Vectric and lasers

[Craig Thompson]

Doe's anyone know if Vectric is working on making their software compatible with lasers? If they would I think they would have the market covered? Not any software out there that compares to Vectric.

[Adrian]

It will work with lasers already if you have a suitable post processor. There is an add-on laser module coming which adds more features. It was demonstrated at the UGM.

[ZipperHead55]

I'm not sure where they are with it, but I had broached the subject of laser AND rotary axis post-processors (PP), and there is a safety issue (the laser would be high enough that it poses a safety hazard), so perhaps that is why they are still figuring things out. I believe that there are PP for the laser attachment (JTech?!) so you might want to contact the sales department to see if they are selling/supporting that at the moment.

[rig gap]

I use an 8.5 watt laser on my machine occasionally, and I use Vectric Aspire with a post processor from j-tech photonics that has no "Z" moves...I run my machine with a Mach3 controller, and the laser does very well with the configuration and pp from them.

[Craig Thompson]

I have a Boss LS 3655 100 watt laser. It runs off other software, Neither of these software's come close to what Vectric can do. What I would like to see is Vectric add on laser software to VC or Aspire. That way you could do the complete job in Vectric and send it directly to the laser machine. Would also help in making items using the router and the laser together.

[TReischl]

..... What I would like to see is Vectric add on laser software to VC or Aspire. .....

What do you mean by "laser software"?

I am thinking you mean features that are specific to laser operations. A fer instance would be automatically filling the areas inside of lettering. Or being able to shade by controlling power output via something like grey scale.

A lot of us are already using a laser on our cnc routers. In my case I just took a standard Mach 3 post processor and modified it to remove all the stuff laser cutting does not require.

An observation: A machine built to do cnc routing is not the same as a machine dedicated to laser engraving/etching. In a business situation the router would not compete well in the engraving market.

I use mine to add detail to carvings. I have posted about doing that in recent months with pictures showing what it looks like. It will also do fills but that is a bit laborious because I need to create the interior fill lines for the laser to burn.