Getting Started with REDLINE NOVA

Applies to: REDLINE NOVA S

This guide covers the essentials for starting work with your REDLINE NOVA: getting the workspace ready, unloading and setting up the machine when it arrives, unpacking the included items, and powering on for the first time. It is written for beginners. Read it through fully before you unbox and set up your machine.

What you need

• Work gloves
• Safety glasses
• Cutting tool
• Drill or impact driver with a #2 Phillips head bit, a 5/16” (8 mm) socket and a 1/8” (3 mm) drill bit
• 1 to 2 gallons of distilled or reverse osmosis water (glass tube only)
• Funnel (glass tube only, in the contents box)
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Allen keys (in the contents box)
• Hose clamps (in the contents box)
• Machine cabinet key (in the contents box)
• Machine power cord (in the contents box)
• Machine settings USB
• Friends or family to help

Prepare your workspace

Set up the space the machine is going into before it arrives. Work through the items below as a checklist and you can get the machine running as soon as you receive it.

Safety

Emergency kit checklist

• Certified ANSI-approved CO2 safety glasses or goggles (proper safety glasses come with the machine)
• Halotron fire extinguisher
• Smoke alarm
• Fire resistant gloves
• Eye wash station
• First aid kit
• VOC detector

Fire extinguishers

A fire extinguisher is an absolute necessity. The material being cut or engraved can catch fire, and so can the gases released as it vaporizes when the laser beam passes through them.

We recommend a Halotron extinguisher. They usually cost more, but they discharge a clean, easily removed substance that does not harm the mechanics or internal wiring of the laser. A multi-purpose dry chemical extinguisher is a more affordable alternative, but it discharges a sticky, corrosive powder that is very difficult to clean up and can damage some internal components.

Eye wash station

Always have access to running water, or preferably an eye wash station, in case particles get into your eyes. Single-use, gravity-fed eye wash stations are inexpensive and easy to set up anywhere.

Handling processed material

Keep finished products, scrap material and your honeycomb tray out of your living spaces if at all possible. Processed materials can give off gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some VOCs are relatively harmless, but others affect health. Short-term exposure to high levels can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and cause headaches and dizziness, and long-term exposure may be linked to more serious problems. Regular monitoring with a VOC detector helps you find sources of contamination and avoid harmful levels.

Electrical

A REDLINE NOVA needs a standard 20 A, 110 V / 60 Hz outlet and a 20 A breaker. Make sure the circuit is properly wired and grounded, in line with your local codes and regulations.

Ventilation

Set up proper ventilation before the machine arrives. Decide how the fumes will be extracted: vented outdoors, or through a fume extractor.

Option 1: Vent outdoors

• Keep the exhaust duct short and the number of bends to a minimum, for maximum airflow.
• Seal any joints along the exhaust tube so fumes cannot escape.
• Install an exhaust exit port 6 inches in diameter, to match the exhaust hose and clamps that come with the machine.
• The stock exhaust fan is sufficient for exhaust runs of about 15 ft. For a longer run, keep the stock fan installed and add an inline fan around the 15 ft mark.
• If you use an inline fan on its own, remove the internal blower and install the inline fan as close to the end of the exhaust hose as possible.
• Make sure there is enough fresh replacement air coming into the workspace when you engrave. Too little creates negative pressure, which reduces the efficiency of the fan. Draw make-up air from a point opposite the laser, or fumes will be pulled straight back inside.

Option 2: Fume extractor

With a fume extractor, there is no ducting, replacement air or outdoor venting to plan. Choose an extractor suited to your CO2 laser. Matching it to the cabinet size of the laser and to your applications is fundamental to the performance of the laser and the life of your filters.

Temperature control

REDLINE NOVAs have three internal cooling options, depending on the tube: a water cooled glass CO2 tube, an air cooled metal RF tube, or a water cooled metal (Ceramicore) RF tube. Keep the machine in a temperature controlled space whichever tube you have. The machines work best at normal room temperature, between 60 and 90 °F (15 to 32 °C). The right setting for your workspace depends on the dew point and the location of the machine.

For the cold months, see Winterizing Your Laser. This is especially important for machines with a water chiller, because freezing water can damage internal components.

In extreme temperatures, if the exhaust vents outdoors, disconnect the exhaust duct hose from the machine so outdoor air does not connect directly to it.

Receive and open your machine

Transit and receiving

Once the machine ships, the carrier emails you tracking information. Arrange the delivery date with the carrier, either by contacting them or by waiting for them to contact you. Carriers occasionally arrive mostly unannounced, so be ready once you have the tracking information.

When the machine arrives, inspect the crate carefully. If you see signs of rough handling or visible damage, do not refuse the shipment. Instead:

• Take plenty of photos. Every photo of damage helps the claims process.
• Have the driver note the damage on the bill of lading (BOL) before they leave. The driver does not have to stay for further inspection.
• Contact support with photos and a detailed description of the damage, using the details at the end of this guide.
• You have 14 days to report concealed damage to AEON Laser USA, which can then be used for a claim with the shipping company.

Uncrating

1. If possible, position the crate in the general area where the machine will live. Leave enough room all the way around it to work comfortably. The “ATTENTION RECEIVING” sticker marks the front face of the machine.

   

2. Put on safety goggles and work gloves, and keep them on for the whole uncrating process. Take care with the metal brackets, because their edges can be sharp.

3. Carefully cut the binding straps around the crate. The straps are under tension and may recoil suddenly when cut.

   

4. Start with the brackets and fasteners for the lid. Using a drill or impact driver with a Phillips head bit or a 5/16” (8 mm) socket, remove all the fasteners from the lid and set the hardware aside. If anything is packed on top of the machine, remove it before you remove the lid.

   

5. With another person, lift the lid straight up and off the crate.

   

6. Lean the lid at a slight angle against a wall, away from heavy foot traffic.

7. Remove the fasteners from one of the side panels and set the hardware aside. To keep the panel stable, leave the fasteners that hold the metal brackets to the pallet, and remove only those attached to the panel itself.

   

   

8. Carefully remove the panel from the crate and set it aside, away from heavy foot traffic. Have another person help as needed.

   

9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for the other three panels.

10. With all the side panels off, remove any remaining fasteners and brackets from the pallet and set the hardware aside.

11. Remove the outer foam and packing material to reveal your laser, cutting any tape carefully so you do not scratch the chassis. Inspect the chassis for shipping damage. If you find any, contact support with photos and a detailed description.

    

    

Unpack and remove the contents

1. Open the lid and cut the zip tie holding the ignition key and settings flash drive to the laser head. This USB is extremely important: it holds the factory settings found when your machine was tested. Take care not to lose it. You can keep it in the key ignition of the machine for safekeeping.

   

   

2. Remove all the contents and packing material from the bed. Cut anything securing the contents as needed.

Remove the machine from the pallet

REDLINE NOVAs arrive with caster wheels installed, so the machine can be rolled off the pallet and moved to its final position. Several parts on the pallet help with this.

1. Find the four caster wheels, one at each corner of the machine. Each has an adjustment collar near the top of the caster for raising and lowering the wheel and foot. Also find and remove the two wooden wedges from under the machine.

   

   

2. Turn the adjustment collar of each wheel counterclockwise. This lowers the wheel stop and raises the machine slightly off the wooden support blocks in the center.

   

3. Using a drill or impact driver with a Phillips head bit or a 5/16” (8 mm) socket, remove the fasteners from either side of the two support blocks under the machine. Pull the support blocks out and set them aside. If they are hard to pull out, lower the wheel stops further to raise the machine and take more weight off them.

   

   

4. Take the two wedges you removed earlier.

   

5. Fit the wedges at the rear of the machine and pallet, on the inside of the corner support blocks of the pallet as pictured. Each wedge should sit as close as possible to the path its wheel will take when the machine is pushed off the pallet.

   

   

6. With the wedges in place, drill a pilot hole with a 1/8” (3 mm) drill bit through the center of each wedge and into the corner support block of the pallet.

   

   

7. Secure the wedges to the base blocks of the pallet, reusing the longer fasteners from the crate or the support blocks. The pilot holes let the fasteners go in easily.

   

8. Place one of the support blocks between the wedges, flush to the pallet, as extra support.

   

9. With another person, fetch one of the larger side panels of the crate. Lay it on top of the wedges and the support block.

   

   

10. Secure the side panel to the base of the pallet and to the center support block in the same way as the wedges: drill a pilot hole and reuse the crate fasteners. Put fasteners at both corners of the panel into the pallet, and in the center of the panel into the support block.

    

    

    

    

11. The finished ramp should look like this:

    

12. Carefully lower the machine back onto its wheels by turning the adjustment collar of each wheel clockwise. If a collar is too hard to turn, use the remaining support block as a lever: one person slides it under the machine and gently lifts to take weight off the wheel, while another adjusts the collar.

    

13. With the machine on its wheels, roll it carefully off the pallet. Use four physically fit people: one at each front corner, one at the front center, and one at the rear to keep the machine in line with the ramp. Communicate as a team and push slowly. The person at the rear can also control the speed by pushing back gently.

    

    

14. Once the machine is completely off the pallet, push it carefully to its place. Leave 1 to 2 feet of clearance all around it for setup and future maintenance.

    

15. Lower the wheel stops again to hold the machine steady in its work location.

    

Prepare for power up

Fill the chiller

1. Unscrew the water inlet cap.

   

2. Fill the chiller with distilled or reverse osmosis water until it reaches the “FULL” section of the fill gauge. Use the funnel from the contents box if you need it.

   

   

3. Screw the cap back onto the water inlet.

Release the air pump

1. Find the Exhaust System cover panel next to the chiller. A sticker on the panel gives instructions for removing it.

   

2. Use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the panel mounting bolts, and set the panel and bolts aside. Inside, find the air compressor.

   

3. Cut the zip ties that secure the internal air pump to the chassis of the machine.

   

   

4. Reinstall the Exhaust System cover panel.

Vent the fan

1. Take the exhaust hose, exhaust hose flange and hose clamps from the contents box and remove their packing material.

2. Slide a hose clamp over one end of the exhaust hose. Loosen the clamp with a 7 mm socket or a Phillips head screwdriver if you need to.

   

3. Fit that end of the hose over the flange of the exhaust fan. Slide the clamp over the hose and flange and tighten it with a 7 mm socket driver or a Phillips head screwdriver.

   

   

4. Route the other end of the hose to the exhaust exit port you installed earlier, or to the fume extractor. Trim any excess hose after routing, and keep the number of bends to a minimum.

5. Add a hose clamp to that end and secure the hose to the exit port or fume extractor.

6. Seal any junction points as needed.

Release the gantry

1. Take the silver cabinet key from the toolbox. Unlock and remove the main access panels on the left and right sides of the machine. With a second person, lean the panels at a slight angle against an empty wall, away from hazards and heavy foot traffic.

   

   The left side panel is grounded. To remove it fully, find the lever connector on the ground wire, flip one side of the lever up and pull the wire out. Reattach the wire when you reinstall the panel.

   

2. Find the pins that lock the gantry in place. Each has a yellow lanyard so it is easy to spot.

   

3. Pull the pins from both sides of the machine so the gantry can move freely. Keep the pins in the contents box.

   

   

4. Reinstall the side panels and lock them with the machine cabinet key. Do not forget to reconnect the ground cable.

Power the machine on

1. Check the work area. Make sure nothing is left inside the cabinet that could cause a collision during initialization, and that the gantry pins have been removed.

2. Take the power cord from the contents box.

   

3. Connect the power cord to the back of the machine and to the outlet you prepared. The cover cap on the machine end of the cable is spring-loaded, so seat the plug firmly: the cap can push it out and cause an intermittent power connection. Check that the breakers above the machine power port are switched on.

   

   

4. Find the Emergency Stop button on the right side of the machine.

   

5. Push the Emergency Stop button in, then turn it clockwise so it pops back out. Out is the on position. Arrows on the button show which way to turn it.

   

6. Insert the ignition key into the key ignition on the right side of the machine.

   

7. Turn the key a quarter turn counterclockwise. Do not force it. You should feel it click, and the machine powers on fully. If it does not, stop turning the key and contact support immediately.

   

8. The laser now has power and homes towards the back right corner. The keypad display reads “Initializing”. Let the machine complete the initialization.

9. Use the X/Y arrow keys on the keypad to jog the laser head carefully to all 4 corners, checking that it does not collide with any part of the machine.

10. Unlatch the front access door with the machine panel key and open it. Find the foam attached to the Z belt beneath the bed. Carefully cut the zip ties, remove the foam from the Z belt and discard it. Be extremely careful not to cut or damage the Z belt.

    

11. Use the Z up and down arrow keys to check that the bed raises and lowers without trouble. Do not raise the bed into the laser head. Keep the bed about 2 inches away from the laser head for now.

12. After these checks, put the honeycomb tray back in the bed if you removed it. Lower the bed further to make this easier.

After power on

Set up LightBurn

LightBurn must be configured before you can use the machine properly. See the LightBurn setup guide for macOS or for Windows. The device profiles must be imported as those guides describe before you can run a job properly.

Alignment

More often than not, the laser keeps the alignment completed at AEON Laser USA. We highly recommend that you simply start using the machine and run a test job. The USB that came with the machine has a test file called “Material Rapid Test”, which you can run on any laser safe material. See Material Rapid Test for what to expect.

If your machine needs an alignment adjustment, see Alignment Process: REDLINE. If something seems off or comes out wrong, contact support and our team will identify the issue.

You can also watch our video on running a basic job with your new NOVA. It walks through the whole process, from importing the machine profile into LightBurn to creating an engraving from a PNG or JPG image.

Summary

Setting up your REDLINE NOVA takes several steps and some care. With a safe, prepared workspace and the unboxing, setup and first power up done, you are ready to start engraving. Put safety first at every step, from electrical and ventilation to moving the machine.

AEON Laser USA is not responsible for any damages or injuries that may result from following these suggestions. Use caution at all times.