Preface: Figurative picture

Theoretical Knowledge

Buffer Distance

In a laser engraving machine, buffer distance (also called safety distance or start-up distance) refers to the additional distance the laser head travels to move from its current position to the starting point of the engraving or cutting area. This distance ensures that the laser head does not collide with the material or any obstacles before starting the job, preventing damage to both the machine and the material.

Specifically, the buffer distance serves several purposes:

1. Preventing collisions: As the laser head moves to the working area, the buffer distance helps avoid direct contact with the material, reducing the risk of damage to both the equipment and the workpiece.
2. Protecting the laser: In some cases, the laser engraving machine needs to first move to a designated position and pass through a safe path, ensuring that the laser does not come into contact with other objects or activate prematurely.
3. Program settings: The control software of the laser engraving machine usually allows the user to set a buffer distance so that the machine can make proper adjustments before starting the engraving or cutting process, ensuring precision in every operation.

The specific value of the buffer distance depends on the model, design, and requirements of the laser engraving machine. By setting an appropriate buffer distance, the machine's efficiency and safety can be improved.

Actual Processing Distance

In the process of laser engraving or cutting, the actual processing distance (also known as actual working distance or actual cutting distance) refers to the real path length traveled by the laser head during the processing operation. This distance represents the true trajectory the laser beam moves along the material surface while engraving or cutting, excluding any buffer, preheating, or idle movement.

The actual processing distance is influenced by several factors:

1. Processing Path: The path the laser head follows on the material surface during engraving or cutting determines the total length of actual processing. For example, if a shape or text is being cut, the laser head moves along the outline of that design, and the total length of this path is the actual processing distance.
2. Speed and Precision: The speed and precision settings of the laser machine can affect how the laser head moves during the processing, thereby influencing the actual processing distance. Higher precision settings might cause the laser head to follow more intricate, smaller paths, increasing the total distance.
3. Shape and Size: The shape and size of the material being engraved or cut directly affect the actual processing distance. Larger or more complex workpieces will result in longer processing distances, while simpler patterns or smaller materials will require shorter distances.
4. Starting and Ending Positions of the Laser Head: The actual processing distance is also dependent on the starting and ending positions of the laser head. If a long buffer distance or pauses are set, they may influence the calculation of actual processing distance, but these portions are not included in the actual processing path.

In summary, the actual processing distance is the total distance the laser head moves along a specific path during engraving or cutting operations. This distance directly affects processing time and efficiency, and it is often used to calculate the running cost of the laser machine or material consumption.

Bolt reference value

Note that this article is based off of measurements and calculations. Actual values may vary and there may be errors in the data.



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