Cut lines don't meet at start/finish node point

Laser Cutter Help
#1

I have a 900 x 600 laser cutter, when I draw a shape in the Lasercut 6.0 software it cuts perfect circles and all other shapes, however if I import a dxf file from an inkscape svg file, the cut line doesn’t meet by about 0.5mm where it meets the starting point. Also if I cut multiple items on a sheet with a 1mm space between, the shapes start overlapping and are rendered useless. The files all cut perfectly on my other Lasercut 5.3 machine so I know there shouldn’t be an issue with the files. I have checked the carriages are square. Can anyone suggest what the problem may be?
Thanks in advance
Best regards
Bill

#2

Three things spring to mind:
How’s the tension on your belts? (Too tight is also bad)
Are your machines running the same version of Lasercut?
Is the “problem” machine a different make/model/size?

#3

Good morning
Thanks for replying, in answer to your questions
i) the belts are tight possibly a bit too tight but not sure.
ii) The machine that works correctly is Lasercut 5.3, the problem machine is Lasercut 6.0.
iii)The good machine is a Just Add Sharks 600 x 400 60w. The problem machine is an RS Laser Machine 600 x 900 100w.
Bill

#4

Hello Bill

Can you remind me what Operating System (version of Windows) you are running “Lasercut 6” on? One thing I’d be inclined to try is running the compatibility wizard.

You can do this by right clicking on the Lasercut 6 launch icon (if you have one) …

  1. Right click on the program’s shortcut, .exe file, or installation file.
  2. Click on Properties.
  3. Click on the Compatibility tab.
  4. Check the Run this program in compatibility mode box.

It could be that the program is misinterpreting the drawing. I happen to know from our conversation away from the community, that this does not occur when you draw a circle direct from Lasercut 6, this only happens on an import from DXF on Inkscape.

I’ll look into this more.

Dominic

#5

Hello Dominic

i have just tried your suggestion, when you open the compatibility tab, it doesn’t offer Windows 10 as an option, only up to windows 8.
Cheers
Bill

#6

Hello Bill

That’s because you are running Windows 10, what compatibility mode does it tell windows 10 to run software as if it was an older version. You shouldn’t need to tell it what to run as, there should be an option for it to test/check and run as appropriate. It’s a button marked “run compatibility troubleshooter”

Could you try that?

Dominic

#7

I will give that a go as soon as I have finished my lunch and report back.
Cheers
Bill

#8

Hi Dominic

Just done a couple of tests and still the same issues, notches at the end of drawn shapes and overlapping of layers of product after the rows at the bottom of the sheet.
Cheers
Bill

#9

however if I import a dxf file from an inkscape svg file, the cut line doesn’t meet by about 0.5mm where it meets the starting point.

I think this is the key. If you are somehow converting an .SVG file into a .DXF file at the time of import it’s possible that the data is getting a little bit mangled in the conversion.
I’d be almost willing to bet that if you were able to use a .DXF file directly instead of .SVG to .DXF import that it would work as intended.

If you don’t have CAD software to directly create a .DXF there’s a nice little program called QCAD which is free for evaluation and not very expensive for professional use. You could try making a circle as a .DXF file with that (or indeed any other software) and see if it performs correctly.

Hope this helps
Alex https://raspi.tv

1 Like
#10

Hi Alex

The svg files are already saved as dxf’s on another PC and emailed to me as dxf files, I simply store them in a file in the laser software and import them as I need them and cut the shapes after uniting lines and setting the cutting speeds and power. I then save them for future use as ecp files in the Lasercut software.
The strange thing is this system has and is working faultlessly on Lasercut 5.3 on my other machine, that is what is so confusing.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Best regards
Bill

#11

If it were me, I’d test it with a natively produced .DXF to see if it’s the .SVG to .DXF conversion or the .DXF import process itself. It’s clearly a software issue of some description.

#12

Thanks Alex, but how might Bill go about “natively producing” a dxf file? One suggestion could be to find a dxf online that has some ovals in it. I’ll see if I can make a dxf in a different bit of software for you Bill, that isn’t Inkscape.

Dominic

#13

I answered that in my first post

1 Like
#14

So you did. I will read posts in order going forward!