fall for the Red Dot Visual and mess your alignment up worse by aligning the mirrors to the red dot.
  12. You will need tape and patience, lots of one or lots of the other. Be methodical about it. Small adjustments.
  13. Setting the Power and Pulse Duration for your laser pulse properly so that you do not burn right through the tape


Pitfalls:

Here is a table of pitfalls and watchouts, illustrated.
Table 1:
Pitfalls
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The Red Dot Pointer is a visual only and it is a separate light that is not the same as the Laser Tube. If you find yourself attracted to the red dot like a moth to a flame, place a piece of tape over the Red Dot Pointer for the duration of the alignment until you get to the part where you align the Red Dot to the Laser Pulse Spot.

Common Component Locations:

You will need to know where each component is prior to starting the alignment. Please take a minute to review the illustration below.



Recommended Min and Max Power For Pulse:

      Adjust as needed since an aging tube may require more power. Pulse button can be held longer to get a better pulse if not using the timed pulse, or you can use the timed pulse and just press the Pulse button multiple times.

Tube
Power Percent
Pulse Time (ms)
30w
30%
200ms
55w
15%
200ms



Beam Alignment Procedure


Info
There are actually 2 parts to beam alignment. Aligning the laser beam from the tube to the head (Sequentially from the tube to mirror1 then mirror #2 and then mirror #3) and the red dot pointer alignment. 


Warning

Warning

Do not operate the laser with the side door open. Alignment must be performed with out risk of exposure to laser beam. Be careful please.


Step 1: Aligning The Laser Beam

Before we begin, lets discuss a few things.

Tools You May Need:

Flat Head screwdriver

Allen Wrenches - 2.5mm and 3mm

1 Roll of Masking Tape

3mm Allen bit and extensions for Tube mount backside bolts

Hardware Functions at the Tube Mount Brackets:

Left and Right Movement- Lateral
Up and Down Movement - Vertical

There are 4 total silver screws (2 for the front and 2 for the rear bracket) that use 3mm Allen Wrenches. Loosen (do not remove) all 4 and adjust the tube evenly in a lateral direction to move the pulse spot of the laser beam on the Mirror #1 tape. Once the spot is centered on the lateral plane, tighten the 4 silver screws.

To raise or lower the tube, loosen the grub screws (circled) with a 2.5mm Allen wrench and then use the thumb wheel to raise and lower the tube. Then once done, tighten the grub screws. Try to raise and lower the front and rear of the tube together. Each bracket will have its own thumbwheel and grub screws.

Hardware functions at the mirrors:

Mirror #2 Reference Picture
Functions of the hardware

 

 


These are for aligning the laser beam path.

 


These knobs secure the mirror plate in place (not used for alignment)

 


These secure the mirror mount to the adjustment bolts
 

Get familiar with Alignment Screen:

On LCD panel, set the output power to the recommend power from the table about. Also make sure that the Pulse time is entered and pulse time is enabled. For more information on using the alignment screen, please check out this article: How to use the Bolt Pulse Screen



 Laser Beam Alignment Procedure  Basic Overview:

Info
For mirror #1 and 2 before you start adjusting them, please loosen the two silver securing screws slightly first. After adjusting the gold screws (flathead), tighten the silver securing screws and check the beam path again by pulsing the laser into tape. If needed, please repeat the Laser Beam Path adjustment steps. Note that when you are tightening the securing screws, it may affect the mirror alignment so you have to counteract that prior to tightening the screws.
  1. Check the Tube to tape on Mirror #1 standoff pulse spot as an initial health check of the tube position. Adjust as needed to center the Laser Pulse.
  2. Then Check Mirror #2 to Tape on Mirror #2 - Adjust and Verify that Laser Pulse spot is in the center at both the near and far locations
  3. Then Check Mirror #3 to tape on Mirror #3 - Adjust and Verify that Laser Pulse spot is in the center at both the near and far locations

Laser Tube to Mirror #1 Adjustments to align the Laser Pulse to the Mirror #1 Center

You will need to place tape on the Mirror #1 standoff and pulse it to check that the pulse is centered. If the pulse is no centered, use the adjustments on the Tube Brackets to center the pulse up.  For this part of the alignment, the Red Dot was turned off using the Alignment screen on the laser.

Place Tape On Mirror #1
 Lase Pulse Centered on Mirror #1



Mirror #1 Adjustments to align Laser Pulse to Mirror #2 in the Upper Left Position

Stick a small piece of mask tape on the mirror #2 and then use the button on the Alignment screen to move mirror #2 to the Upper Left position of the bed. 

Mirror #2 In Upper Left position
Tape on the Mirror #2 Standoff



      Pulse the tape on mirror #2. If the pulse is off-center, loosen the two silver bolts on mirror #1 and adjust mirror #1 and pulse again until the burn spot is in the middle of the tape. Depending on where the pulse is at the start of this procedure, it may not require any adjustment. You may need to replace the tape a few times as you dial in the pulse position. Once you have the pulse centered with mirror #2 in the Upper Left position go to the next step.
















Mirror #1 Adjustments to align to Mirror #2 in the Bottom Left Position


      Once you have the pulse spot centered in the Upper Left position on the Mirror #2 standoff, its time to move mirror #2 to the Bottom Left Position using the Alignment Screen and adjust mirror #1 again. Since Mirror #2 is further away from mirror #1 now, the error in alignment will be more pronounced and the adjustments done on the mirror adjustment screws will move the pulse spot even more. The goal is to center the pulse spot on the mirror #2 standoff in the Bottom Left position and then check again at the Top Left. Once the pulse spots are centered at both positions, tighten the silver bolts to secure the mirror. Then recheck one more time prior to moving onto the next step of adjusting mirror #2 to the tape on mirror #3 since tightening the silver bolts can shift the alignment some. 
Mirror #2 In Bottom Left position Tape on the Mirror #2 Standoff


Viewed from the honeycomb area

              


Mirror #2 adjustments to Align to the tape on the Mirror #3 Entry hole in Bottom Left Position


      Similar to what was done in step 2, we now need to get the pulse spot centered on the laser head Mirror #3 Entry hole position. This time we will adjust Mirror #2.

Mirror #3 In Bottom Left position
 Tape on the Mirror #3 Laser Head Entry Hole


Viewed from left side door

      Pulse the tape on mirror #3. If the pulse is off-center, loosen the two silver bolts on mirror #2 and adjust mirror #2 and pulse again until the burn spot is in the middle of the tape. Depending on where the pulse is at the start, it may not require any adjustment. You may need to replace the tape a few times as you dial in the pulse position. Once you have the pulse centered with mirror #3 in the bottom Left position go to the next step.

Mirror #2 Adjustments to align to Mirror #3 Entry hole in the Bottom Right Position


      Once you have the pulse spot centered in the Bottom Left position on the Mirror #3 Laser Head Entry Hole, its time to move mirror #3 to the Bottom Right Position using the Alignment Screen and adjust mirror #2 again. Since Mirror #3 is further away from mirror #2 now, the error in alignment will be more pronounced and the adjustments done on the mirror adjustment screws will move the pulse spot even more. The goal is to center the pulse spot on the mirror #3 Laser Head Entry Hole in the Bottom Right position and then check again at the Bottom Left. Once the pulse spots are centered at both positions, tighten the silver bolts to secure the mirror. Then recheck one more time prior to moving onto the next step of adjusting the red dot since tightening the silver bolts can shift the alignment some. 
Mirror #3 In Bottom Right position Tape on the Mirror #3 Laser Head Entry Hole


              

 



Step 2: Red Dot Pointer

Info
Note that in this step you will not be adjusting the mirrors at all. The mirrors should be tightened and in place. You will only be adjusting the 3 bolts on the Red Dot Pointer Stand.

1.Use the arrow buttons on the laser machine screen to move the laser head on the approximate middle of the honeycomb table.



2.Place a piece masking tape over the left side of the third mirror laser head, and pulse a dot on the center, like below.





3. Use the three adjustment bolts on the Red Dot Pointer Mount to move red dot to the mark dot on the tape, like below.



Adjustment Bolts
Adjustment Knob Effects

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At this point, your alignment should be complete and you can go back to lasering.

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