Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I recall the uncertainty I felt the first time I removed a mirror 7 years ago. Would the machine ever work correctly again?. Over an 18 month period I kept purposly upsetting my beam alignment in an attempt to understand the logic behind setting the beam perfectly and soon discovered that Chinese machine designers either didn't understand the process or purposly made it difficult for "non-professionals". I suspect my first assumption is correct and naive machine design is responsible for the MANY different beam alignment strategies people have proposed to overcome the mess Chinese designers have created.
This session deconstructs beam alignment and machine design. I have modified my machines to make beam setting simple with a series of logical and progressive actions that guarantee setting perfection. I have tackled this subject several times over the years but never in such all -encompassing detail. As a young design engineer I was taught that "you must understand the problem before trying to design a solution". It seems that very few people really understand what they are trying to achieve with beam alignment beyond making sure the beam passes through the nozzle.
I recall the uncertainty I felt the first time I removed a mirror 7 years ago. Would the machine ever work correctly again?. Over an 18 month period I kept purposly upsetting my beam alignment in an attempt to understand the logic behind setting the beam perfectly and soon discovered that Chinese machine designers either didn't understand the process or purposly made it difficult for "non-professionals". I suspect my first assumption is correct and naive machine design is responsible for the MANY different beam alignment strategies people have proposed to overcome the mess Chinese designers have created.
This session deconstructs beam alignment and machine design. I have modified my machines to make beam setting simple with a series of logical and progressive actions that guarantee setting perfection. I have tackled this subject several times over the years but never in such all -encompassing detail. As a young design engineer I was taught that "you must understand the problem before trying to design a solution". It seems that very few people really understand what they are trying to achieve with beam alignment beyond making sure the beam passes through the nozzle.
