¶ How do I focus the fiber head?
Do not steal a millimetre off a screenshot. Separate three different numbers:
- FTC calibration/stand-off tells the CNC fiber head where the sheet surface is and controls nozzle distance.
- Fiber process focus places the focal region relative to the material for a particular cutting/engraving process.
- CO₂ physical focus uses the supplied focusing tool/ruler and head adjustment in the manual workflow.
They are related but not interchangeable. A successful FTC calibration does not prove the process focus is correct, and a ruler dimension for the CO₂ head is not a fiber-head focus gauge.
¶ Fiber workflow
- Identify exact head/lens/nozzle/source and load its preserved Gweike baseline.
- Inspect the protective window, ceramic, and nozzle; a dirty/damaged part invalidates a focus test.
- Run FTC calibration on clean flat conductive sheet.
- Verify stable stand-off over the intended area with emission disabled.
- Use a known material/thickness and the focus reference/value in the matching process table.
- If optimization is needed, run a documented focus series on scrap while holding every other variable constant.
- Compare penetration, top/bottom kerf, dross, taper, and consistency; label each coupon.
Do not convert a software focus value into a physical millimeter distance unless the documentation for that head/software explicitly defines the conversion.
¶ CO₂ workflow
The M-Series manual directs the operator to use the machine's built-in/supplied focusing tool for the CO₂ cutting head, and rotary CO₂ procedures refer to the focal-length ruler. Use the tool belonging to your head, loosen/adjust only the documented mechanism, secure it again, then frame and run a small test.
¶ Can I copy or 3D-print another owner's gauge?
Only after you know the head model, lens/focal length, nozzle, reference surfaces, and the exact intended distance. Someone asked for a fiber-head gauge (focus-gauge thread). That thread does not give you a universal millimetre. Print the wrong one and you either miss focus or crash the nozzle.
Make a local labeled gauge only from a dimension confirmed for your exact hardware, then validate it against a controlled focus test. Store it with the head it belongs to.