Laser lapse

#1

I’ve got a problem with the laser of the XYPlotter.
Mostly it works just fine, the laser cuts as expected. But sometimes it seems that it can not make it to full power. The plotter then moves along a line, the laser is on, but it does not cut. Then, within the same line it suddenly starts to cut again, or at least the next line works again.

See YouTube

Does anyone has an idea what could be the problem?
I already tried to introduce a delay after switching on the laser, but it also did not work. The timespan of “not working” is random.

#2

@Sven_Jung, the problem may come from adjusting the focus, have you adjusted the laser to a clear light spot? please also take care of the environment, the laser cant be used in very cold environment.

#3

Thanks, I think that did the trick.
The base plate was not completely flat, causing a different focus on different positions.

#4

Smoke coming off your cut may also reduce the power of the beam - if you can see the beam because of smoke, that’s power that isn’t getting to your cut. A small fan blowing across the cut surface can help.

#5