Vevor K40 Laser Cutter | eBay: Purchase Link
K40 Alignment Guide (Cheat Code)
I bought this with the express intention of creating one of those Edge-Lit LED Signs you see in NASA Flight Control and every secret FBI office in some cave. If I came up with additional projects after that, it was a win. (I’m only partially kidding, I knew I could cut out wooden project boxes for my electronics too)
Align, Align, Align, have you Aligned? Align Again.
Of course, a downside of purchasing cloned hardware is the quality control issues. A comparable machine that worked out of the crate was somewhere above $1000, which is outside of a yolo project budget.
Since receiving the machine I have completely disassembled and straightened the frame, aligned the mirrors, and got one concerningly burnt star cut out.. before another problem occurred.
Instead of using a limit switch, it uses a physical contactor to detect the x-stop. At some point during a cut or movement, the metal warped slightly and jammed below the sensor causing the stepper motor to violently grind trying to find home once more. The grinding and vibration seems to have shaken the eccentric nuts on the wheels causing the entire mechanism to freeze. If I had recognized the wheels being tight, I wouldn’t have unscrewed my perfectly aligned mirrors in a diagnosis attempt.
I have since resolved the stepper motor (it’s OK thankfully) and readjusted the wheels so they roll smoothly once more. I’m in the process of getting the laser aligned again, I’m at the crescent moon phase where a slight reflection is happening from “mirror 3”. Another cost cutting measure in this machine is using a non-adjustable laser head mirror, you can apply tape and pressure to get it to behave but a slightly more expensive laser head has the same 3 pivot screw system as the other mirrors which would make life a lot easier. There’s an argument to print one, but I enjoy the idiot protection from not blasting a hole through plastic while calibrating the alignment.
I’ve debated purchasing a laser adjustment guide, however by the time it arrived I would’ve spent the time learning the finesse required to adjust it manually. I usually enjoy tinkering and learning how my tools work, so I opted to forego purchasing the guide. I should have purchased a new laser head upgrade which would’ve solved my general issue of mirror 3 being non-adjustable. Enough painters tape and friction will hold it true, but in the future I think I will grab the upgrade to make future Michael’s life easier.
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