Monport lasers are connected to LightBurn via USB cable. Users need to go through the initial setup process to get their laser to connect to LightBurn. After, designs are sent to the laser from LightBurn through the USB cable. Once the project has been sent to the control board of the laser, the USB cable can be disconnected if needed. When using your laser with LightBurn, there are several options for where your laser cutting and engraving can begin. You first must set where your job origin will start. The two most used coordinates are Absolute Coordinates and Current Position. The easiest option to with Monport lasers is Absolute Coordinates. The page grid you see in the main editing window represents your machine's work area. Anything you place in that area will be cut in the corresponding place on your machine. The second most used coordinate is Current Position. The job cuts relative to the current position of the laser head when the user hits the Start button. The user would then use the "Job Origin" control in the Laser window to tell LightBurn how to position the job relative to the laser. When using a Monport Laser, LightBurn sets and shows the limit of the laser bed, will not allow you to run the project with it outside those limits. This allows for less errors and projects being cut off from being outside of the laser bed limits, which wastes both materials and time!
While using LightBurn with your Monport laser, you will be able to import a variety of common vector graphic and image formats (including AI, PDF, SVG, DXF, PLT, PNG, JPG, GIF, and BMP). Having the ability to use multiple file formats gives the user ultimate flexibility while learning their new laser. LightBurn allows users the flexibility to adjust settings for the perfect engrave. Power and speed settings allow each user the flexibility to modify the shade of the engraving. With just a few clicks in LightBurn, users can choose a lower power setting for a light engrave, or a higher setting for a darker engrave. When engraving photos, such as PNG, JPG, and BMP, users first scale their photo to a desired size. They then click on the photo layer in cuts/layers portion in LightBurn. There are several imaging modes that allow the user to see the dithering sample to show how their picture will be engraved. The preloaded image modes are Threshold, Ordered, Atkinson, Dither, Stucki, Jarvis, Newsprint, Halftone, Sketch, and Grayscale. These options allow a user to engrave a photo without having to do editing of the photo beforehand. Setting the line interval, or how many lines of engraving are completed in a desired amount of space, will help create an accurate depiction of the desired photo.
Another feature that LightBurn uses that is useful for Monport lasers is the color palette. The color palette is used to assign and order and operation to each part of a design. If you have a part of your design highlighted, and a color is selected, that color will be assigned to that operation. The numbers on the color palette within LightBurn range from 00 to 29 and also have Tool Layers numbered T1 and T2. These two colors are used for creating non-output shapes in your designs. If different portions of a design are required to be different shades of engraving, they can be differentiated by color, with different powers and speeds. This not only allows for various shading in a design, but allows for sections of an engraving to be skipped all together if need be. If a section is engraved and the user is not happy with the results of the color or depth, they can rerun the same layer again to darker or deepen it. The order of the colors listed in the cut/layers section is the order the action will happen in Monport lasers. This makes it easy for a step to be skipped or repeated if needed. For items that have different depths in the same material piece (a bowl with a lip, etc.), the laser bed can be adjusted up and down during the sequence of colors in the cut/layers group. These different layers would be color coded in different colors, to give time for the laser bed to be adjusted appropriately for the focal point of your laser.
A great characteristic of using LightBurn with your Monport laser is the ability to position your laser exactly where you want to engrave a word or image on a project without worrying about it being off-centered or misaligned. The framing tool can be used to outline the entire project or an entire section of a project so the user can see exactly where the laser beam is set to cut or engrave. This alleviates the need to have a camera installed on your laser. If a camera is desired, Monport Lasers allow you to add a camera through LightBurn. To do so, you would look in your device settings, basic settings, and must know your working area of your machine. A camera should be fixed above the machine in the center of its working area. The camera settings allow you to set and shows the limit of the laser bed, and projects will not allow you to run outside of those limits. After camera lens calibration is complete, you are able to watch your project, and align your designs as needed.
Engraving a portion of a design can be done by setting a section to fill. This is often called Raster Engraving. This is done by the laser head moving left to right across a print area until the entire image is completed. A vector cut or score (depending on the speed and power) is the laser tracing the lines of the cut or shape. As a result raster engraving take a lot longer than vector cuts and scores. The s value max is a setting you may see in LightBurn while using Monport Lasers. This setting is the number that corresponds to one-hundred percent power in LightBurn. GRBL defaults to zero to one thousand for newer versions of GRBL, or 0 to 255 for older ones. LightBurn also has a trace option for images that are not yet in vector format. This allows each user to adjust the coloring of the uploaded photo to trace the image. Once a variation of an image is perfected and traced, it can be used in vector format to be engraved or cut. Traced vector images can be engraved as is, or cut and engrave lines adjusted to be added to another piece.
Being able to work with multiple fonts in your project is an added benefit. When you download and install a new font on your computer, you will have access on it on LightBurn as well! If you do not immediately see your downloaded font, you will need to save any open projects, close, and reopen LightBurn for them to load into your font list. Once you have chosen a font, you are able to modify it to fit your project needs. The text tool allows you to create text on the screen, or edit existing text by clicking within it, change font and size, alignment, and spacing, and enable and disable automatic welding. Single line fonts are also available within LightBurn, but are not preloaded. They must be searched for and downloaded, but several are available for free. Once they are downloaded and installed into LightBurn, you can see them designated by a SHX logo in the font dropdown list.
The software cannot control every laser, but can communicate with many different types of laser controllers, all of which use different communication methods and have different functions and settings.
This step tells you what you have.
If you configure your device from no software, it will automatically bring you here when you run the software. It's important to choose something because the interface in the software changes depending on the capabilities of the laser you choose.
If you have done this before but want to change the laser or add a new laser, click the Devices button in the Laser Window to display the list of devices.
The software can also be configured to control multiple lasers, and settings are stored for each device. If you don't select either, we have nowhere to put these settings, and many features in the software won't work until they're set.
Device page:
You will see a list of all laser devices in "Device" page of the software that have been added to the software, or an empty list on first launch.
The easiest way is to click Find My Laser and let the software try to figure out what you have. If that doesn't work, either your laser is ethernet connected, or you have a Marlin device, you need to use "Manual Create".
Make sure your laser is powered on, connected to the computer via a USB cable, and has completed any boot sequence it needs (such as homing). When the laser is ready, click Next.
After a brief scan, the software will list the devices it is able to recognize:
Is your laser a GCode or DSP device? What if you can't find it?
GCode equipment:
If you have a GCode controller, you will be asked if your computer is an X-Carve or Shapeoko, as some specific settings need to be configured for these computers. If you have one, click the appropriate button, if not, click Other. You may be asked where your computer came from and if you want to go home when it starts up. Almost all GCode systems use the front left as the origin.
If your machine has a homing or limit switch, enable homing at startup, otherwise turn it off. If you see "Error: 9" in the console later, you have this feature enabled, but the computer is not configured to be homeable.
For some GCode devices, additional configuration of the software or controller may be required.
DSP equipment:
If you have a DSP controller, the next screen will ask you the country of origin of the machine. This is the corner to go through to find the home switch when the machine is turned on. Click the home corner. If you get it wrong, things can go backwards or upside down, but don't worry, you can easily change it later.
After adding the laser, click OK on the Devices page to exit.
What if I can't find my laser?
If the software cannot find your laser, it may be due to several reasons:
Missing driver - if your laser came with its own software, please install it. Even if you don't plan to use it, sometimes they contain necessary drivers that the software doesn't come with.
Can't connect - only one app can talk to your laser at a time. If you run other software such as RDWorks, Easel, Carbide Create, AutoLaser, LaserCAD, etc., make sure that software is not running.
Networked Devices - LightBurn cannot automatically configure networked lasers. To do this, you have to click on 'Create manually' and follow the steps.
Marlin Controllers - If you're using Marlin controllers, they have a variety of baud rates and configuration options, and they take much longer to reset than most other controllers, so they are automatically searched for and Not realistic - click "Manual Create" and follow the steps.
If the software cannot add the laser automatically because it is not connected to a computer or is connected via a network, you can click Manually Create on the Devices page.
Equipment type:
The software will open the "New Device Wizard" and you will first see a list of controllers supported by your version of LightBurn:
Select the entry that matches the type of controller or firmware in your laser and click Next.
The preview button allows you to see the estimated time for project to finish and how much of that is cut time and how much of it is rapid movement. This allows you to arrange and rearrange colors in your cut and layer section, to best arrange the order for most efficient cut time. Monport Lasers prides itself with being the most adaptable laser company in the business! Our use of LightBurn keeps us on the leading edge of productivity and production! LightBurn software is an application that can be used for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, so no matter what operating system you have on your computer, you will be able to install and use LightBurn. After learning the basics of the software, each user has the ability to research and learn more advanced topics to exemplify their Monport Laser experience! This enables your experience with Monport Lasers to be limitless!
]]>Today, our Monport laser will show you the basics working principle of a laser engraver. How to get started with laser cutting in 4 steps, here’s a step-by-step overview of what you need to consider to make it happen!
In a CO2 laser cutter machine, the laser beam is created in a tube filled with CO2 gas. Next, with the help of mirrors and lenses, the laser beam is directed to the laser head and focused on the material surface. Electronically controlled motors move the laser head to cut or engrave the desired shape into the material of the workpiece. The shape is defined by an input file which can be a vector or raster image.
How to get started with laser cutting in 4 steps:
If you are just starting with laser cutting I recommend trying one of the options above before looking into buying a laser cutter to get some experience and find out which features are most important for you.
Even when looking only at CO2 lasers, there is a wide variety of different laser machines available and the selection is continuously growing. The price range is big, with entry-level Chinese imports starting at about 500 EUR/USD and professional grade machines costing several 10,000 EUR/USD.
In this guide, I won’t go into more details, but I plan to write an overview of the different types available on the market and the most important features to consider when buying a laser cutter, in a future post.
CO2 laser machines are capable of cutting and engraving a variety of materials. However, there are also materials which cannot be processed. This may be because the laser can not cut through the metal, or because toxic gases would form. Also, very flammable materials cannot be used.
Depending on the power and other specifications of the machine you are using, the maximal material thickness that can be cut will vary. The power of laser cutters is measured in Watt. Typical power levels range between 30 Watt and 120 Watt. Lasers with higher power are mostly used in industrial applications only.
Most CO2 laser cutters work very much like your everyday inkjet printer. The laser cutter comes with specific drivers which convert an image from a computer into a format that the laser cutter can read. You can use the software of your choice as long as you export your file in a suitable format. Below are some examples of graphic design software.
2D Design:
3D Design:
Once you have your design ready, it is time for the final step – the cutting on the laser. Laser cutters are very powerful machines. You can create great things with them but they are also potentially dangerous, so first a word of warning.
Before using a laser cutter always first make sure you read and understand all the safety instructions that come with it. In addition be aware that that wavelength of a CO2 laser is in the Infra-Red part of the light spectrum, so it is invisible to the human eye ye. The red dot you see with many machines on the material surface is only a positioning aid and not the laser beam that actually doing the cutting.
The four most important settings of a laser cutter are power, speed, frequency and for focus distance.
Many laser machines have a motorized bed which can be moved up and down to set the focus distance. Alternatively the position of the material surface a has to be manually adjusted.
So now that you have a basic understanding of the available settings you might ask yourself how to find the right settings for your projects? A good starting point is the laser cutter manual. Often you will find suggested settings for many materials. If you are working on a shared laser in a makerspace there are usually lists with recommended settings available.
Finally, you should be prepared to make your first cuts. It can take a few tries to find the ideal settings for your material. Always change only one parameter in a test process. For example, start with the power by testing different values in 5-10% increments. Once your are happy with your results, don’t forget to write down your settings in Monport laser community, discussing with other hobbyists!
]]>Laser engraving is a great technology that can create many applications, from excellent business cards and modern school kits to trinkets and customized products sold on Etsy. With the creation of laser engraver projects, many problems arise. What materials should I use to better fit my project? Which design software is more suitable? How should I use laser engraving/cutting technology for design? Most importantly: what kind of laser engraving machine should I use?
From a small desktop laser engraving machine suitable for beginners to a large laser engraving machine suitable for professional purposes, it’s all available on the official website of Monport. We know that choosing a suitable laser cutting machine may be difficult and depends on many factors. In this blog post, we will compare different series of CO2 laser engraving machines provided by Monportlaser. You can know more about what our laser engraving machine can achieve, the uses and functions of different laser engravers. We will provide you with some guidance.
A co2 laser engraving machine is a computer numerical control non-metallic laser engraving system that uses a Co2 laser tube to output a high-density laser beam for engraving and cutting.
Co2 laser engraving machine is used for wood, fabric, leather, acrylic, plastic, plexiglass, paper, wool, rubber, crystal, ceramic tile, jewelry, POM, bamboo, and more non-metallic materials. It is widely used in craft production, advertising, decoration, clothing, leather, toys, electronic appliances, computer embroidery and cutting, modeling, packaging and printing, paper products and other industries.
The CO2 laser machine is equipped with a precision water-cooled Co2 laser generator, which can engrave on almost any non-metallic material surface. Non metallic laser engraving machines can also be used to cut many different materials. Using the rotary attachment, you can engrave any cylindrical object, such as cup, pen holder, musical instrument, etc. The Co2 laser engraving system supports a variety of graphic formats, such as BMP, PLT, HPGL, GIF, JPG, JPEG, DXF, AI, PDF, etc. Co2 laser machine is equipped with Ruida control system of CorelDRAW, AutoCAD and more professional software. Co2 non-metallic laser engraving machine is compatible with win10, win8, win7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
The Co2 laser generator uses the conversion between the vibration energy level and rotation energy level of Co2 molecules to generate a laser beam. The laser beam is transmitted and focused on the material surface, which makes the material irradiated by the high-energy laser beam evaporate rapidly and form pits. Use the computer to control the X-Y console, drive the laser head to move, and control the laser switch as needed. The image information generated by the software is stored in the computer in a certain way. When the information is read from the computer in sequence, the laser head scans back and forth from left to right, from top to bottom, and line by line along the scanning track, and forms an engraving pattern. Laser cutting can be realized by using a high-power laser. Turn it down for engraving and turn it up for cutting. The laser power level will also affect the engraving depth and cutting thickness.
Model: |
Monport 40W |
Monport 55W |
Monport 60W |
Monport 80W |
Price |
$503.49 |
$2,374.99 |
$2,754.99 |
$4,199.99 |
Laser Source |
Co2 |
Co2 |
Co2 |
Co2 |
Laser Power |
40W |
55W |
60W |
80W |
Working Area |
8” x 12” |
16” x 24” |
20” x 28” |
24” x 36” |
Auto-Focus |
× |
× |
× |
√ |
Red Dot Guidance |
× |
√ |
√ |
√ |
Rotary Capability |
× |
√ |
√ |
√ |
Z-depth |
0.5”- 2.5” |
7”- 8” |
7”- 9” |
8”- 9” |
Engraving Speed |
100–255 mm/s |
100 - 500mm/s |
100 - 500mm/s |
100 - 500mm/s |
Cutting Speed |
1–20mm/s |
1 - 30mm/s |
1 - 30mm/s |
1 - 30mm/s |
Motion |
X, Y axis |
X, Y, Z axis |
X, Y, Z axis |
X, Y, Z axis |
Air Assist |
× |
√ |
√ |
√ |
USB Port |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
Safety Sensor |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
Cooling System |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
Linear System |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
Warranty |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
Machine Dimensions |
32” x 20” x 10” |
45” x 30” x 27” |
47.2”x 38.2”x 36.2” |
57” x 43” x 34” |
If you are a beginner who literally have no idea of laser engraving but with huge enthusiasm to make your own laser design works, then this Monport 40W Co2 machine is highly recommended!
Its working area is 0.5’’ Standard Z-depth and 2.5’’ Max Z-depth.
This type can safely engrave or cut any laser-compatible material like wood, paper and acrylic etc, but only except unplated metal. You can purchase it at a very low price and create your laser work.
Our Monport 40w laser engraver completely matches the most size of your worktable, not taking up too much space.
With 40w laser power, affordable price, easy-to-operate process, Monport allows new beginners to have a try of small crafts in laser engraving industry.
Equipped with two LCD displays including laser power supply and cooling water temperature, it keeps you updated when the machine is working.
These two types of industrial laser cutters ( 60W, 80W) are suitable for small business and industries. They can advance your engraving efficiency by a large margin and make youbusinessesr design more attractive.
Compared with Desktop, they superimposed businessesse visible red light on the optical axis of the laser to indicate the position of the laser beam, enabling preview and focusing of the target range. Tbusinesseshe working area includes 7” Standard Z-depth and 8” Max Z-depth, with a much faster speed.
Features & Benefits of Monport industrial series:
The engraving speed of Monport industrial laser engravers (up to 500 mm/s) offers you more efficiency.
Resolution up to 4500 dpi; LED headlights under the lid give point illumination for precision; 2.0" Focal lens provides higher resolution and etching of extremely small fonts;
Built-in air assist system guides a pressurized air stream through the laser head nozzle to displace debris, heat, and combustible gases from the engraving surface and laser beam path, keeping engravings more precise.
Controller like a brain, conducting the laser head, adjusting laser power and speed settings, file viewing, project framing and works well with laser software like RDWorks, Coreldraw_laser, Auto-CAD_laser and Lightburn.
The red dot shows the laser head position, marks the working path and frames the project sizes, assisting you with more convenience and guidance.
The safety shutdown sensor helps stop the machine when opening the transparent window cover. Once closed, press the “Enter” button to continue operation.
The long service life of the laser tube can reach 2000 working hours.
Applicable Materials |
Engraving |
Cutting |
Acrylic| Plexiglass | Delrin| Mylar| PC| PP| Kapton tape |
√ |
√ |
Organic board | Double color sheet | Rubber |
√ |
√ |
Wood | Plywood | Veneer | MDF | Balsa |
√ |
√ |
Leather | PU | Synthetic Leather | Genuine Leather |
√ |
√ |
Fabric | Cloth | Textile |
√ |
√ |
Paper | Cardboard | Chipboard | Press Board |
√ |
√ |
Plastic |
√ |
√ |
Ceramic | Tile | Marble | Glass |
√ |
× |
Co2 laser engraving machine is applicable to wood engraving, industrial prototype, industrial engraving, logo making, medical parts engraving, aerospace, architectural modeling, professional advertising, plastic manufacturing, flexo, purchasing point, rubber stamp, picture frame, gift manufacturing, bar code, gasket cutting, textile cutting, puzzle, cabinet, award recognition, personalized pen, door handle Scroll pattern cutting, games, toys, finger joints, inlays, coverings, fraternity baffles, music boxes, light switch boards, jewelry boxes, parts engraving, router templates, desk covers, waste booking, photo albums, jewelry, handicrafts and Italian jewelry.
Applicable materials: Wood, acrylic, stone, bamboo, plexiglass, crystal, plastic, clothing, paper, leather, rubber, ceramics, glass and other non-metallic materials.
Applicable industries: Advertising, gifts, crafts, art, toys, shoes, computers, model making, clothing, construction, paper, packaging and printing.
Now that you have seen the current four Co2 laser engraving machines side by side, you can make your own decision. You need to weigh your choices, understand your needs, and adjust your budget. Desktop style is more suitable for beginners to realize their own design needs; The high-power industrial series can meet professional needs and carry out small businesses. I hope this article can help you choose the most suitable laser engraving machine for you! If you have any questions, you can consult our customer service personnel. Also welcome to leave a message to us!
]]>