Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
When I bought my first CO2 laser more than 8 years ago there were zero help videos on YT, just nerds demonstrating greyscale photo engraving with their K40s. I had to learn about beam setting on my own, aided only by written Chinglish intructions that were worse than useless. I struggled ...lots.
After several months trying to understand why my beam setting did not improve the machine's performance, I realized my tube was JUNK. However, the effort was not wasted bacause A) it hardened my senses and removed the fear of adjusting mirrors. B) It demonstrated that there were serious design issues that got in the way of easy beam setting.
The number of times I have set beams on my own and other peoples machines must be in hundreds. Duringt those 8 years I have stopped many times to reflect on ways to make setting simpler and gradually modified my machines and methods to match my growing knowlwedge of the technology.
Although I have created several beam setting videos over that period , this one includes all the background information as well as a bullet proof way to set your beam perfectly.....and explains what perfection means.
When I bought my first CO2 laser more than 8 years ago there were zero help videos on YT, just nerds demonstrating greyscale photo engraving with their K40s. I had to learn about beam setting on my own, aided only by written Chinglish intructions that were worse than useless. I struggled ...lots.
After several months trying to understand why my beam setting did not improve the machine's performance, I realized my tube was JUNK. However, the effort was not wasted bacause A) it hardened my senses and removed the fear of adjusting mirrors. B) It demonstrated that there were serious design issues that got in the way of easy beam setting.
The number of times I have set beams on my own and other peoples machines must be in hundreds. Duringt those 8 years I have stopped many times to reflect on ways to make setting simpler and gradually modified my machines and methods to match my growing knowlwedge of the technology.
Although I have created several beam setting videos over that period , this one includes all the background information as well as a bullet proof way to set your beam perfectly.....and explains what perfection means.
