Boxes.py Test file
Instruction
Dialing in your laser is an important part of getting good results for any project. Different laser models and laser strengths will require different settings. In this How-To I am providing steps to test the settings for a D1 with a 5W laser for use with creating boxes with finger joints.
The first thing to keep in mind, resizing the boxes will mess up the settings, so you cannot do that within XCS, you will need to go out to boxes.py to change the box dimensions. The settings I have selected are for a 2x2 inch parts. The test file changes the kerf or “burn” property so that you will know which is appropriate for your laser.
When you import the SVG file from Boxes.py, the font is omitted. This is because the text is not part of the SVG, so it cannot be converted properly.
Since the text does not import, I simply left the SVG open in my browser and copied the text for each set of finger joints over into XCS and placed the label accordingly.
Keep in mind, the settings that are being tested is the distance between each finger of the finger joint. depending upon the diameter of the laser beam, the kerf is different and must be accounted for. The D1 with a 5W laser has a .08 mm kerf, so the setting should be .04 mm (half the diameter or the radius of the beam) I am running the test just to confirm before I waste material :)
The cut settings and engrave settings are not what is being tested here, so these will be the same as what you typically use for the material. I have listed the settings for the D1 5W laser.