Taking an Image from Upload to Burn to Engraver Master
Engraver Master is the default software that comes with a Bachin diode laser engraver. While there are many other options out there, this one is pretty simple to use while you get things figured out. In this post, I'll walk you through how to upload an external image to the software and get it ready to engrave.
See the Bachin Diode Laser Engraver here.
If you have not yet created an image file, see this post for instructions on how to do that.
Now that we have the image file created, we need to upload it to the software to burn. When you open Engraver Master, the home screen looks like this.
This screen shows four tabs at the top: Print Picture, NC Sender, Quick Tagging, and Device Settings. I use all but Quick Tagging quite regularly to prepare an image to go. Also on this screen is the tool used to position the laser head before starting. That tool is on the left side of the screen with the buttons X+, X-, Y+, and Y-. We will use those buttons in another post when we get ready to position the image on our product.
For our purposes, we are going to use the NC Sender Tab, found here:
On the NC Sender page, we are going to go to the right side of the screen and click 'Load Image':
Once you select the image, it will bring you to a screen where you have a chance to size the image. Keep in mind the program is looking at the FULL width of the image file, not just the picture within the image. If you have empty white space on any of the four sides, that will calculate into the image size. When creating the image, make sure to cut out as much empty white space from the top, bottom, left, and right. Type in the width or height you want. The aspect ratio is locked, so when you change one, the other will change too. A good formula to keep in mind is 25.4mm=1 inch. I cut out the 0.4mm and just round it to 25mm to 1 inch. It's easier for me to remember that way.
The next screen is for how much detail you want in the image. For an image like this, it determines how thick the lines will be. Play with the slider bar at the bottom until you are satisfied.
Your image file will appear in the main NC Sender screen and be ready to go. If you aren't happy with the sizing, or you need to change it for any reason, the highlighted square on the right side is where you can change it. Again, the aspect ratio is locked, so by changing the height, the width will automatically change, and vice versa. Make sure to hit 'OK' or the new size will not be saved. You are now ready to select speed/power. Speed is found on this screen in the top right, and power settings are found in the Device Settings tab. Check here for my preferred speed/power settings for different materials. The next setting to choose is Full Mode vs. Line Mode, also found in this box. See this post for information about Full vs. Line mode.
Once the image is uploaded and sized, all that's left to do is move the laser to the correct position. Use the Print Picture tab at the top to move the laser head to your starting position. First, click the box that says 'Laser on (Weak)'. This will show a small blue dot where the engraving will start. Focus this dot as small as possible by turning the focal lens on the bottom of the laser head. The smaller the dot, the sharper the engraving. Next, move the laser head to your starting spot by clicking on one of the four directional buttons. You can change the interval by typing in a new number. Use bigger numbers to move farther distances, and you can move the laser head as little as 0.1mm to dial in your starting spot.
Once the image has been sized to your satisfaction, speed/power have been set, and the laser head has be placed in the right location on your material, return to the NC Sender tab. ALWAYS use the Test Size button before starting a burn. You may be surprised at how big/small an image is, or that it's placed improperly on your piece. If it needs resized, change the numbers and hit 'OK'. If you are happy with everything, hit start and watch it burn. NEVER LEAVE YOUR LASER BURNING WITHOUT SUPERVISION. There have been a few times my laser has gotten caught on the cords and frozen the movement of the laser head during a burn. If it sits in one spot too long during a burn, it can light your material on fire, which I'm sure you can understand would be a bad thing if you aren't there.
If you are making multiples of the same image, all you have to do to start a new burn is hit Start again. I have a grid burned into the bed of my laser housing box to align pieces. This helps when I am doing multiples of the same thing and want consistency between pieces.
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