Smart Rotary: NOVA

Applies to: NOVA 10, NOVA 14 and NOVA 16

This guide shows how to install and use the Smart Rotary with your AEON NOVA. The Smart Rotary lets the laser engrave or mark around the circumference of cylindrical items such as cups, glasses and bottles.

What you need

• Smart Rotary
• USB drive that came with the machine (attached to the machine ignition key)
• 20.5 mm focus gauge
• 2.5 mm Allen key
• Cabinet key
• Laser safety glasses
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Tweezers, or a similar small, thin object

Video

Set up the Smart Rotary

1. Lift the machine lid and remove everything sitting on the honeycomb. Carefully remove the honeycomb and set it aside somewhere safe. Do not stand it upright, lean it in a corner, or leave it in any position that could damage it.

2. Power the machine on and let it fully reset.

   

3. Press and hold the Z down arrow until the table lowers fully.

   

4. Carefully place the rotary in the center of the machine bed, with the motor on the right as seen from the front of the machine. With the Smart Rotary unplugged, spin the rollers by hand until the set screws on the wheels face upwards.

   

5. Use a 2.5 mm Allen key to loosen the set screws on all four wheels. Loosen them only 2 to 3 turns, until the wheels slide freely along the rollers. Do not remove them completely.

   

The size and shape of the workpiece decide how to adjust the wheels. Make sure any bumps, ridges or raised logos on the workpiece are not in the direct path of the wheels.

Reconfigure the X/Y driver

1. Go to the Emergency Stop side of the machine, where the drivers are. Use a machine key to remove the large side panel.

   

2. Find the X/Y driver. It is labeled X and Y on its face.

   

   

3. Use a Phillips head screwdriver on the screws that hold the X/Y driver. Slightly loosen the bottom screw and fully remove the top screw. Set the removed screw aside somewhere safe.

   

   

4. Hold the driver, then carefully pull it up and out towards you to remove it.

5. On the bottom of the driver is a row of dip switches numbered 1 to 10, each switched on or off. Using tweezers or a similar flat object, switch number 6 on for rotary use. Do not touch any of the other dip switches.

   

6. Remount the driver as it was.

You can reach the dip switches from below without removing the driver. It is harder to access and makes it more likely that you flip another switch by accident, so take care if you do it this way.

Choose the rotary settings

Different cups need different rotary settings. A tumbler with a sharp taper from base to mouth needs a different setup to get the engraving surface level than a perfectly cylindrical cup. Work out which settings and setup you need before you go further.

This guide uses the 0 wheel setup. If your item needs a different setup, use the descriptions below to pick one.

4 wheel setup

Ideal for perfectly cylindrical workpieces, which rest on all four wheels and stay level.

1. Slide the left 2 wheels to the left end of the rotary, away from the motor. Adjust the spacing as you place the workpiece on the wheels.

2. Position the mouth of the workpiece towards the wall of the rotary to stop it shifting, but do not let the workpiece touch the frame. Leave a gap just wide enough to slide a piece of paper in, which helps prevent binding. Keep adjusting the wheels until the weight of the cylinder is evenly spread.

3. Once all 4 wheels are in position, tighten both set screws on each wheel with a 2.5 mm Allen key. Do not overtighten: the wheels only need to be snug enough not to slide. Remove the cup for better access if you need to.

2 wheel setup

Use this if the workpiece is not a perfect cylinder. The widest end of the workpiece sits directly on the metal rollers instead of on 2 of the wheels, which brings it level.

1. Slide 2 of the wheels to the far end of the rotary, away from the motor, against the wall of the Smart Rotary.

   

2. Rest the mouth of the workpiece directly on the metal bars and against the sides of the 2 far wheels to stop it shifting. Adjust the other 2 wheels under the opposite end until the area to be engraved is level.

3. Once all 4 wheels are in position, tighten both set screws on each wheel with a 2.5 mm Allen key. Do not overtighten.

0 wheel setup

Use this if the cylinder is too large to sit on all 4 wheels, or seems unstable on them. The workpiece rests directly on the metal bars, and the wheels hold it in place instead of carrying it.

1. Slide the left 2 wheels to the left end of the rotary, away from the motor.

2. Place the cup in the rotary, resting directly on the bars. Slide the right set of wheels towards the end of the cup. They act as a rear clamp that keeps the cup from shifting while engraving.

3. Once all 4 wheels are in position, tighten both set screws on each wheel with a 2.5 mm Allen key. Do not overtighten.

Load the rotary settings

1. Plug the USB thumb drive that came with your laser into a USB port on your computer.

   

2. Connect your computer, with LightBurn installed, to the machine by your preferred method. This guide used USB.

3. In LightBurn, click Edit in the top toolbar, then Machine Settings.

   

4. In the Machine Settings window, click Load from File at the bottom left.

   

5. Browse to the machine USB drive, open the Settings folder, then the Rotary Settings folder. Select the .lbset file for the setup you chose above and click Open. This guide used the 0 wheel settings.

   

6. Click Write to write the settings to the controller. A small message near the buttons at the bottom of the window should read “Controller settings written successfully”. If it reads “Communication with controller failed”, click Read at the bottom right, then repeat from step 4.

   

7. Click Read once the settings are written. Scroll down to the Rotary Parameters section and check that Enable Rotary is set to True.

   

8. Click OK to close the Machine Settings window.

   

Prepare a file in LightBurn

The settings in this section are suggestions and examples to get you started. Run your own tests to find the settings you prefer.

Open or import your design in LightBurn and scale it to size. In most cases you need to rotate the design to match the way the workpiece sits in the machine.

Cuts/Layers settings

These are the settings used for this guide.

1. Mode: select Fill to engrave the design. Line would give an outline.

2. Speed: 100 mm/s to 700 mm/s is workable with the rotary. Higher speeds can cause wobble or jitter. This guide used 500 mm/s.

3. Power: set it for the material, the tube type and the tube wattage. This guide used 30% on a 150 W glass CO2 tube, on a powder coated aluminum cup. For glass, see Glass Engraving.

4. LPI: 250 to 400 is a good starting range. Up to 700 or 800 may be needed to smooth the edges of curves. This guide used 500.

5. In the Common tab, select Fill all shapes at once.

6. In the Advanced tab, make sure Flood Fill is off.

7. We recommend using only the internal air pump with the rotary, so make sure Air Assist is off. Set the air regulator dial near the Emergency Stop to the airflow you want from the nozzle. Then click OK.

   

8. In the Laser window, set Start From to User Origin and select the center button for Job Origin.

   

   To check the settings before you send the job, click Window, then Preview, then the Play button. The whole job should sweep from the front to the back of the machine (bottom to top of the screen) in one fluid motion. Click OK once confirmed.

9. In the Laser window, check that you have a connection. It should say Ready. If it says Disconnected, make sure the laser is powered on and connected by USB, Ethernet or Wi-Fi, then right-click the Devices button to reset the connection.

10. Click Send, name the file and click OK. The job is now saved in the memory of the machine.

Install the Smart Rotary

1. Plug the rotary into the Rotary Port at the front right corner inside the machine.

   

2. Carefully push or pull the gantry over the rotary by hand, so the red dot just hits the edge of the rotary.

   

3. Route any spare cable clear of the rollers, gantry and laser head. Make sure the cable cannot get pinched between the bed and the front cross support bar.

   

4. To align the Smart Rotary to the gantry, use the front edge of the silver baseplate as a visual guide. Position the red beam at the center of the baseplate edge. Adjust the rotary itself and do not move the gantry.

5. Using the Left and Right arrow keys, jog the laser head to the far left of the rotary and line up the front edge so it sits exactly under the red dot.

6. Jog the laser head to the far right. Watch whether the red dot travels parallel along the whole front edge of the rotary.

   

7. Adjust the Smart Rotary as needed. It is aligned when you can jog the laser head along the whole front edge with the red dot staying parallel to it.

8. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to spin the rollers until the Y coordinate on the keypad is about halfway through its travel. Within 5 mm either way, it should read 350 mm on a NOVA 10, 450 mm on a NOVA 14 or 500 mm on a NOVA 16.

Set up the workpiece

1. Jog the laser head out of the way and put the workpiece back on the rotary. Turn the workpiece so the center of the area you want to engrave faces up.

2. Set the sliding lens housing to at least 10 on the gauge on the front of the slider. Setting it above 10, so the lens housing sits lower, is fine and may be necessary on an older generation NOVA.

   

   

   Caution: Watch carefully while the machine autofocuses and make sure the plug is not crushed. Hit the Emergency Stop if you need to. If the lens slider is not low enough, there will not be enough clearance to focus. Make sure the slider is positioned and secured properly.

3. Gently push or pull the gantry until the red dot is over the highest point of the workpiece.

4. Use the Left and Right arrow keys to jog the laser head over the area you want to engrave.

5. Use the Z arrows to raise the bed until it is just a few millimeters from the laser head.

   

6. Use the autofocus feature to focus on the cup, then lower the bed by 1 mm.

   

7. Use the Left and Right arrow keys to move the red pointer to the spot on the workpiece where you want the center of your artwork.

8. Press ORIGIN on the keypad to set the starting position. The origin corresponds to where the Job Origin (the little green square) sits in LightBurn. This example uses the center button.

   

9. Press FRAME on the keypad to check that the perimeter of the job matches where you want to engrave. If it does not, adjust the origin as in the previous step until it does.

   

Y Slop error

1. If the keypad shows a Y Slop error, press ESC to leave the error screen. Press ESC again so the laser returns to the origin point.

2. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to jog the rollers back to the center of the Y axis: 350 mm on a NOVA 10, 450 mm on a NOVA 14 or 500 mm on a NOVA 16, within 5 mm either way.

3. Press ORIGIN to set the new starting position, then try to frame again.

4. Adjust the Y coordinate up or down as needed until the design frames. Press ORIGIN after each adjustment.

Pre-launch checklist

• The correct rotary settings are loaded on the machine.
• The dip switch is set for the rotary.
• The cup is set up to match the rotary settings.
• The Smart Rotary is plugged into the Rotary Port.
• The rotary cord is clear of the rollers, gantry, bed pinch point and laser head.
• The Smart Rotary is aligned with the gantry.
• The red dot is over the highest point of the workpiece.
• The file transferred to the machine properly. Its name shows at the top right of the keypad display.
• The laser is focused correctly for the workpiece.
• The origin of the design is where you want it.
• The design frames where you want it.
• The workpiece is level on the rotary, and any bumps, ridges or raised logos are clear of the wheels.
• The workpiece turns smoothly with the rollers without losing traction.

Launch

1. Gently close the lid, make sure the exhaust hose is properly connected, and put on your laser safety glasses. Press START/PAUSE on the keypad and keep your finger resting on the button in case you need to pause.

   

2. When the job is complete, push the gantry out of the way by hand and remove the workpiece from the Smart Rotary.

3. Carefully clean the piece.

Return to flat engraving settings

1. Plug the USB thumb drive that came with your laser into your computer, and connect the computer to the machine as before.

2. In LightBurn, click Edit, then Machine Settings, then Load from File.

3. Browse to the machine USB drive, open the Settings folder, then the Rotary Settings folder. Select Flat Settings.lbset and click Open.

   

4. Click Write. The message should read “Controller settings written successfully”. If it reads “Communication with controller failed”, click Read and repeat from step 2.

5. Click Read, scroll down to Rotary Parameters and check that Enable Rotary is set to False. Then click OK.

   

Tear down

1. Following the steps in “Reconfigure the X/Y driver” above, flip dip switch 6 on the X/Y driver back to off and remount the driver.

   

2. Unplug the Smart Rotary from the Rotary Port.

3. Remove the rotary from the machine bed, along with any other material.

4. Press SHIFT + START/PAUSE on the keypad to reset, and let the machine fully reset.

   

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